Transition Homes in Canada: National, Provincial and Territorial Fact Sheets, 2009/2010

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By Adam Cotter and Marta Burczycka

Across Canada, women seeking to leave abusive situations can turn to shelters to help themselves and their children. Shelters for abused women offer residents a safe place to stay, as well as access to a variety of programs and services designed to help them transition to a life free from abuse.

There are a variety of different types of facilities in Canada that offer services to abused women seeking shelter:

1. Transition home/shelter: Facility offering short- or moderate-term (1 day to 11 weeks) secure housing for abused women with or without children. This type of shelter may also be referred to as first-stage emergency housing.
2. Second-stage housing: Facility offering longer term (3 to 12 months) secure housing with support and referral services designed to assist women while they search for permanent housing.
3. Women's emergency centre/shelter: Facility offering short-term (1 to 21 days) respite for women and their dependent children.
4. Emergency shelter: Facility offering short-term (1 to 3 days) respite for a wide population range, not exclusively abused women. Some facilities may provide accommodation for men as well as women. This type of facility may accommodate residents who are not associated with family abuse but are without a home due to an emergency situation (e.g., eviction for non-payment of rent).
5. Safe home network: A network of private homes in rural or remote areas where there is no full-fledged operating shelter. It offers subsidiary short-term (1 to 3 days) emergency housing for women.
6. Other: Includes all other residential facilities not otherwise classified that offer services to abused women with or without children. This category includes rural family violence prevention centres in Alberta, interim housing in Manitoba, family resource centres in Ontario, and other types of emergency shelters such as YWCAs. Note that these services may not be offered exclusively to abused women.

As part of the Federal Family Violence Initiative, Statistics Canada conducts the Transition Home Survey (THS) every two years. The THS gathers information from all residential facilities in Canada that offer services for abused women seeking shelter in order to measure the availability and use of such facilities and to better understand the needs of the clientele they are serving.

In 2009/2010, 593 shelters were contacted. ¹  Respondents were asked to supply information on the characteristics of the facilities (e.g. bed capacity, number of annual admissions) and the types of services provided during the previous 12 months (April 1, 2009 to March 31, 2010). Additionally, respondents were asked to provide information on the women and children residing in the shelter on snapshot day (April 15, 2010).

Statistics Canada undertakes extensive consultations with provincial and territorial governments, transition homes and other social agencies to identify all facilities. Groups (individuals, religious organizations, etc.) that provide shelter for abused women in an informal manner outside of the funding and regulatory frameworks of provincial/ territorial government or social agencies are not included.

Fact sheet: Canada

Shelter profile

1. In 2009/2010, there were over 103,000 admissions of women and children to 593 shelters that offered services to abused women across Canada (Table 1). ^2 , 3  Among these shelters, there were 287 transition homes, 115 second-stage housing shelters, 73 women's emergency centres, 73 emergency shelters, 8 family resource centres (Ontario only), and 37 other types of shelter. ⁴ 
2. Facilities in Canada provided an average of 19 licensed beds per shelter in 2010. ⁵  In total, there were 11,461 beds available across Canada, an increase of 757 beds (+7%) since 2008, the last time this information was collected.
3. The following services were available at the majority of Canadian shelters: safety and protection planning (92%), advocacy on behalf of women (92%), transportation services (89%), housing referrals (87%), and individual short-term counselling (87%). ⁶ 
4. Many shelters in Canada offered services specifically for child residents. Of these services, the most frequently provided were outdoor recreation (78%), indoor recreation (75%), individual counselling (65%), and programs for victims and/or witnesses of abuse (65%). ⁷ 
5. Across Canada, 146 facilities indicated that they served an on-reserve population in 2010, of which 79% offered services sensitive to the needs of Aboriginal women. ⁸  In addition, 59% of shelters that did not report serving an on-reserve population offered culturally sensitive services to Aboriginal women.
6. Many shelters in Canada offered services to clients with special needs. For example, over three-quarters (78%) of shelters had at least one wheelchair accessible entrance. In addition, 24% offered specialized services for clients with hearing impairments, such as access to teletypewriters, while 18% offered specialized services for those with visual impairments, including large-print reading material.
7. In addition to English (97%) and French (58%), shelters for abused women in Canada offered services to clients in a number of other languages, including Spanish (30%), Punjabi (12%), German (11%), Hindi (11%), and Arabic (10%). ⁹  In addition, 21% of shelters in Canada offered services in at least one Aboriginal language, the most frequent of which were Cree, Ojibway, and Inuktitut.

Resident profile as of April 15, 2010

1. On April 15, 2010, there were 8,256 women and children residing in Canada's shelters for abused women, an increase of 622 (8%) from the previous snapshot day (April 16, 2008). Of these residents, 4,645 (56%) were women and 3,611 (44%) were their dependent children (Table 1).
2. Just over one-third (35%) of all women and children in shelters in Canada on snapshot day were residing in transition homes and another one-quarter (25%) were in second-stage housing facilities.
3. The most common sources of referral for women in shelters in Canada on April 15, 2010 were self-referral (32%), another transition home (13%), another community group or agency (13%), and family or friends (8%).
4. There were 426 women turned away from shelters in Canada on snapshot day. The most common reason for not providing admission to a client was because the shelter was full (50%). Other reported reasons included mental health issues (10%) and the use of drugs and/or alcohol (8%).
5. Three in ten (31%) women staying in a shelter in Canada on snapshot day had stayed at that shelter before. Of these women, 40% had stayed in the same shelter once during the 12-month period preceding snapshot day, 27% had been there between 2 to 4 times, and 12% had stayed 5 or more times. The remaining women (21%) had a previous stay at the shelter that was more than 12 months prior to snapshot day.
6. Of women residing in shelters on April 15, 2010, 3,310 (or 71%) were there primarily because of abuse. ¹⁰  This represents a rate of 23 per 100,000 women aged 15 years and older in Canada (Chart 1), unchanged from the previous snapshot day in 2008. ¹¹ 
7. Almost three-quarters (73%) of abused women in shelters in Canada identified a current intimate partner (spouse, common-law partner, or dating partner) as their abuser. ¹²  A further 15% indicated that a former intimate partner was their abuser. The remaining 12% of women indicated that they had been abused by someone other than their intimate partner, such as another relative, a friend, acquaintance, caregiver, or authority figure.
8. On snapshot day, four in ten (40%) abused women residents of Canada's shelters indicated that the most recent abusive situation had been brought to the attention of police. Of these cases, women indicated that 60% resulted in charges being laid against the accused person. ¹³ 
9. Nationally, in addition to abuse, other reasons for women seeking shelter included the inability to find affordable housing (30%), mental health problems (23%), and drug and alcohol addiction (19%). ¹⁴ 

