Funding won't meet demand for gender-based violence supports in Manitoba: advocates

WARNING: This article contains details of intimate partner violence.

Organizations in Winnipeg that work with victims of gender-based violence say while new government funding is appreciated, it doesn't come close to meeting demand.

The West Central Women's Resource Centre will receive $855,000 from the province for its new transitional housing project for people who've experienced gender-based violence, according to a government news release sent Thursday. That's on top of $4.3 million from the federal Rapid Housing Initiative, administered through the City of Winnipeg. 

"It's not enough," said Lorie English, executive director of the WCWRC, who said rates of gender-based violence surged during the pandemic. 

"The total project cost is around $9.3 million," she said, "So we're not all the way to [that] goal."

The provincial funding is wrapped into a "whole-of-government strategy to end homelessness," according to the province's news release, which also included funding tiny homes for veterans, and changes to the province's Rent Assist program.

A rundown, vacant apartment building at the corner of Victor Street and Sargent Avenue in the West End will be restored into 16 units through WCWRC, English said, and It'll house people rebuilding their lives, following stays at emergency shelters.

"When women exit out of shelter and they don't have safe and stable housing, often their options are: they exit into homelessness, or they return to the violence," she said.

The building will be kid-friendly, with a rooftop green space and a "play-trium," as well as offices for outreach workers, English added. Residents will be able to live there for up to two years, then WCWRC staff will help them find long-term housing.

The WCWRC also offers services like culturally based counselling, childminding and skill-building.

"All of our programs have wait-lists," she said. "All of the resources that exist across the city are stretched beyond their capacity."

Meanwhile, Klinic Community Health will receive $1 million in federal and provincial funding over the next five years to support its crisis line. The 24/7 hotline is often a first step for women and gender-diverse people looking for a safe exit from violent situations.

Klinic had reported that calls to its line surged 231 per cent during the pandemic, while the number of volunteers answering phones plunged from about 150 to as few as 30.

"Resources are limited overall," said Stephanie Bevacqua, director of development & engagement for Klinic Community Health, in an email. "There is always a need for more funding."

The West Central Women's Resource Centre is of the groups callers may be put in touch with after contacting Klinic's crisis line.

"Getting more support on those lines is really important," said English. "But what we need to see now is matched funding to make sure that there's beds for those people when they do ask for help."

'Don't make her wait': instructor

Carolyn Moar, an instructor for the Red Road to Healing program at the WCWRC, said it's critical to offer victims support the moment they seek help.

"Women tend to love with their hearts and tolerate a lot of things for a long time," said Moar. 

"If [a victim] is in the hospital, get her to a safe house, don't make her wait."

The culturally based group healing sessions help Indigenous women and gender-diverse people who've experienced abuse, and Moar is a survivor of family violence herself.

She said her partner beat her regularly, often striking her on the forehead, where her bruises could be hidden by her bangs. 

There are still many barriers to escaping violence, she said.

"If your husband is abusive, you might go back to him just because you don't know how to use the system to get support," Moar said. 

"They might not know what you need to do to get housing, to get IDs even, because sometimes you run and you don't have an ID to get government assistance, to get housing."

Low-cost housing adds vulnerability

Moar said once women complete their allotted stay in short-term emergency shelters, low-cost housing often leaves them vulnerable, especially as social media makes it easier for abusers to track them down.

"We can't afford to be safe," she said. "They have cheap doors often on the housing we can find. We don't have peepholes, we don't have really strong locks."

Moar said family violence is often a learned behaviour, and she wishes there was more support for every member of families experiencing abuse, including men and kids.

"Our children are very angry," she said. "If we want a healthy society where there's less violence on the street, we need healthy families."

English said tackling violence is going to take a co-ordinated, sector-wide approach, from hotlines to shelters to counselling to job training.

"Manitoba has the highest rates of gender-based violence in the country," she said. "We need to be talking about that. We need to be educating people on what better ways to handle stress and frustration, and what healthy relationships look like."

"Because until we can break this cycle, we're going to be swimming upstream until the end of time."

Support is available for those who have experienced gender-based violence through Klinic's crisis line at 204-786-8686. If you're in immediate danger or fear for your safety or that of others around you, please call 911.