More than 20,000 people asked an Alberta women’s shelter for help in 2019 — and were turned away.
A tally of 2019 statistics shows a dramatic spike in the number of people for whom no spot was available.
In total, 23,247 women, children and seniors were turned away from shelters in the last year, compared to more than 16,000 in 2018. The increase of more than 6,500 people year over year translates to a whopping 39 per cent.
The numbers are part of the Alberta Council of Women’s Shelters’ 2019 report.
“We’ve had a real freeze on women’s shelters over, probably more than the last decade. So while Alberta’s population has increased, we haven’t seen that increase in beds,” said Jan Reimer, executive director of the ACWS.
Graphic by Tonia Gloweski, Global News”The data paints a clear picture of domestic violence in Alberta,” reads the 2019 report.
“This is not one woman’s problem, or just one family’s. It is everyone’s problem, and we can solve it together.”
READ MORE: Shelters on the front lines help women flee violence — but they’re also in crisis
ACWS also says the number of women facing severe or extreme danger is up. Using a “danger assessment tool,” shelters measure the risk a woman faces of being killed by an intimate partner.
The level is the highest it’s been in the last seven years.
Two-thirds of women heading to a shelter in 2019 faced a severe or extreme risk of fatal violence.
“It’s a serious problem here in Alberta. We have some of the highest rates in the country as it is,” Reimer said.
“We’re certainly really concerned about the high level of danger that women are facing.”
There are victories too, and ACWS is anxious to share them.
The report says 96 per cent of women and seniors who stayed in a shelter did not return to their abuser, and 68 per cent of men surveyed reported taking some kind of intervening action when witnessing a woman faced with abuse.
ACWS stresses there are resources for those who need help, including referrals and programs for income and housing support, and navigating a myriad of systems including justice, health and housing.
READ MORE: Give Me Shelter prepares for 16th year helping victims of domestic violence
In the last year, more than 10,000 women, children and seniors stayed at an Alberta shelter. Shelters received more than 60,000 crisis calls, and served more than 7,000 people through outreach programs.
The Alberta government said it is committed to maintaining funding for women’s shelters at $51 million per year.
“We have also passed an Alberta version of Clare’s Law, which will give people at risk of domestic violence another tool to make informed decisions about potentially harmful relationships,” read a statement from a spokesperson with the ministry of Community and Social Services.
“We are reviewing the ACWS 2019 data release to understand how we can continue to support vulnerable Albertans.”
The data is collected from 39 member agencies operating 51 shelters across the province.
As the 30th anniversary of the Ecole Polytechnique massacre approaches, Global News is conducting an extensive national investigation into the state of violence against women. Find our series Broken: A Global News series on Canada’s ongoing failure to end violence against women here.
If you or someone you know is experiencing domestic or family violence, call the 24-hour support line at 310-1818.
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