Domestic violence is at a ten year high in Alberta according to a report by the Alberta Council of Women’s Shelters (ACWS), with nearly 60,000 calls for help made to shelters throughout Alberta last year. Such record numbers illustrate how a variety of factors, like the housing crisis and inflation, can have a ripple effect on the province’s vulnerable populations.
Cathy Carter-Snell, a Mount Royal University professor and co-founder of the Canadian Forensic Nurses Association, explains that there are two types of domestic violence abusers:
1.) Intimate terrorism, where the abuser uses power and control to isolate their victims.
2.) Situational violence, which is when the abuser has anger issues that spike during stressful situations like times of economic crisis.
“Anytime that you have a compromise to security, intimate terrorism goes up and so does situational violence,” said Carter-Snell.
Shortage of space and money
Of the 26,317 requests for admission to emergency shelters last year, only 19 per cent of victims were sheltered due to the lack of space and resources, according to the ASWS report released last year. In addition, 8,020 children, an increase of 48 per cent, were refused shelter compared to the previous year.
One contributing factor towards the rise in cases is the housing crisis, which creates hurdles for those leaving violent homes. President of the board of ACWS, Gaye Warthe explains when shelters are consistently full and survivors are facing a fluctuating job market alongside a challenging rental market, many victims are forced to stay with their abusers.
According to the report, “rising housing costs are leaving the most vulnerable behind,” with the cost of rent in Calgary alone skyrocketing 40 per cent since 2021. This issue is multiplied in rural areas, where finding adequate housing is more difficult.
Another problem is funding. Shelters across Alberta have not received funding increases in nearly a decade despite a 46 per cent increase in calls for help since 2015. Shelters are currently running on 75 per cent of the spending power. Funding not only helps shelters directly, but also helps with prevention programming. According to the ACWS report, 33 per cent of shelters will have to cut more programs in the next year.
Early intervention effective
Carter-Snell believes that early intervention is key to combating this complex issue. Her research shows that empathy training at the kindergarten level has shown promising results, though funding to programs in Alberta that reflect this research have been cut.
“I think what always amazes me about working with individuals and families who have experienced abuse is that given the right support and the right circumstances, they can flourish,” said Warthe
Research shows that prevention programming is essential towards combating this increasingly complex issue. Warthe and Carter-Snell run workshops at Mount Royal University designed to teach others what to look for in healthy relationships and how to help those affected by domestic abuse.