Women’s shelters in Quebec are overflowing and turning people away

Four Quebec organizations are drawing attention to shortcomings in the provincial government's bill. (Chris Young / The Canadian Press)

Women’s shelters in Quebec say they’re turning people away because there isn’t enough room.

SOS Violence Conjugale is one of the province’s first-line services for women escaping domestic violence, providing them with resources and finding them spots in emergency shelters.

Spokesperson Claudine Thibaudeau said SOS had more demand between April 1, 2024 and March 30, 2025 than ever. The organization has been active since 1987.

Out of about 60,000 calls, almost 20,000 requested a room in an emergency shelter. Over half (53.2 per cent) were turned away because there was no space for them.

“We’re losing ground every year in our capacity to refer people looking for shelter to resources that have room. It’s in part because we have more demand: we used to have 6,000 or 7,000 requests per year and it’s gone up to … over 19,000,” Thibaudeau said.

In 2020-2021, SOS’s referral success rate was at 75.9 per cent, and has gone down every year since as demand increased. In 2021-2022, it was at 66 per cent – and by 2023-2024 it was down to 50.8 per cent.

She stressed that when women are calling it’s an emergency. If they are turned away, they may lose the courage to reach out again and their abuser can tighten their grip, putting them in even greater danger.

“We have to seize the momentum,” she said. “It might not happen again for weeks or months or years for some people.”

It’s a struggle Melpa Kamateros, the executive director of the Shield of Athena in Montreal, knows all too well.

“The need for shelter space, we’ve been clamoring about it for decades,” she told CTV News.

The Shield of Athena increased its capacity from nine people to 24 in the last few years and has been fundraising to renovate its facilities.

Successful sensibilization efforts

Thibaudeau attributes the increase in demand to better education and sensibilization efforts done over the last few years, including defining and moving to criminalize coercive control.

She said more women have the knowledge they need to identify and escape domestic violence and feel more comfortable reaching out.

“We have to be able to help them when they ask for help and that’s where, right now, we have too high of a failure rate. This is a major problem because it’s an essential service,” said Thibaudeau.

Funding hasn’t increased with demand, she said.

In 2022, Quebec earmarked $462 million over five years in its strategy to combat domestic and sexual violence. Four new shelters are expected to be built this year.

But Thibaudeau said it can’t happen quickly enough as they’re playing catch-up.

She said there are many factors that complicate referrals to shelters.

For example, a woman in Montreal might need help but the closest available room is in Abitibi. Or, there might be space for a woman but not her three children. Accessibility and language barriers can also prevent women from finding shelter.

“When someone’s situation is so unlivable that she wants to leave her home, being turned away is awful,” said Thibaudeau. “It’s saying ‘no’ to services that can save someone’s life.”

Housing crisis factoring in

Kamateros wants the government to invest more in second-step services for women who leave emergency shelters.

She said that, typically, women leave emergency shelters after about two months so another person in danger can come in. But women have been staying put for up to six months because there’s nowhere else for them to go that would ensure their safety, she added.

• READ MORE: ‘No body, no proof’: Victim of domestic violence fearful as her abuser is released from prison

“We need a better configuration of existing space, more second-step resources to make it easier to transition out of emergency shelters where women and their kids can stay for a longer period and develop their autonomy,” said Kamateros.

“We need a holistic perspective on how to address violence against women.”

Thibaudeau wants Quebec to invest more in social housing units where women escaping domestic violence can rebuild their lives safely. She said the housing crisis is forcing some women to stay in shelters longer than they want to.

She also wants Quebec to increase funding for the judicial helpline Rebâtir, which offers victims of domestic violence four hours of free legal counsel. A second phase that involved accompaniment services was dropped likely due to insufficient funds.

“It’s better than nothing, but it’s not enough,” said Thibaudeau.

Sexism at heart of the issue

Kamateros and Thibaudeau said the government’s strategy is not working and that the statistics speak for themselves.

In Quebec’s courts, most cases related to crimes against a person are committed in a conjugal context. Most calls to 911 are related to domestic violence.

The 2024 Montreal police (SPVM) annual reported, released last week, noted that 21 per cent of all crimes against persons reported in Montreal were related to domestic violence.

According to the World Health Organization, one in three women worldwide are victims of violence and about 40 per cent of femicides occur in a conjugal context.

The women’s shelters say it’s a pervasive and transgenerational issue: most women who seek help from the Shield of Athena are between 22 and 24 years old.

Thibaudeau said young women have always been the main target of sexist violence, and that won’t change without a massive societal shift.

She said it’s been discouraging to see masculinist figures like Andrew Tate and the backlash against feminism gain popularity in recent years.

“The main cause of domestic violence is sexism, and these ideologies encourage sexism and encourage men to take power over women – they don’t even hide it!” she said. “The prevalence of domestic violence goes to show that we have not achieved equality.”

CTV News reached out to the Ministry of Health and Social Services (MSSS) but did not hear back at time of publication.

Despite the hurdles shelters are facing, Kamateros does not want women to feel discouraged to reach out for help.

“Do not stay in abusive relationships,” she said.

SUPPORT NETWORK

Victims of domestic violence can contact SOS violence conjugale at 1-800-363-9010.

Other resources:

• Federation des Maisons d’Hebergement pour Femmes
• Shield of Athena
• Espace Sans Violence
• Regroupement des Maisons Pour Femmes Victimes de Violence Conjugale
• Centre de Solidarite Lesbienne

With files from Max Harrold