Data released by the Alberta Council of Women’s Shelters (ACWS) reveals that 96 per cent of women and seniors did not return to their abuser after a stay in a shelter.
The aggregate data on women, children and seniors from the past year show an increasing severity of violence reported to shelters. About two thirds of women who used the Danger Assessment tool when accessing shelters in Alberta are at a ‘severe’ or ‘extreme’ risk of being murdered by their intimate partners.
ACWS reports that this is the highest risk level seen in the past eight years.
The risk assessment tool was launched in 2013 by ACWS and was developed to help Indigenous women recognize the level of danger and extent of their abuse.
"This report highlights what we know. Domestic violence is on the rise and Cochrane does not have a shelter,” said Margaret Van Tighem, Big Hill Haven women’s shelter co-founder.
“There is nowhere local for our neighbours to go. It is why Big Hill Haven exists. To help families deal with domestic violence today and to take the first steps in providing that safe haven.”
“Our vision is to ensure our community is free of domestic violence."
Cochrane’s Big Hill Haven is currently under planning and development. The organization’s long term goals are to provide a safe place and outreach for women with or without children who are leaving domestic violence; operate a 24-hour confidential crisis line; provide advocacy, referrals and systems navigation including trauma. They also hope to be equipped to provide education, leadership and training on issues related to violence and abuse against women and children.
At a town council meeting on Nov. 12, 2019 the organization outlined their mandate, fundraising initiatives and their hopes for a standalone structure that could house all of their services under one roof. Since their inception in 2016, they have raised $250K through fundraising initiatives.
Big Hill Haven pointed to a shelter that is under construction in the community of Morinville, north of Edmonton. The shelter- called Jessie’s House - will service a smaller population and will cost $1.6 million, not including the cost of land. The organization is willing to foot the bill to build a similarly sized shelter, but would like the town to help them with acquiring land.
"As the newest member of the Big Hill Haven family, it is numbers like this that underscores the importance of our success,” said Tara McFadden, Big Hill Haven’s first fund development and public relations officer, referring to ACWS’s findings.
“Every dollar we raise allows us to help families take that next step to freeing themselves from violence and to build new lives."
In the past year Alberta’s women’s shelters served 7,474 people through outreach services and provided 78,422 services including emergency and longer-term accommodation, safety planning, trauma-informed childcare, outreach services, counselling, and legal advocacy.
“ACWS members sheltered 10,128 women, children and seniors this year, but shelters had to turn away 23,247 women, children and seniors requesting shelter due to a lack of capacity across the province,” said Jan Reimer, executive director of ACWS.
ACWS is the provincial network organization of women’s shelters in Alberta. The organization supports 39 members operating 51 shelters across the province, and collects data on every woman, child and senior they serve to inform shelter services and public policy. With the support of its members, ACWS has one of the largest social justice databases.
According to statistics collected by ACWS, every six days in Canada a woman is killed by a current or former intimate partner. The organization also states that Alberta has one of the highest rates of domestic violence in the country, and the severity of the violence is on the rise.
Visit Big Hill Haven’s website for more information: www.bighillhaven.com
