Montreal advocacy groups want more funding towards women’s shelters

Several women’s advocacy groups are calling on Ottawa and Quebec to put an end to the inconsistent funding for shelters. 

Representatives of the Alliance of shelters for women and children victims of domestic violence and the Regroupement des Maisons pour femmes victimes de violence held a press conference Wednesday to explain how the current funding program is inadequate.

Maud Pontel is the general coordinator for women’s rights organization, Alliance MH2.

She said there needs to be a new funding program that caters to shelters, rather than social housing.

“The big issue is actually that our need doesn’t fit the criteria of the social housing program. So even if we have the money, even if the money was confirmed by the federal and the provincial government, the fact is that we are not fitting in this program and people are saying it’s too expensive.”

Some of the current needs are increased security, accommodation and intervention spaces, and welcoming women with or without children.

Currently, the Société d’Habitation du Québec (SHQ) evaluates women’s shelter projects using the same scales as for social housing projects, which can cause delays.

“Our mission is to prevent homicide. It’s to make sure that we can welcome women and kids who are fleeing violence. So we have to do that in, you know, like in a proper way. And we have to make sure that safety is there.”

Louise Riendeau is the co-responsible for political files at Regroupement des Maisons pour femmes victimes de violence.

She said they are ready to work with the government.

“Since December, we’ve prepared two documents. In one brief, we explain all the programs are not adequate for shelters. In another one, we explain what is needed, what kind of space, what kind of services are needed in shelters, in second state shelters,” said Riendeau at the press conference. “So we are ready to work with government. We have the knowledge of the needs of the women and the children. So we just need a decision to say we’ll coordinate that and we’ll put us all together in the same room to work on this.”

They want the federal and provincial government to invest and create a specific funding program adapted to their reality.