Shelter workers trying to expedite income assistance, home placements for domestic violence victims

Shelters in Saskatchewan are an essential service and will remain open throughout the COVID-19 outbreak. They will also provide support via other means if and when necessary.

That’s according to the executive director of the Provincial Association of Transition Houses, Jo-Anne Dusel.

“What we’re finding is that we are getting a lot more calls for service at the shelters,” she explains.”Many of the callers are looking more for support than actually wanting to stay in the shelter.

“Given all of the uncertainty at this time, many of the women that we’re hearing from who are experiencing abuse are actually preferring to stay either at home or with friends or family where they feel safe from the abuser and from this dangerous virus.”

She says that shelter workers are taking significant measures to ensure that all of the clients and staff are safe and healthy.

“They are also able to provide safety planning over the phone for individuals who have been experiencing abuse, that are having a tough time making that decision whether to shelter in place or to look for support in a shelter,” Dusel said.

Some of the safety measures in shelters include ordering out meals, so communal kitchen use is not necessary, and placing women and families in hotels and in homes if shelters become too crowded.

“In some cases, individuals are being fast-tracked to Sask Housing units that might be vacant at this time. So everybody is working together to make it as efficient as possible for people to get to a safe place when they need it,” Dusel explained.

The biggest message Dusel hopes to get out is that shelters are there if needed. Many of the shelters have lower numbers right now because of their efforts to make sure everyone is in a safe and secure environment.

“If it is a relatively low-risk case, we are trying to make sure they have somewhere else safe – where they can stay safe and healthy,” she said.