A staff member carries bedding in one of the suites at Toronto's Interval House, an emergency shelter for women in abusive situations. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Chris Young

By Derek Craddock

PREVENTING DOMESTIC ABUSE

Despite more funding, advocates want more done to prevent domestic violence

Apr 30, 2024 | 3:00 PM

Earlier this week, the Government of Saskatchewan announced a funding boost to organizations dealing with interpersonal violence but is it enough to tackle a growing issue in the province?

The government’s investment will see $42.6 million spread over three years ($14.2 million a year) to 34 community-based service organizations and 54 programs that provide support and services to those impacted by interpersonal violence and abuse.

The organizations and services receiving the funding include several in central and northern Saskatchewan.

• La Ronge Native Women’s Council – Piwapan Women’s Centre
• North East Outreach and Support Services
• Prince Albert Safe Shelter for Women
• The Battlefords Interval House Society
• Catholic Family Services of the Battlefords
• Hudson Bay Family and Support Centre
• La Ronge Native Women’s Council
• North East Outreach and Support Services
• North West Friendship Centre

While the funding increase is good news for these organizations, advocates say it still falls short of not only providing the right support but preventing interpersonal violence in the first place.

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Jo-Anne Desul is the Executive Director of the Provincial Association of Transition Houses and Services of Saskatchewan (PATHS). She told paNOW the work of shelters is reactive by nature and while some shelters are providing preventative services, Desul believes there needs to be a provincial action plan specifically for intimate partner violence.

“Saskatchewan, despite having the highest per capita rate among the provinces, is also the only province that doesn’t have such a plan,” she said.

According to a Statistics Canada report released last November, in 2022, Saskatchewan led all provinces in police-reported family violence victims with 730 per 100,000 population. The number of victims of intimate partner violence was roughly the same at 732.

(Statistics Canada)

The rate of family violence in the province has steadily increased since 2014 when the number was just 624 victims per 100,000 population. Victims of intimate-partner violence have also seen an increase from 630 just 10 years ago.

Desul said one of the ways to help prevent incidents of domestic violence is education something she said is not being done in Saskatchewan schools

“It’s very important and it’s something we do not do here that is done in other jurisdictions where we do see much lower rates of intimate partner violence.”

Another glaring issue Desul sees when providing resources for shelters is ensuring they can get by.

She noted rising inflation, gas prices, food prices, and utility costs have hit these places hard. Desul, who has been working with shelters and safe spaces for 30 years said the system continues to be underfunded.

Add that to Saskatchewan having the lowest minimum wage in all of Canada, as of April 1, and Desul said it’s becoming increasingly difficult for people to escape interpersonal violence.

“If you’re going to have to choose between living with violence or going on assistance where you will most certainly be living in poverty, you may not be able to get housing for yourself and your children. You may choose to stay in a violent situation,” she said.

“We need adequate social assistance rates and policies that are supportive for the people who need that assistance. We need a minimum wage that’s actually a living wage so, people who are working a full week can actually buy groceries, can pay rent, can support their families, and we need adequate supports for mental health and addiction.”

The Government of Saskatchewan has stated since 2014-15, it has increased the annual investment in domestic violence shelters and enhanced residential services to over $9 million.

The province also recently launched the third stage of its social media campaign, ‘Face the Issue,’ part of a multi-faceted approach to providing prevention, intervention support and resources to combat interpersonal violence and abuse.

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derek.craddock@pattisonmedia.com