When home isn’t a safe place

Since 1998, the Royal LePage Shelter Foundation has been dedicated to helping women and children find safety from domestic violence.  We are proud to be Canada’s largest public foundation focused exclusively on funding women’s shelters and domestic violence prevention and education programs.

When the COVID-19 pandemic was declared in Canada in March, and a nationwide lockdown began, women’s shelters were quick to sound the alarm that those experiencing domestic violence would suffer as a result of the quarantine rules.

Although fearing their predictions would come true, addressing immediate needs and pivoting the delivery of their life-saving services took priority. Did they have enough hand sanitizer and disinfectant? When could they safely move clients to other locations in order to adhere to physical distancing guidelines? How would they adapt their spaces to allow for homeschooling and virtual outreach? Thankfully, problem-solving is not new to this sector, in which staff are highly resourceful and too-often working with less than what they need.     

While shelters have continued to keep their doors open and crisis lines answered, research has shown that their initial fears were realized. At the height of the lockdown, abusers changed their tactics and women were in grave danger – most especially from serious physical assaults and strangulations. In a national survey of 376 shelter staff and volunteers, 82% reported that violence was increasing in prevalence and severity. When they were able to safely call for help, women reported their partners were leveraging the pandemic by threatening to bring the virus home intentionally, limiting and monitoring access to technology and further distancing them from friends and family who might typically notice cries for help. Understandably, many survivors have felt increased anxiety not knowing if or when they’ll find safety. 

While many Canadians are anxious for a return to normal, those in the shelter sector are hopeful that we will never return to where we were when the pandemic began. Violence against women is its own pandemic in this country that requires long term, sustainable solutions aimed at preventing domestic violence before it starts.

The Royal LePage Shelter Foundation remains steadfast in our commitment to being part of the solution. Please join us in making a difference at rlp.ca/donate. 100% of your gift will be directed to the cause.

If you or someone you know is experiencing abuse, you can find support at sheltersafe.ca. The Royal LePage Shelter Foundation is proud to be a founding national partner of this online resource that provides the 24/7 emergency contact information for women’s shelters across Canada.