For the first time in its history, the Alberta Council of Women’s Shelters survey is shedding light on staff and their experiences working in the domestic violence sector.
The ACWS said, in the past year, shelters have seen a surge in demand from survivors reaching out for help, with increasingly severe and complex cases.
The ACWS Workforce Survey examined how staff in this field are handling higher demand in the midst of inflation, record-high staff burnout and turnover rates, and what the group describes as “stagnant government funding.”
“It’s a crushing responsibility to be there answering the phone and realizing that your shelter doesn’t have space today,” said ACWS founder Jan Reimer. “Shelters will do all they can to support women. We don’t want to ever, ever deter women from calling. Please reach out and get the support that you need.”
The survey collected information from shelter directors and staff. Twenty-nine directors, operating 38 shelters, and 129 shelter staff responded to the survey.
It found the rate of staff turnover for ACWS member shelters reached 45 per cent — “an unprecedented turnover rate in the Alberta domestic violence sector,” ACWS said.
“Domestic violence shelters have not received a funding increase from the government of Alberta for staff wages since 2014-15, and for operational costs since 2015-16,” the report stated.
“Since 2015, the cost of living has increased by 20 per cent… Shelters are being asked to pay 2023 prices with 2015 dollars. This task is virtually impossible.”
“Shelters cannot meet the demand for their services with the current levels of funding, and they will be unable to keep up as that demand continues to increase.”
“It’s unfair to demand shelters operate under these impossible conditions,” Reimer said.
“After the government of Alberta announced a $13-billion surplus in 2022, it’s unacceptable that shelters remain with this funding crisis,” she added.
“Receiving support from a domestic violence shelter can literally be the difference between life and death.”
At the end of the survey, the ACWS calls on the Alberta government to work with it and create a Domestic Violence Shelter Committee — made up of ACWS members, other domestic violence shelters and government representatives — to review the recommendations, including modernizing shelter standards, updating the staffing model, operational funding and red tape reduction.
In a statement, Alberta’s parliamentary secretary for status of women — who works with the Ministry of Seniors, Community and Social Services — said the government supports women and children fleeing domestic violence.
“Alberta’s government provided more than $51.3 million in 2022-23 to support women’s shelters throughout the province,” Tanya Fir said. “Our government is also committed to continue taking action in preventing gender-based violence. Just today, our government announced that we would be providing $2.5 million to post-secondary institutions to help train students, staff and faculty against gender-based violence.
“I continue to visit women’s shelters across this province and thank them for the vitally important work they do for women and families in Alberta. I look forward to meeting with the team at ACWS in the near future.”
The ACWS said it requested a meeting with the premier and minister in October 2022 and hasn’t received a response.
The ACWS is asking the province for $10.3 million, which breaks down to about $200,000 per shelter.
“The more we try to bring awareness to the issue, we have to make sure the support is there,” Reimer said.
“Recently, for instance, the province announced they were providing additional funding for the help line. But you need the help that’s there, so that when women do call, they can get there. So we really do need to invest in the expertise and support that shelters are providing, and we need it sooner not later.”
The survey also found:
- 76% of staff reported their stress increased as a result of the pandemic
- 72% of staff reported an increase in their level of burnout
- 51% of staff reported a decrease in overall wellbeing
- 51% of staff experienced an increase in workload since the pandemic
- 45% of staff perform shift work
- 37% of staff work over and above full-time hours
- 83% of shelters reported needing additional staff to meet current demands
- 75% of shelters reported the pandemic reduced fundraising revenues (45% of shelters said by 25-50%, 30% said by over 50%)
- The average wage of domestic violence shelter staff is 15% lower than what the average Albertan makes
- Domestic violence shelter wages are an average of 33% lower than comparable wages in the government of Alberta
- In 2021-22, the rate of staff turnover for ACWS member shelters reached 45% (18% higher than the national average)
- 55% of domestic violence shelter director positions turned over during the pandemic
- 37% of domestic violence shelter staff work an additional job (92% of which say it’s to supplement their income)
- 94% of staff who are thinking about leaving their job report that it is because of insufficient pay
- 89% of shelters report that stagnant wages have negatively impacted their ability to recruit and retain staff
- 85% of staff report that they chose to work in the domestic violence shelter sector to help people
“The average wage of domestic violence shelter staff is now 15 per cent lower than the wage of an average Albertan,” Reimer stressed.
“We know it’s low wages, it’s shift work, it’s long hours, it’s the stress that they’re feeling.
“Domestic violence shelters across the province are struggling now.”
Between April 1, 2021, and March 31, 2022, ACWS members sheltered 7,620 survivors of abuse and gender-based violence and their children and answered 65,390 calls for support.
Every ACWS member shelter stayed open during the pandemic and continued to provide a full spectrum of services. Domestic violence shelter staff worked in-person to support survivors, ACWS said.