With more than 3,500 adults and close to 3,000 children admitted to women’s emergency shelters last year, and a growing need for safe spaces, Alberta is rolling out additional supports.
It’s been a decade since Alberta’s women’s shelters have seen any type of an increase, according to the Alberta Council of Women’s Shelters, but that came to an end on Tuesday.
“We are keeping our election to provide women’s shelters an additional $10 million over four years. This includes $5 million to roll out immediately to address the urgent needs we’ve heard fromn our shelter partners and another $5 million if Budget 2024 is passed,” said Minister of Children and Family Services Searle Turton.
The provincial government says $55.8 million is invested annually in women’s shelters across the province, but Jan Reimer with the Alberta Council of Women’s Shelters says the need has grown significantly, and shelters have been struggling for several years to keep pace.
“When we did our calculations about how many women could be helped through these unfunded beds, it’s over 1,100 women and children and, on top of that, we’re also seeing additional capacity for our shelters that actually don’t have any staff and can’t open their doors without this funding,” she said. “If you look back over that decade, we’ve seen population growth, we’ve seen inflationary pressure, we’ve weathered a pandemic, we’re seeing increased demand, so we know how needed this funding is.”
The initial $5 million being rolled out will fund 104 more beds in 17 communities across Alberta, according to Turton.
Reimer says this money couldn’t come at a more crucial time.
“Because shelters are there around the clock, 24/7, [they] put an end to gender-based violence, they’re there for those who are seeking those services and they’re also on the front line of prevention, because if you ever want to make a big difference in domestic violence, you know it’s outreach with the children,” she explained.
Turton says it needs to happen.
“It’s so important that survivors have a safe place to turn and have access to resources when and where they need them,” he added.