Fact sheet: Newfoundland and Labrador

Shelter profile

1. In 2010, there were 16 shelters operating in Newfoundland and Labrador that offered services to abused women: 7 transition homes, 5 second-stage housing shelters, 2 women's emergency centres, 1 emergency shelter, and 1 mental health counselling program. ^15 , 16  Almost 900 admissions of women and children between April 1, 2009 and March 31, 2010 were reported by these shelters (Table 2). ¹⁷ 
2. Shelters in Newfoundland and Labrador provided 194 licensed beds to abused women and their children, an increase of 15 beds (8%) since 2008, the last time this information was collected. ¹⁸  This represented an average of 12 beds per facility, below the Canadian average of 19 beds per shelter.
3. The majority of shelters in Newfoundland and Labrador offered the following services to women: advocacy on behalf of women (94%), life skills training (88%), and housing referrals (88%). Additionally, all shelters in Newfoundland and Labrador offered safety and protection planning. ¹⁹ 
4. Most shelters in Newfoundland and Labrador also offered services to children. The most common were indoor recreation (75%), outdoor recreation (69%), and baby-sitting services (38%). ²⁰ 
5. Five shelters of the 16 shelters in Newfoundland and Labrador indicated that they provided services sensitive to Aboriginal women, ²¹  and two shelters indicated that they served an on-reserve population.
6. The majority of shelters in Newfoundland and Labrador also provided services to clients with special needs. For example, eight in ten (81%) shelters offered wheelchair accessible entrances. Furthermore, some shelters offered services in sign languages for clients with hearing impairments (19%) or large-print reading material for clients with visual impairments (19%).
7. In addition to English (100%) and French (19%), three shelters in Newfoundland and Labrador offered services to clients in an Aboriginal language. Each of these three shelters indicated that services were offered in Inuktitut. ²² 

Resident profile as of April 15, 2010

1. On April, 15, 2010, there were 168 residents in shelters for abused women in Newfoundland and Labrador, an increase of 44 residents (35%) from two years earlier. Of these, 97 (58%) were women and 71 (42%) were dependent children (Table 2).
2. Over half (53%) of all women and children residing in shelters in Newfoundland and Labrador on snapshot day were in transition homes (Table 2).
3. One woman was turned away from a shelter in Newfoundland and Labrador on April 15, 2010. ²³ 
4. One-quarter (24%) of women residing in shelters in Newfoundland and Labrador on snapshot day had stayed at the same facility before. Of the women with previous stays, about half (48%) had stayed once during the 12 months preceding snapshot day.
5. On April 15, 2010, 56% of women residents in Newfoundland and Labrador's shelters were there primarily because of abuse, corresponding to a rate of 24 for every 100,000 women (Chart 1). ^24 , 25 
6. Among abused women in shelters in Newfoundland and Labrador, 88% indicated that a current intimate partner was their abuser, compared to 73% at the national level. ²⁶  The remaining 12% of women identified a relative as their abuser.
7. For about one-third (32%) of abused women in shelters in Newfoundland and Labrador, the most recent abusive incident had been brought to the attention of police, below the Canadian average (40%). Charges were laid against the accused person in 38% of the cases that were brought to police attention. ²⁷ 
8. Just over one in ten women in shelters in Newfoundland and Labrador cited drug and/or alcohol addiction (13%) or mental health problems (12%) as a reason for seeking shelter, compared to 19% and 23%, respectively, at the national level. ²⁸ 

Fact sheet: Prince Edward Island

Shelter profile

1. In 2010, there were 4 shelters operating in Prince Edward Island that offered services to abused women: 2 second-stage housing shelters and 2 emergency shelters. ^29 , 30  Between April 1, 2009 and March 31, 2010, there were about 260 admissions of women and children to these shelters. ³¹  Prince Edward Island was the only province or territory not to report an active transition home.
2. In total, Prince Edward Island's four shelters provided 54 licensed beds, a decrease of 1 bed (-2%) from 2008. ³²  These shelters provided an average of 14 beds per facility, placing Prince Edward Island below the national average of 19 beds per shelter.
3. All of Prince Edward Island's shelters offered advocacy on behalf of resident women and individual short-term counselling. In addition, the following services were offered by three of the four shelters: safety and protection planning, a 24-hour crisis telephone line, life skills training, parenting skills training, and transportation services.
4. Services were also offered to resident children. The most frequent service was individual short term counselling, which was available at three shelters in Prince Edward Island.
5. None of Prince Edward Island's shelters reported serving an on-reserve population or providing services sensitive to Aboriginal women and children. ³³ 
6. One shelter in Prince Edward Island provided services to clients with special needs, including at least one wheelchair accessible entrance. No shelters reported the availability of specialized services for individuals with visual or hearing impairments.
7. Each shelter for abused women in Prince Edward Island offered services in English. In addition, one shelter offered services in French. Shelters did not report offering services in any other languages.

Resident profile as of April 15, 2010 ³⁴ 

1. On April 15, 2010, there were 37 women and children residents in shelters for abused women in Prince Edward Island (Table 3), almost double the number reported on the previous snapshot date in 2008 (up 18 or 95%).
2. While second-stage housing facilities accounted for about 17% of all annual admissions of women and children in Prince Edward Island, the majority (59%) of women and children residing in shelters on snapshot day were in this type of facility (Table 3). On average, second-stage housing facilities allow for a longer duration of stay than do emergency-type facilities.
3. Prince Edward Island's shelters reported that no women were turned away on April 15, 2010.
4. About three of every ten (29%) women in shelters in Prince Edward Island on snapshot day had stayed at that shelter before; of these women, most had stayed at the shelter either once (43%), or between 2 and 4 times (43%) within the past 12 months.
5. On April 15, 2010, there were 20 women residing in shelters primarily for reasons of abuse for every 100,000 women in Prince Edward Island (Chart 1). ³⁵  Prince Edward Island had the lowest proportion of women residing in shelters primarily because of abuse; on snapshot day, 50% of the women residing in shelters were there primarily because of abuse, compared to 71% of women residents across Canada. ³⁶ 
6. About six in ten (58%) women residing in shelters in Prince Edward Island on snapshot day indicated that a current spouse was their abuser.
7. Of women residing in shelters in Prince Edward Island on snapshot day, 17% cited the inability to find affordable housing as a reason for seeking shelter.

