This House of Commons Standing Committee on the Status of Women meeting, number 42, continued its study of women's shelters and transitional housing. Witnesses included Marilyn Matheson (Executive Director, Harmony House Shelter), Elise Brien and Annick Brazeau (Regroupement des maisons pour femmes victimes de violence conjugale), Aline Nizigama (National CEO, YWCA Canada), Kirsten Mercer (Lawyer and Gender-Based Violence Policy Expert), Carol Wildgoose (Team Lead, Safe House and Service Hub for Survivors of Sex Trafficking in York Region), and Dr. Jacqueline Benn-John (Executive Director, Women’s Support Network of York Region).
Marilyn Matheson described how a severe lack of affordable housing forces survivors to stay in shelters for years, with families of three or more children remaining for two to four years, and noted that her shelter's wait-list exceeds 130 families. She highlighted that many women arrive with no income due to financial abuse and face barriers such as a lack of affordable child care and immigration challenges, and she called for stable, supportive housing rather than just transitional units.
Elise Brien and Annick Brazeau reported that Quebec shelters operate at 96% occupancy and that chronic underfunding has reduced service levels to about 50% of 2009 levels, with a 45% success rate for finding shelter beds through the SOS Violence Conjugale hotline. They recommended mission-based operational funding and a dedicated federal program within Build Canada Homes for shelter construction and renovation, noting that current coordination with CMHC and the Société d'habitation du Québec is chaotic and slow.
Aline Nizigama stated that shelters operate 20% above funded capacity and that 80% of emergency shelters extend stays due to a lack of affordable housing, with close to 9,000 women and families on YWCA wait-lists. She called for renewed and sustained funding for the national action plan to end gender-based violence, a dedicated carve-out for affordable housing for survivors, and capital funding to expand permanent supportive housing.
Kirsten Mercer argued that shelter funding is based on outdated formulas and must be grounded in the true cost of delivering services, and she emphasized that gender-based violence infrastructure is essential physical and social infrastructure. She recommended full renewal of the national action plan and the creation of a federal gender-based violence commissioner to oversee implementation, and she noted that small, low-barrier grants can be highly effective in helping survivors leave violent situations.
Carol Wildgoose detailed the unique needs of sex trafficking survivors, who require small, trauma-informed safe houses rather than general shelters, and reported that despite six years of work, no capital funding has been approved for a planned safe house in York region. She identified roadblocks such as cost-per-door requirements and the need for land or partners before funding is approved, and she urged that these barriers be removed.
Dr. Jacqueline Benn-John stated that housing insecurity and poverty are drivers of gender-based violence, with 75% of homeless women identifying as survivors, and that unaffordable housing prevents many from leaving abusive situations. She recommended increased federal investment in affordable housing for survivors, expanded base funding for shelters and sexual assault centres, and dedicated housing pathways for trafficking survivors, emphasizing that safe housing is a life-saving intervention.
During questions, witnesses agreed that the affordability crisis and lack of housing are primary drivers of increased shelter demand and longer stays. They noted that many women are turned away or forced to return to abusive partners, and that children growing up in shelters face long-term harm. Some witnesses disagreed on the sufficiency of criminal law reforms, with Mercer and Benn-John arguing that implementation and systemic issues like poverty and discrimination are more critical than new laws alone. The meeting concluded without procedural debate or votes.
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