Women fleeing abuse staying longer in shelters due to housing crisis, London agency says

The head of one of Ontario's largest women's shelters says the housing crisis has driven up the length of time women spend in shelter, and more are being turned away as a result.

Despite both of Anova's shelter locations being full, the average length of stay has soared to 48 days, compared to around three to four weeks in previous years, said Jane McGregor, the London agency's acting executive director.

"What we find is we have the increased lengths of stay of women in shelter which makes sense based on the housing crisis, however our shelters are full and this is not just London, this is across Ontario," she said. 

A longer stay for one woman in need means a number of others may be turned away while she searches for housing in a competitive and expensive market, McGregor added.

"So when you have a woman calling, you're doing an assessment and she's high risk and needs to leave an abusive situation, it is really problematic for the folks on the other end of the line that we can't offer space."

The agency has transitional housing along with two shelters — one on Clarke Road in the city's east, and the other on Wellington Road in south London.

The challenges are compounded as the number of people seeking Anova's services has also increased, said McGregor, adding that the agency has to turn away about three women each day. She estimates that number totalled about 2,300 people as of 2023. 

Between 2022 and 2023, the number of women and children requiring Anova's shelter increased by 30 per cent and McGregor expects that number to rise by another 20 per cent by the end of 2024, she said.

A national report published Monday by Women's Shelters Canada found 97 per cent of shelter workers surveyed said in the last year, it's become harder to support survivors seeking housing. Most said women fleeing violence needed to stay in shelters longer than the previous year.

"These services are essential and it's just not our health-care system or policing services that save lives, it's shelters and crisis services. We're saving lives every day," said McGregor. "Every day we take a phone call, we're safety planning with women and bring them in when their assessments are high risk for femicide."  

In June, CBC London reported that Cheryl Sheldon, 62, who was allegedly killed by her boyfriend, reached out to three organizations that help women flee abusive relationships in the hours before her death, including Anova and London Abused Women's Centre, but no beds were available. 

McGregor said Anova follows up with women who are turned away daily if more beds become available and connect them with other nearby shelters if they have space. 

More direct funding needed to support survivors

Since 2023, the London Abused Women's Centre has had more than 11,000 service interactions, according to its executive director, Jennifer Dunn. 

"That's a lot of service interactions to have in an organization like ours. We provide ongoing counselling, advocacy and support for women and girls that have been abused," she said. 

McGregor said although she's grateful there is provincial and federal funding for gender-based violence and human trafficking initiatives, the targeted investments aren't directly helping domestic violence survivors or shelter services.

"Different municipalities have declared intimate partner violence an epidemic, and what do we normally do when we have epidemics? We treat them," she said.

"So it's not just checking off a box saying 'Yes we agree this is an epidemic', it's putting money where your words are and actually assisting the shelter services for women and kids to access."

Dunn was among advocates and MPs who held a press conference in Ottawa on Monday to mark the International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women, a day designated by the United Nations to raise awareness for gender-based violence.  

"In London, since July 2023 we've had four femicides. There were four women murdered at the hands of men and that's simply not OK by any means," she said. "[Survivors] tell us with awareness campaigns, they really do feel like they're not alone and that they're being heard."

Support is available for anyone fleeing gender-based violence. You can access crisis lines and local support services through Shelter Safe. If you're in immediate danger or fear for your safety or that of others around you, please call 911.