Fact sheet: Nova Scotia

Shelter profile

1. Almost 2,200 admissions of women and children were recorded by the 18 shelters (including 12 transition homes, 5 second-stage housing shelters, and 1 emergency shelter) that offered services to abused women in Nova Scotia operating in 2009/2010 (Table 4). ^{37 , 38 , 39} 
2. There were 304 licensed beds provided by Nova Scotia's shelters in 2010, an increase of 88 beds from 2008. ⁴⁰  This 41% increase was the largest reported in any province since the previous survey cycle. Facilities in Nova Scotia averaged 17 beds per facility, just below the Canadian average of 19 beds per facility.
3. There were four services that were offered to resident women at every facility in Nova Scotia: safety and protection planning, housing referrals, advocacy on behalf of women, and transportation services.
4. Shelters in Nova Scotia also offered services to resident children, the most frequent being indoor or outdoor recreation (83%), individual counselling (78%), and group counselling (72%) or programs for child victims/witnesses of abuse (72%). ⁴¹ 
5. One-third (33%) of shelters in Nova Scotia indicated that they served an on-reserve population; eight in ten (83%) of these provided services sensitive to Aboriginal women. Of shelters that did not report serving an on-reserve population, three-quarters (75%) offered services sensitive to Aboriginal women. ⁴² 
6. Many shelters in Nova Scotia offered services to clients with special needs. For example, 83% reported at least one wheelchair accessible entrance. Access to teletypewriters (22%) or large-print reading material (22%) for clients with hearing or visual impairments was also provided by some shelters.
7. Along with English (100%), shelters in Nova Scotia provided services to clients in other languages, including French (28%), and Spanish (11%). Three shelters (17%) also offered services to clients in Mi'kmaq (an Aboriginal language).

Resident profile as of April 15, 2010

1. There were 168 women and children in shelters in Nova Scotia on April 15, 2010, an increase of 27 residents (19%) from April 16, 2008, the previous snapshot day. Of these residents, there were 84 (50%) women and 84 (50%) dependent children (Table 4).
2. On snapshot day, about half (51%) of all women and children in shelters in Nova Scotia were in transition homes. While second-stage housing facilities accounted for relatively few annual admissions (5%), four in ten (41%) snapshot day residents were at this type of shelter (Table 4). On average, second-stage housing facilities allow for a longer duration of stay than do emergency-type facilities.
3. Shelters in Nova Scotia reported that three women were turned away on April 15, 2010. Reasons for not providing admission included that the shelter was full.
4. Over one-quarter (27%) of women in shelters in Nova Scotia had stayed at that shelter before. For about four in ten (38%) of these women, their most recent previous stay occurred more than 12 months before snapshot day.
5. About nine in ten (87%) women residing in shelters in Nova Scotia on snapshot day were there primarily for reasons of abuse. ⁴³  Nova Scotia (along with Quebec) had the lowest rate of women in shelters because of abuse (18 women residing in shelters for reasons of abuse for every 100,000 women) (Chart 1). ⁴⁴ 
6. Almost three-quarters (73%) of abused women in shelters in Nova Scotia on snapshot day indicated that a current intimate partner (spouse, common-law partner, or dating partner) was their abuser. In addition, 16% identified a former intimate partner as their abuser. ⁴⁵  The remaining women (11%) reported that they had been abused by someone other than their intimate partner, such as another relative, friend, or acquaintance.
7. Abused women in Nova Scotia's shelters reported that under half (47%) of the most recent incidents that led to their admission to a shelter were brought to police attention. Of those incidents, it was indicated that 36% resulted in charges laid against the accused person. ⁴⁶ 
8. Women staying in shelters in Nova Scotia identified the inability to find affordable housing as a reason for seeking shelter half as frequently as the national average (15% compared to 30%).

Fact sheet: New Brunswick

Shelter profile

1. In 2010, there were 23 shelters operating in New Brunswick that offered services to abused women: 15 transition homes, 5 second-stage housing shelters, and 3 emergency shelters. ^47 , 48  About 1,750 admissions of women and children were recorded in 2009/2010. ⁴⁹ 
2. New Brunswick's shelters combined to provide 324 licensed beds, an increase of 17 beds (6%) since 2008. ⁵⁰  The provincial average of 14 beds per facility was below the national average of 19 beds per facility.
3. The majority of shelters in New Brunswick offered individual short-term counselling (96%), housing referrals (83%), transportation services (83%), life skills training (74%), and safety and protection planning (70%) to resident women. ⁵¹ 
4. As with shelters Canada-wide, the three most frequently offered services to child residents in shelters in New Brunswick were outdoor recreation (78%), indoor recreation (74%), and individual short-term counselling (52%). ⁵² 
5. Of the three shelters in New Brunswick that reported serving an on-reserve population, two offered services sensitive to Aboriginal women. Two in ten (20%) shelters that did not report serving an on-reserve population indicated that they offered services sensitive to Aboriginal women. ⁵³  One shelter in New Brunswick reported the availability of services in Mi'kmaq (an Aboriginal language).
6. Six in ten (61%) shelters in New Brunswick provided at least one wheelchair accessible entrance. One shelter indicated that specialized service in sign language was available for those with hearing impairments.
7. All shelters in New Brunswick offered services to clients in English, and almost three-quarters (74%) offered services in French. The following languages were each offered at one shelter, respectively: Arabic, Chinese, Greek, Spanish, and Vietnamese.

