Housing for domestic violence survivors desperately needs funding boost, advocates say

CBC

26-02-2025

Advocates are calling on Ontario's next government to ramp up affordable and transitional housing for women fleeing domestic violence, and to increase funding for shelters in the interim so they can meet the growing demand.
At London's Anova, one of the province's largest shelters, women and children are staying for as long as 72 days because there's no other place for them to go, said executive director Jessie Rodger.
"We're having women stay longer because of the lack of affordable housing available to them," Rodger said, adding that lengths of stay at Anova have more than doubled in the last five years.
"We always worry that if women have to stay longer in our shelter and their risk decreases but there's still nowhere for them to go after they leave us, their risk could dramatically increase again if they're being forced to go back into a precarious, unsafe living situation."
The agency runs two shelters — one in the city's east that has 27 beds, and the other in south London with 40 beds. It also has a separate 25-unit transitional housing facility.
Although survivors of domestic violence and human trafficking in Ontario get special priority policy (SPP) status for rent-geared-to-income (RGI) social housing under provincial legislation, the wait lists are so long that what used to take a matter of weeks to get people housed, is now taking months, said Rodger.
To qualify for special priority status, applicants must have limited income and have status in Canada. They also must prove they've lived with an abuser within the past three months, or have ongoing risk outside of the three month period, and require a support letter from a qualified professional.
Long wait lists limit options, advocates say
The City of London said it currently has 129 households with special priority access on its RGI community housing wait list. London-Middlesex Community Housing (LMCH), the city's largest provider of social housing, has about 3,300 units, of which about 100 are currently available.
Anova tries to get special priority status status for 75 per cent of women who access its services, but only a third of them are able to get on that list, Rodger said.
Safe and stable housing is crucial in helping abuse survivors regain a sense of normalcy in re-stabilizing their lives, said LMCH's CEO Paul Chisholm.
"When they're in a shelter, it's really hard to plan what the next month will look like, let alone the next few years. Having access to the RGI housing gives them a platform to start planning forward and building back to where they want to be," he said.
WATCH | Why affordable housing is important for domestic violence survivors:
How a housing shortage makes it hard for domestic violence survivors to find safe shelter
3 hours ago
Duration 2:03
Harmy Mendoza, executive director of WomanAct says challenges with finding safe and affordable housing for survivors of domestic violence is putting more pressure on shelter systems and are forcing women to resort to precarious living arrangements.
But while they wait for housing, women are resorting to precarious living arrangements once they leave a shelter, said Harmy Mendoza of WomanAct, a Toronto-based advocacy group.
"We probably don't see women and children at the corner of any major intersections but they're actually couch surfing, or trying to find a friend or family member who could help them be safe," she said, referring to these situations as hidden homelessness.
"Once the immediate crisis is still unveiling, they soon realize 'I can't can't afford a place to stay on my own.' And that's important because affordability now becomes an important part of being alive or ensuring they're not at risk."
Both Rodger and Mendoza believe the housing shortage plays a factor in the growing number of femicides in the province each year. In 2024 alone, there were reports of at least 62 women who were killed by their partners in Ontario.
WomanAct wants Ontario to declare intimate partner violence (IPV) an epidemic so there can be more funding directed toward crisis support and prevention efforts. The group is also calling on the next government to establish an independent data collecting mechanism that can help improve education and allow communities to respond.
What the major parties are promising
NDP: In its platform, the party says it will recognize IPV as an epidemic and direct ministries to coordinate improved access to services for survivors and restore the full Victims Compensation Fund. The party also plans to build 60,000 supportive housing units.
Leader Marit Stiles told CBC News at a campaign stop in London on Monday that "we have to inject funding right away into the shelter system and transitional housing, there's no question." Stiles also said it's important to build "truly deeply affordable housing."
Progressive Conservatives: The party says it has invested $1.4 billion annually to address and prevent gender-based violence, as well as $247 million to fund emergency shelters, counselling, 24-hour crisis lines, safety planning and transitional housing.
"We will continue to support our law enforcement to protect women and support victims," the party said in a statement.
Ontario Greens: The party says it will enact the IPV epidemic into law and will increase funding for sexual assault centres, emergency shelters, transitional housing, safe centre hubs and legal supports.
In its platform, the party states it will also develop a framework to end violence against women, aligned with the 2007 report by the Ontario Native Women's Association and the Ontario Federation of Indigenous Friendship Centres as mandated by the National Inquiry into Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls report.
Ontario Liberals: A party spokesperson told CBC News in a statement that it's committed to implementing recommendations from the 2022 Renfrew Inquest. "We will ensure survivors receive justice, support, and safe shelter," read the statement in part.