Housing remains 'biggest issue' for women fleeing domestic violence, say front-line groups

The 21-bed shelter Jodi McDavid runs for women fleeing domestic violence in Sydney, N.S., is consistently full, sometimes to the point that extra beds have to be set up in the living room. 

She says there's often a waiting list of women trying to get out of a dangerous situation, with nowhere else to go. 

"The biggest issue right now is definitely housing — the lack of affordable units," said McDavid, executive director of the Cape Breton Transition House Association.

McDavid said when a woman shows up at a shelter, known as a transition house, one of the first things front-line workers do is try to find them safe and affordable housing to move on to.

But sometimes this isn't possible, and the number of women seeking help is growing.  

"The reality of it is those lists are quite long. As we all know, there's a housing shortage," she said. "More often than not … it's kind of out of the frying pan back into the fire where they're in some unstable housing accommodation.

"We unfortunately have some people who might return to the person that was causing harm to them and a lot of that is because of just the lack of housing."

Nova Scotia is in the midst of a spike in intimate-partner violence that has left six women dead and been declared an epidemic.

Still, the time it's taking women to find a stable place to live when they leave an abusive situation has grown in the past five years, according to an organization that helps women move and stores their belongings for free while they look for new housing. 

"When we first started here, there wasn't as much of a need for us to have the storage," said Michelle Tupy, chapter director of Shelter Movers in Nova Scotia and New Brunswick. "But now we're finding that we need more and more ... and that they are storing for longer and longer, in some cases over a year or more."

Tupy said Shelter Movers sometimes checks back with clients and finds out they've become homeless. Sometimes they help move them back in with their abuser because they haven't found anywhere else to go. 

The ministers responsible for housing and status of women both declined an interview request from CBC News. 

Spokesperson Nicole Hersey said the provincial government funds transition houses and supportive housing units across Nova Scotia, as well as a rental supplement specifically for women fleeing violence. 

In the 2024-25 budget, the province added $7.1 million in permanent funding for transition houses and women's centres, a response to a recommendation by the Mass Casualty Commission, bringing the total annual funding to $16.9 million.

In July, the province also introduced a rental subsidy specifically for women fleeing domestic violence, which is referral-based and provides from $900 a month for a one-bedroom apartment to $1,400 monthly for a three-bedroom for up to two years. 

Hersey said 230 applications have been received since July and 139 households are now receiving the benefit. 

"No one should live in fear," she said in an email. "We want survivors of gender-based violence to know supports are available and they have options."

Slower turnover in shelters 'causing some backlog'

Having access to housing and the finances to meet basic needs is "necessary" for women to successfully leave an abusive situation, according to Mary Aspinall, an assistant professor in the department of criminology and criminal justice at St. Thomas University in New Brunswick. 

Aspinall said when children are involved, it's even more difficult. And some women are under the financial control of their partner. 

"It can become this choice of, 'Do I stay in this relationship with a roof over my head or do I risk being homeless?'"

Aspinall, who previously worked at a women's shelter and as a domestic violence victim caseworker in Saskatchewan, said there aren't enough shelter beds across the country and waitlists are growing. 

"Even though they might be very diligently looking for more permanent long-term housing options … they're just not there," she said. "There's a much slower turnover of the residents, which is causing some backlog."

At capacity, waitlists

According to the provincial government, there are 34 affordable housing units — called second-stage housing units — across the province for women fleeing domestic violence. 

The province also funds "more than 800" supportive housing units for people experiencing homelessness, including as a result of gender-based violence. 

"While we don't have real time occupancy numbers for supportive housing, our service providers consistently report being near or at capacity," wrote Hersey. 

According to the Nova Scotia Provincial Housing Agency, 7,737 households are waiting for public housing, including 220 on a priority-access waiting list for vulnerable people, which includes people fleeing family violence. The average wait time on the priority list is 0.7 years, which is an improvement from years past. 

In Sydney, Jodi McDavid's organization runs 11 second-stage housing units and has 10 more under renovation. She said there is no core funding to buy, renovate and staff this type of housing, so they apply for a patchwork of grants. 

"It's hard … to work with the clients and know that they have no place to go and to think that it could possibly be within our ability to change," McDavid said. "That, I suppose, is what keeps us going."

If you or someone you know is struggling, here's where to get help:

• Nova Scotians can call 211 to connect with community supports and resources.
• A list of transition houses across Nova Scotia.
• Family violence resources helpline 1-855-225-0220.
• The Transition House Association of Nova Scotia website.
• Canada's Suicide Crisis Helpline: Call or text 988.
• Kids Help Phone: 1-800-668-6868. Text 686868. Live chat counselling on the website.
• Canadian Association for Suicide Prevention: Find a 24-hour crisis centre.
• This guide from the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health outlines how to talk about suicide with someone you're worried about.