Resident profile as of April 15, 2010

1. On April 15, 2010, there were 164 residents in shelters for abused women in New Brunswick, a decrease of 29 residents (-15%) from the previous snapshot day. Of the snapshot day residents, 97 (59%) were women and 67 (41%) were dependent children (Table 5).
2. Almost half (46%) of all women and children residing in shelters in New Brunswick on snapshot day were in second-stage housing facilities (Table 5). On average, second-stage housing facilities allow for a longer duration of stay than do emergency-type facilities.
3. One woman was turned away from a shelter in New Brunswick on April 15, 2010. ⁵⁴ 
4. For 27% of women in shelters in New Brunswick on snapshot day, it was not their first stay at that particular shelter. Four in ten (42%) of the women with previous shelter stays had been at the shelter between two and four times in the past 12 months.
5. Of women residing in shelters on April 15, 2010, 69% were there primarily because of abuse, which corresponds to a rate of 21 for every 100,000 women in New Brunswick. ⁵⁵  This was below the national rate of 23 women residing in shelters primarily because of abuse for every 100,000 women (Chart 1). ⁵⁶ 
6. Three-quarters (75%) of abused women in shelters on snapshot day in New Brunswick indicated that they had been abused by a current intimate partner (spouse, common-law partner, or dating partner). ⁵⁷  In addition, 7% stated that a former intimate partner was their abuser. The remaining 18% of women identified someone other than an intimate partner, such as another relative, friend or acquaintance, or caregiver as their abuser.
7. One-quarter (25%) of abused women in shelters in New Brunswick indicated that the most recent abusive situation had been brought to the attention of police, below the Canadian average (40%). Of these, women indicated that charges were laid against the accused individual in 40% of cases. ⁵⁸ 
8. Other reasons for seeking shelter identified by resident women in New Brunswick included the inability to find affordable housing (19%), mental health problems (19%), or drug and/or alcohol addiction (18%). ⁵⁹ 

Fact sheet: Quebec

Shelter profile

1. There were almost 22,000 admissions of women and children to the 126 shelters offering services to abused women in Quebec in 2009/2010. ⁶⁰  These shelters included 99 transition homes, 13 second-stage housing shelters, 5 women's emergency centres, 2 emergency shelters, and 7 other types of shelter. ^61 , 62 
2. There were 1,968 licensed beds provided by shelters in Quebec, an increase of 185 beds (10%) since 2008. ⁶³  This represented an average of 16 beds per facility, below the national average of 19 beds per shelter.
3. The majority of shelters in Quebec offered the following services to resident women: transportation services (96%), individual short-term counselling (95%), advocacy on behalf of women (90%), safety and protection planning (90%), and parenting skills training (87%). ⁶⁴ 
4. Shelters in Quebec also offered services to resident children; the most frequently offered services were outdoor recreation (84%), individual counselling (83%), and indoor recreation (81%). ⁶⁵ 
5. There were 21 shelters in Quebec that reported serving an on-reserve population. Services sensitive to Aboriginal women were offered at 57% of shelters that served an on-reserve population, compared to 37% of shelters that did not serve an on-reserve population. ⁶⁶ 
6. Many shelters offered specialized services for clients with special needs. Over half (55%) of Quebec's shelters reported having at least one wheelchair accessible entrance. Some shelters also offered services in sign language (9%) or large-print reading material (5%) for clients with hearing or visual impairments.
7. Along with French (96%) and English (86%), shelters in Quebec also offered services to clients in Spanish (34%) and Arabic (13%). In addition, 7% of shelters offered services in at least one Aboriginal language, the most frequent of which were Cree, Inuktitut, or Algonquin.

Resident profile as of April 15, 2010

1. There were 1,437 residents in shelters that offered services to abused women in Quebec on April 15, 2010, an increase of 175 residents (14%) from the previous snapshot day. Of these residents, 918 (64%) were women and 519 (36%) were dependent children (Table 6). ⁶⁷ 
2. Over two-thirds (70%) of women and children in Quebec's shelters on snapshot day were in transition homes.
3. There were 104 women turned away from shelters for abused women in Quebec on snapshot day. The most common reason for not admitting women was that the shelter was full.
4. Three in ten (30%) women in shelters in Quebec on snapshot day were not staying at the shelter for the first time. Of these women, 37% had stayed at the shelter one time in the previous 12 months.
5. As of April 15, 2010, there were 18 women residing in shelters primarily because of abuse for every 100,000 women in Quebec, the lowest rate (along with Nova Scotia) across the provinces. ^68 , 69  Two-thirds (67%) of women residing in Quebec's shelters on snapshot day were there primarily because of abuse, compared to the national average of 71%.
6. Among abused women in shelters in Quebec, the majority (72%) indicated that they had been abused by a current intimate partner (spouse, common-law partner, or dating partner). In addition, 21% identified a former intimate partner as their abuser. ⁷⁰  The remaining women (7%) reported that someone other than their intimate partner, such as another relative, friend or acquaintance, caregiver, or authority figure was their abuser.
7. Just under one-third (30%) of abused women residents of shelters in Quebec indicated that the most recent abusive situation had been brought to police attention. Among the cases that were reported, three-quarters (74%) of abused women indicated that charges were laid against the accused person. ⁷¹ 
8. Women residents in Quebec cited mental health issues (27%) as a reason for seeking shelter more frequently than women residents in any other province.

Fact sheet: Ontario

Shelter profile

1. In 2009/2010, there were nearly 31,000 admissions of women and children to the 171 shelters in Ontario that provided services for abused women: 57 transition homes, 36 second-stage housing shelters, 33 emergency shelters, 31 women's emergency centres, 8 family resource centres, and 6 other types of shelter (Table 7). ^{72 , 73 , 74} 
2. Ontario's shelters for abused women combined to provide 4,081 licensed beds, an increase of 60 beds (1%) from 2008. ⁷⁵  This represented an average of 24 beds per facility, higher than the national average of 19 beds per shelter.
3. The majority of Ontario's shelters offered the following services to resident women: safety and protection planning (95%), advocacy on behalf of women (94%), housing referrals (92%), individual short-term counselling (91%), and transportation services (89%). ⁷⁶ 
4. Among services geared specifically towards resident children of Ontario's shelters, the most commonly offered were outdoor recreation (79%), indoor recreation (78%), and individual counselling (69%). ⁷⁷ 
5. About one-quarter (23%) of shelters in Ontario reported serving an on-reserve population. These shelters offered services sensitive to Aboriginal women more frequently than shelters that did not serve an on-reserve population (85% compared to 67%). ⁷⁸  In addition, 21% of all shelters offered service to clients in at least one Aboriginal language, with Ojibway being offered most frequently.
6. Among the provinces, Ontario had the highest proportion (91%) of shelters with at least one wheelchair accessible entrance. In addition, over half (52%) offered access to teletypewriters for those with hearing impairments, while 29% offered large-print reading material for clients with visual impairments.
7. Along with English (99%) and French (61%), shelters in Ontario also offered services in a number of other languages. For example, more shelters in Ontario offered services in Spanish (42%), Polish (20%), Hindi (18%), and Arabic (17%) than was the national average (30%, 9%, 11%, and 10%, respectively). ⁷⁹ 

Resident profile as of April 15, 2010

1. There were 3,459 residents in shelters offering services to abused women in Ontario on April 15, 2010, of whom 1,870 (54%) were women and 1,589 (46%) were dependent children (Table 7). Compared to the previous snapshot date (April 16, 2008), this represented an increase of 280 residents (9%).
2. Transition homes (27%) and emergency shelters (27%) in Ontario had the greatest proportion of snapshot day woman and child residents (Table 7).
3. There were 107 women turned away from shelters offering services to abused women in Ontario on April 15, 2010, most often because the shelter was full.
4. Two in ten (20%) women in Ontario's shelters on snapshot day had at least one previous stay in the shelter, the lowest proportion of repeat clients across the provinces. Of these women, 42% had stayed once within the past 12 months.
5. Three-quarters (74%) of women residing in shelters in Ontario on snapshot day were there primarily because of abuse, corresponding to a rate of 25 for every 100,000 women in Ontario (Chart 1). ^80 , 81 
6. Seven in ten (71%) abused women in shelters in Ontario identified a current intimate partner (spouse, common-law partner, or dating partner) as their abuser, while 14% of abused women indicated that their abuser was a former intimate partner. ⁸²  The remaining 15% of women reported that they had been abused by someone other than their intimate partner, such as another relative, friend or acquaintance, caregiver, or authority figure.
7. Four of every ten (41%) abused women in a shelter in Ontario stated that the most recent abusive situation had been brought to the attention of the police. Of these cases, 61% of women indicated that charges were laid against the accused as a result. ⁸³ 
8. Over one-third (34%) of women in shelters in Ontario indicated that the inability to find affordable housing contributed to their decision to seek shelter, compared to 30% of women nationally.

Fact sheet: Manitoba

Shelter profile

1. In 2009/2010, there were 29 shelters operating in Manitoba that offered services to abused women: 9 second-stage housing shelters, 6 women's emergency centres, 3 transition homes, 3 emergency centres, one safe home network, and 7 other types of shelter. ^84 , 85  From April 1, 2009 to March 31, 2010, there were almost 6,700 admissions of women and children to these shelters (Table 8). ⁸⁶ 
2. Manitoba's shelters combined to provide 894 licensed beds, an increase of 203 beds (29%) from 2008. ⁸⁷  On average, shelters in Manitoba provided 31 beds, the highest average among the provinces and well above the national average of 19 beds per facility.
3. Nine in ten shelters in Manitoba offered the following services to resident women: advocacy on behalf of women (93%), individual short-term counselling (93%), group counselling (90%), safety and protection planning (90%), parenting skills training (90%), and housing referrals (90%). ⁸⁸ 
4. Many shelters in Manitoba offered services specifically for resident children. The most frequently offered were outdoor recreation (86%), individual counselling (83%), and services sensitive to Aboriginal children (76%). ⁸⁹ 
5. Almost half (48%) of Manitoba's shelters indicated that they served an on-reserve population. These shelters offered services sensitive to Aboriginal women more frequently than shelters that did not report serving on-reserve populations (93% compared to 73%). ⁹⁰ 
6. Many shelters in Manitoba provided services to clients with special needs. For example, 83% of shelters reported at least one wheelchair accessible entrance. In addition, 21% offered services in sign language for those with hearing impairments, and 14% provided large-print reading material for clients with visual impairments.
7. In addition to English (100%), services were offered to clients in a number of languages, including French (41%) and Spanish (24%). Over half (52%) of Manitoba's shelters also offered services in at least one Aboriginal language, more than double the national average (23%). Among Aboriginal languages, services were most commonly available in Cree.

Resident profile as of April 15, 2010

1. There were 381 residents in Manitoba's shelters on snapshot day; 209 (55%) were women and 172 (45%) were dependent children (Table 8). Compared to the previous snapshot date, April 16, 2008, this represented an increase of 84 residents (28%).
2. Although only 3% of annual admissions of women and children were to second-stage housing facilities, over one-quarter (28%) of all women and children in a shelter in Manitoba on snapshot day were in this type of facility (Table 8). In general, second-stage housing facilities allow for a longer duration of stay than do emergency-type facilities.
3. On April 15, 2010, 5 women were turned away from shelters in Manitoba. The most common reason for not providing admission was that the shelter was full.
4. Almost two-thirds (64%) of all women in shelters in Manitoba on snapshot day had stayed at that shelter before. Of these women, 62% had 5 or more stays at the shelter in the past 12 months, compared to 12% of repeat clients nationally.
5. On snapshot day, there were 24 women residing in shelters primarily because of abuse for every 100,000 women in Manitoba (Chart 1). ^91 , 92 
6. Three-quarters (75%) of abused women in shelters in Manitoba indicated that a current intimate partner ⁹³  (spouse, common-law, or dating partner) was their abuser; a further 23% indicated that a former intimate partner was their abuser. The remaining 2% of women identified a relative as their abuser.
7. Half (50%) of the abused women residents of Manitoba's shelters indicated that the most recent abusive situation was brought to the attention of police. Of these, women reported that nearly eight in ten (79%) resulted in charges being laid against the accused. ⁹⁴ 
8. Other reasons that led women in shelters in Manitoba on snapshot day to seek shelter were short-term housing problems (21%) and drug and/or alcohol addiction (21%). ⁹⁵ 

Fact sheet: Saskatchewan

Shelter profile

1. In 2009/2010, there were almost 5,000 admissions of women and children to the 26 shelters operating in Saskatchewan offering services for abused women (Table 9). ⁹⁶  Among these shelters, there were 10 transition homes, 7 second-stage housing shelters, 6 emergency shelters, 2 women's emergency centres, and 1 residential healing centre. ^97 , 98 
2. Shelters in Saskatchewan provided 546 licensed beds to clients, an average of 21 beds per facility. ⁹⁹  This was an increase of 86 beds (19%) since 2008.
3. Many services were available to women residents of shelters in Saskatchewan, the most frequent of which were housing referrals (92%), advocacy on behalf of women (88%), life skills training (85%) and individual short-term counselling (85%). In addition, eight in ten (81%) shelters in Saskatchewan offered medical services, more than any other province and well above the national average of about half (49%). ¹⁰⁰ 
4. The following services were most frequently offered to child residents of shelters in Saskatchewan: outdoor recreation (77%), indoor recreation (69%), individual counselling (58%), and group counselling (58%). ¹⁰¹ 
5. About four in ten (42%) shelters in Saskatchewan indicated that they served an on-reserve population. Of these, many (82%) provided services sensitive to Aboriginal women, compared to two-thirds (67%) of shelters that did not serve an on-reserve population. ¹⁰²  In addition, services were available in at least one Aboriginal language at 54% of shelters, the highest proportion among the provinces. Cree was the most commonly offered Aboriginal language.
6. Many shelters in Saskatchewan also offered services to clients with special needs: 69% offered at least one wheelchair accessible entrance, 35% offered access to teletypewriters, and 27% offered large-print reading material.
7. While all shelters offered services in English, service in French was offered at 15% of Saskatchewan's shelters, compared to 58% of shelters nationally.

Resident profile as of April 15, 2010

1. There were 408 residents in Saskatchewan's shelters for abused women on April 15, 2010, an increase of 113 residents (38%) from two years before. Over half (57%) of the residents were dependent children, making Saskatchewan the only province with children representing the majority of residents on snapshot day (Table 9).
2. One-third (33%) of women and children in shelters in Saskatchewan on snapshot day were in emergency shelters, while slightly fewer (31%) were in second-stage housing facilities (Table 9).
3. In Saskatchewan, 30 women were turned away from shelters on April 15, 2010; the most frequent reason for not providing admission was that the shelter was full.
4. About one-third (35%) of women in shelters in Saskatchewan on snapshot day were repeat clients; of these women, 63% had stayed at the shelter one time in the past 12 months.
5. On snapshot day, nearly three-quarters (72%) of women in shelters in Saskatchewan were there primarily because of abuse, a rate of 30 for every 100,000 women (Chart 1). ^103 , 104  This rate was the highest among the provinces and above the national rate of 23 per 100,000 women.
6. Almost three-quarters (73%) of abused women residing in shelters in Saskatchewan on snapshot day identified a current intimate partner (spouse, common-law partner, or dating partner) as their abuser. In addition, 16% indicated that their abuser was a former intimate partner. ¹⁰⁵  The remaining 11% reported that they had been abused by someone other than their intimate partner, such as another relative, friend, or acquaintance.
7. Almost half (47%) of abused women residents in Saskatchewan stated that the most recent abusive situation was brought to police attention. In addition, resident women indicated that the majority (60%) of reported cases resulted in charges being laid against the accused individual. ¹⁰⁶ 
8. Two in ten women (19%) in shelters in Saskatchewan cited a housing emergency (e.g. eviction, fire, natural disaster, etc.) as a reason for seeking shelter, compared to the Canadian average of 12%.

Fact sheet: Alberta

Shelter profile

1. There were 50 shelters operating in Alberta in 2010 that offered services to abused women: 18 women's emergency centres, 12 emergency shelters, 10 second-stage housing shelters, 8 transition homes, and 2 other types of shelters. ^107 , 108  There were over 15,500 admissions of women and children to these shelters between April 1, 2009 and March 31, 2010 (Table 10). ¹⁰⁹ 
2. Alberta provided more beds per shelter (26) than any other province except for Manitoba (31 beds per facility). Combined, shelters in Alberta provided 1,304 licensed beds, an increase of 19 beds (1%) from 2008. ¹¹⁰ 
3. The majority of shelters in Alberta offered the following services to resident women: advocacy on behalf of women (96%), safety and protection planning (92%), parenting skills training (86%), transportation services (86%), and housing referrals (82%). ¹¹¹ 
4. In addition, many shelters in Alberta offered services geared specifically towards resident children. The most common services were outdoor recreation (78%), indoor recreation (70%), and baby-sitting (62%). ¹¹² 
5. Services were offered in at least one Aboriginal language at 48% of Alberta's shelters, about double the national average of 23%. Among Aboriginal languages, services were most commonly available in Cree. There were 22 shelters (44%) in Alberta that indicated service to an on-reserve population in 2010, and about three-quarters (76%) of all shelters in Alberta offered services sensitive to Aboriginal women. ¹¹³ 
6. Most shelters in Alberta provided services to clients with special needs. For example, almost nine in ten (88%) shelters reported at least one wheelchair accessible entrance. Access to teletypewriters for clients with hearing impairments was provided at 20% of shelters, while 18% offered large-print reading material for those with visual impairments.
7. All shelters in Alberta offered services to clients in English. Services were also offered in several other languages, including French (44%), Spanish (34%), and Chinese (16%). ¹¹⁴ 

Resident profile as of April 15, 2010

1. In a snapshot taken April 15, 2010, there were 819 residents in shelters for abused women in Alberta, an increase of 27 (3%) from the previous snapshot day. Of these residents, 431 (53%) were women and 388 (47%) were dependent children (Table 10).
2. About four in ten (37%) women and children in shelters in Alberta on snapshot day were residing in women's emergency centres. In addition, second-stage housing facilities accounted for about one-third (34%) of snapshot day women and children residents (Table 10).
3. On snapshot day, there were 39 women turned away from shelters in Alberta. The most commonly stated reasons for not admitting women were the presence of alcohol and/or drugs or because of a non-admit or caution list.
4. For half (50%) of the women residing in shelters in Alberta on snapshot day, it was not their first stay at that shelter. Of the women with a previous stay, 49% had stayed at the shelter one time in the past 12 months.
5. Of the women residing in shelters in Alberta on snapshot day, 74% were there primarily because of abuse, corresponding to a rate of 22 women residing in shelters primarily for reasons of abuse for every 100,000 women in Alberta (Chart 1). ^115 , 116 
6. Three-quarters (75%) of abused women residing in Alberta's shelters indicated that a current intimate partner (spouse, common-law partner, or dating partner) was their abuser while 13% identified a former intimate partner as their abuser. ¹¹⁷  The remaining 12% of women reported that they had been abused by someone other than their intimate partner, such as another relative, friend or acquaintance, caregiver, or authority figure.
7. Almost half (48%) of abused women residents in shelters in Alberta reported that the most recent abusive situation was reported to police. Among these women, 56% stated that charges had been laid against the accused person. ¹¹⁸ 
8. Almost one-third (30%) of women in shelters in Alberta indicated that they were seeking shelter because they were unable to find affordable housing.

Fact sheet: British Columbia

Shelter profile

1. In 2010, there were 111 shelters operating in British Columbia that offered services to abused women: 66 transition homes, 22 second-stage housing shelters, 9 safe home networks, 7 emergency shelters, 4 women's emergency shelters, and 3 other types of shelter. ^119 , 120  In 2009/2010, these shelters accounted for over 16,000 admissions of women and children (Table 11). ¹²¹ 
2. Combined, shelters in British Columbia provided 1,586 licensed beds, up 1% (17 beds) from 2008. ¹²²  This represented an average of 14 beds per shelter, below the Canadian average of 19 beds per facility.
3. The majority of shelters in British Columbia offered the following services to resident women: safety and protection planning (96%), advocacy on behalf of women (95%), transportation services (89%), and housing referrals (89%). ¹²³ 
4. There were four services offered specifically for resident children that were available at over half of shelters in British Columbia: outdoor recreation (73%), indoor recreation (72%), individual counselling (57%), and services sensitive to Aboriginal children (50%). ¹²⁴ 
5. About one-quarter (24%) of shelters in British Columbia reported serving an on-reserve population. Services sensitive to Aboriginal women were provided at 93% of shelters serving an on-reserve population, compared to 75% of shelters that did not report serving an on-reserve population. ¹²⁵  About one in ten (11%) offered services in at least one Aboriginal language, the most frequent being Cree.
6. Most shelters provided services to clients with special needs. For example, 84% of shelters in British Columbia reported having at least one entrance that was wheelchair accessible, while 16% offered large-print reading material for clients with visual impairments and 9% offered access to teletypewriters for clients with hearing impairments.
7. In addition to English (100%), shelters in British Columbia offered services in a number of languages, including French (40%), Punjabi (26%), Hindi (17%), and Chinese (13%). ¹²⁶ 

Resident profile as of April 15, 2010

1. There were 1,070 women and children residents in British Columbia's shelters for abused women on snapshot day, a decrease of 150 residents (-12%) from the previous snapshot day. Of these residents, 647 (60%) were women and 423 (40%) were dependent children (Table 11).
2. Over three-quarters (77%) of women and children in shelters in British Columbia on snapshot day were in transition homes (44%) or second-stage housing facilities (33%) (Table 11).
3. There were 129 women who were turned away from shelters in British Columbia on April 15, 2010, most frequently because the shelter was full.
4. About four in ten (39%) women in a shelter in British Columbia on snapshot day had stayed there before. Of these women, most (84%) had stayed within the past 12 months: 39% had stayed once during this period, 33% had two to four stays, and 12% had stayed five or more times.
5. About seven of every ten (71%) women residing in shelters in British Columbia on snapshot day were there primarily because of abuse. ^127 , 128  There were 24 women residing in shelters primarily because of abuse for every 100,000 women in British Columbia, similar to the national rate of 23 per 100,000 (Chart 1).
6. Nearly three-quarters (73%) of abused women residing in shelters in British Columbia indicated that a current intimate partner (spouse, common-law partner, or dating partner) was their abuser, the same as the Canadian average (73%). ¹²⁹  In addition, 15% identified a former intimate partner as their abuser, while the remaining 12% of women reported that someone other than their intimate partner, such as another relative, friend or acquaintance, caregiver, or authority figure was their abuser.
7. Of the 41% of women in British Columbia's shelters who indicated that the most recent abusive incident had been brought to police attention, 53% reported that charges were laid against the accused person. ¹³⁰ 
8. Women in British Columbia's shelters cited the inability to find affordable housing as a reason for seeking shelter more frequently than the national average (41% compared to 30%).

Fact sheet: Yukon

Shelter profile

1. In 2009/2010, over 800 admissions of women and children were recorded by the 6 shelters operating in Yukon that offered services to abused women. ¹³¹  Among these shelters, there were five transition homes and one second-stage housing facility. ^132 , 133 
2. Yukon's six shelters provided 70 licensed beds, an average of 12 beds per facility. ¹³⁴  While this was the highest among the territories, it was below the national average of 19 beds per facility.
3. All six shelters in Yukon offered safety and protection planning, housing referrals, advocacy on behalf of women, and transportation services to resident women.
4. Shelters in Yukon also offered services to resident children. The most common was outdoor recreation (offered by five shelters). Four shelters offered indoor recreation and services sensitive to Aboriginal children.
5. Five of the six shelters offered culturally sensitive services to Aboriginal women. ¹³⁵  In addition, two shelters offered services to clients in the Aboriginal language of Kutchin-Gwich'in (Loucheux).
6. Many shelters in Yukon offered services to clients with special needs. Five of the six shelters reported having at least one entrance that was wheelchair accessible. Three shelters also offered access to teletypewriters for clients with hearing impairments, and one shelter provided material in Braille for clients with visual impairments.
7. While all shelters in Yukon offered services to clients in English, three of the six shelters also offered services in French (50%). In addition, German, Italian, Spanish, and Tagalog (Pilipino) were each offered by two shelters.

Resident profile as of April 15, 2010 ¹³⁶ 

1. On April 15, 2010, there were 19 residents in Yukon's shelters for abused women, of whom 13 (68%) were women and 6 (32%) were dependent children. Compared to the previous snapshot day, April 16, 2008, this was a decrease of 37 (-66%) (Table 12).
2. No women were turned away from shelters in Yukon on April 15, 2010.
3. Six of the thirteen (46%) women in shelters in Yukon had previously stayed at that shelter. The women with previous stays had been to the shelter either once (33%), between two and four times (33%), or five or more times (33%) in the past 12 months.

Fact sheet: Northwest Territories

Shelter profile

1. In 2009/2010, there were 6 shelters offering services for abused women in the Northwest Territories: 2 transition homes and 4 women's emergency centres. ^137 , 138  About 1,200 admissions of women and children were recorded by these shelters. ¹³⁹ 
2. Shelters in the Northwest Territories provided 64 licensed beds, an increase of 24 beds (60%) since 2008. ¹⁴⁰  Facilities in the Northwest Territories provided an average of 11 beds per shelter, below the national average of 19 beds per facility.
3. The following services were offered to resident women at most shelters in the Northwest Territories: advocacy on behalf of women (83%), housing referrals (83%), parenting skills training (83%), safety and protection planning (83%), services sensitive to Aboriginal women ¹⁴¹  (83%), services sensitive to ethno-cultural and visible minority women (83%), and transportation services (83%). ¹⁴² 
4. Two-thirds (67%) of shelters in the Northwest Territories also offered the following services to resident children: babysitting services, indoor recreation, outdoor recreation, services sensitive to Aboriginal children, and services sensitive to ethno-cultural and visible minority children. ¹⁴³ 
5. Four of the six shelters offered services to clients in at least one Aboriginal language, the most common of which was Inuktitut. One shelter in the Northwest Territories reported serving an on-reserve population.
6. Most shelters offered services to clients with special needs. For example, four shelters had at least one entrance that was wheelchair accessible. Services in sign language for clients with hearing impairments were available at two shelters, as was large-print reading material for those with visual impairments.
7. Each shelter in the Northwest Territories offered services to clients in English. In addition, two shelters offered services in French, while Chinese and Spanish were each offered at one shelter.

Resident profile as of April 15, 2010 ¹⁴⁴ 

1. There were 58 women and children residing in shelters in the Northwest Territories on snapshot day, up from 24 on the 2008 snapshot day. About three-quarters (76%) of these residents were women, while the others (24%) were dependent children (Table 13).
2. On snapshot day, 3 women were turned away from shelters in the Northwest Territories. The reasons given for not providing admission were the presence of mental health issues or due to a non-admit or caution list.
3. On snapshot day, 70% of the women residing in shelters in the Northwest Territories were not first-time clients of that shelter, the highest proportion of repeat clients among the territories. Of these women, 37% had stayed at that shelter five or more times in the past 12 months, while just over one-quarter (27%) had between two and four previous stays over the same period.
4. About eight in ten (82%) women residing in shelters on April 15, 2010, were there primarily because of abuse, compared to approximately seven in ten (71%) nationally. ¹⁴⁵  This corresponded to a rate of 221 women in shelters because of abuse for every 100,000 women in the Northwest Territories. ¹⁴⁶  The rates in the territories were considerably higher than those at the provincial level.
5. More women in shelters in the Northwest Territories on snapshot day indicated that the inability to find affordable housing (68%) or drug and alcohol addiction (68%) was a factor that led them to seek shelter (30% and 19%, respectively) than was the national average. ¹⁴⁷ 

Fact sheet: Nunavut

Shelter profile

1. In 2009/2010, Nunavut had over 600 admissions of women and children to 7 shelters offering services for abused women: 3 transition homes, 3 emergency shelters, and one women's emergency centre (Table 14). ^148 , 149 , ¹⁵⁰ 
2. The number of available licensed beds at Nunavut's shelters increased to 72 in 2010 from 34 in 2008. ¹⁵¹  This represented an average of 10 beds per shelter, about half the national average of 19 beds per facility.
3. All shelters in Nunavut offered safety and protection planning, housing referrals, advocacy on behalf of women, specialized services for women over 55 years of age, and transportation services to resident women.
4. While many shelters also offered services to resident children, only two services were offered at more than half of Nunavut's shelters: outdoor recreation (71%) and indoor recreation (57%). ¹⁵² 
5. Four of the seven shelters in Nunavut provided services to clients in at least one Aboriginal language, the most common of which was Inuktitut. Four shelters offered services sensitive to Aboriginal women. ¹⁵³ 
6. Four shelters in Nunavut provided at least one wheelchair accessible entrance, two offered services in sign language, and one offered large-print reading material for those clients with special needs.
7. Along with English (100%), shelters in Nunavut offered services in a number of languages, including French (43%), Punjabi (29%), and Spanish (29%). ¹⁵⁴ 

Resident profile as of April 15, 2010

1. Shelters in Nunavut had 68 residents (34 women and 34 dependent children) on April 15, 2010 (Table 14). This was more than double the 32 women and children residents in Nunavut's shelters on the previous snapshot day, April 16, 2008.
2. Four women were turned away from Nunavut's shelters on snapshot day, either because the shelter was full or due to the presence of mental health issues.
3. For 47% of snapshot day women residents of shelters in Nunavut, it was not the first time they had stayed at that particular shelter. Among these women, half (50%) had most recently stayed at the shelter more than 12 months prior to snapshot day.
4. Nine in ten (91%) women in shelters in Nunavut on snapshot day were there primarily because of abuse, corresponding to a rate of 297 for every 100,000 women. ^155 , 156  While the rates in the territories were considerably higher than those in the provinces, Nunavut's rate was the highest among the territories.
5. The majority (84%) of abused women in shelters in Nunavut identified a current intimate partner (spouse, common-law partner, or dating partner) as their abuser. In addition, 13% indicated that they had been abused by a former intimate partner. ¹⁵⁷  The remaining 3% of women reported that a relative was their abuser.
6. One-third (33%) of abused women in shelters in Nunavut on snapshot day indicated that the most recent abusive situation had been brought to the attention of police. Six in ten (60%) of the cases that were brought to police attention resulted in charges being laid against the accused. ¹⁵⁸ 
7. Short-term housing emergencies were identified as a reason for seeking shelter by 35% of women in shelters on snapshot day in Nunavut, compared to 18% of women in shelters nationally.