building informed service delivery in second-stage ......a big thank you to all second-stage shelter...
TRANSCRIPT
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BuildingInformedServiceDelivery
inSecond-StageShelters
PhaseII
FinalReport
September 1, 2017
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ACKNOWLEDGEMENTSTraditionalLandsACWSacknowledgesthetraditionallandsuponwhichwelive,work,andplay.WerecognizethatallAlbertansareTreatypeopleandhavearesponsibilitytounderstandourhistorysothatwecanhonorthepast,beawareofthepresent,andcreateajustandcaringfuture.ACWScelebratesandvaluestheresiliency,successes,andteachingsthatAlberta’sIndigenouspeoplehaveshownus,aswellastheuniquecontributionsofeveryAlbertan.TheACWSofficeislocatedonTreaty6land,whichisthetraditionalterritoryofthePlainsCreeandanancientgatheringplaceofmanyIndigenouspeoplesforthousandsofyears.TheselandshavealsobeenhometoandacentraltradingplaceoftheBlackfoot,Nakota,Assiniboine,Dene,andtheMétispeopleofwesternCanada.WehonourthecourageandstrengthofIndigenouswomen.Wehonorthemaslifegiversandcaregiversaswehonorandlearnfromtheircontinuingachievements,theirconsistentstrength,andtheirremarkableendurance.Ourmembers–andtheparticipatingsheltersinthisproject-serveallnationsandallpeoples;theyarelocatedonTreaty6,7and8landsacrossthisprovincewhichincludethesixMetisregionsofAlberta.WomeninSecond-StageSheltersACWSgratefullyacknowledgesthewomenwhostayedinAlberta’ssecond-stageshelters,whogifteduswiththeirtime,personalexperiencesandperspectivesonshelterservicesandsupports,includingthebarrierstheyfacedaswellastheirsuggestionsforserviceimprovement.Second-StageShelterCommitteeMembersThankyoutoACWSmemberswhoparticipatedinthisground-breakingwork.WewouldliketoparticularlythanktheSheltersDirectorsandtheirdesignatedstaffwhoparticipatedontheCommitteeandtheinterviews:
• AlmaFourie,BrendaStraffordCentreforthePreventionofDomesticViolence,Calgary• AngelaRooks-TrotzukandCharleneRowein,LloydminsterIntervalHomeSociety,
Lloydminster• CassiePutnamandMelissaGreen,HopeHavenSociety,LacLaBiche• CindyEaston,MountainRoseWomen’sShelterAssociation,RockyMountainHouse• EbonyRempelandStaceyBudgell,GrandePrairieWomen’sResidence,GrandePrairie• IanWheeliker,CentralAlbertaWomen’sEmergencyShelter,RedDeer• JoyJohnson-GreenandMarvolynJohnson,SonshineSocietyofChristianCommunity
Services,Calgary• KarenReynoldsandCarolSiziba,CatholicSocialServices,Edmonton• MicheleTaylorandJennaMacDonald,Waypoints,FortMcMurray• MoniqueAuffreyandTanyaRossetti,DiscoveryHouseFamilyViolencePrevention
Society,Calgary
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• NatashaCarvalho,CatherineOhamaandRoseO’Donnell,MedicineHatWomen’sShelterSociety,MedicineHat
• NoreenCotton,St.Paul&DistrictCrisisAssociation,St.Paul• PatGarrettandKarenKingdom,WingsofProvidenceSociety,Edmonton• RebeccaWells,WellspringFamilyResourceandCrisisCentre,Whitecourt• SherrieBotten,CarmenTaciuneandPamBaudistel,RowanHouseSociety,HighRiver• SusanWhite,Dr.MargaretSavageCrisisCentreSociety,ColdLake
Second-StageShelterStaffAbigthankyoutoallsecond-stageshelterstaffforconnectingwithwomenforfollow-upandresearchinterviews,helpingustesttheAcuityScale,diligentlyenteringdataintoOutcomeTracker,andmostofallfortheoutstandingworkyoudoincreatingsafehealingspacesforwomenandchildren.ACWSStaffThankyouto:
• CarolynGoard,DirectorMemberPrograms&Services,AlbertaCouncilofWomen’sShelters,whoprovidedoverallleadership,facilitationandsupport;
• SusanPlesuk,TrainerandOutcomeTrackerConsultant,whoprovidedassessmentandOutcomeTrackertraining,supporteddatamanagementwork,interviewedwomen,andwasalwaysavailabletoprovideindividualhelpandsupport;
• CatVanWielingenandAllieBuxton,DataandProjectAdvisors,fortheirableassistancewithprojectsupport;
• ChristophPeck,DataandMemberSupport,fortechnicalsupportwithOutcomeTracker;and,
• NicolSinclaire,OfficeAdministrator,forensuringthatmeetingshappenedinatimelyandefficientmanner.
ProjectFundersThankyoualsototheCalgaryFoundation,PolicyWiseforChildrenandFamiliesandtheIODE,fortheirgenerousfundingsupportoftheproject.PrincipalAuthorIreneHoffart,SynergyResearchGroupwithDr.KathleenCairns
AlbertaCouncilofWomen’sSheltersTreaty6Territory
600,10310JasperAveEdmonton,ABT5J2W4
Phone:780-456-7000Email:[email protected]
Web:https://www.acws.ca
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TableofContents
SectionI. Introduction.......................................................................................................11.1ProjectPhaseII...............................................................................................2
SectionII.ShelterServiceUse...........................................................................................42.1 AdmissionsandServiceUse...........................................................................42.2Occupancy.......................................................................................................5
SectionIII.WomenandChildreninSecond-StageShelters..............................................73.1DemographicCharacteristics..........................................................................73.2HealthandAddictions.....................................................................................8
SectionIV.TheExperienceofAbuse...............................................................................104.1 TheNatureoftheAbuse...............................................................................104.2 SafetyandReadinessAssessment.................................................................104.3 ParentingAfterAbuse...................................................................................13
SectionV.Second-StageShelterServices.......................................................................145.1 LengthofStay................................................................................................145.2 ShelterServicesandSupports.......................................................................155.3 ShelterReferrals............................................................................................16
SectionV.ServiceOutcomes...........................................................................................176.1 ServiceCompletionandGoalAttainment.....................................................176.2 HousingandLivingSituationatDischarge....................................................19
SectionVII.AcuityScale..................................................................................................227.1 IntendedUse.................................................................................................227.2 ScaleDevelopment........................................................................................227.3 ScaleDescriptionandScoring.......................................................................237.4 FinalAcuityScaleTestingResults..................................................................237.5 NextSteps.....................................................................................................26
SectionVIII.Women’sFeedback......................................................................................278.1 ClientFeedbackSurvey..................................................................................278.2 InterviewswithWomen.................................................................................298.3 Follow-upSurvey............................................................................................35
SectionIX.ShelterDirectors’Feedback...........................................................................389.1 ShelterProgramDevelopment.....................................................................389.2 Second-stageSheltersandHousingServicesSector....................................399.3 DevelopingDataManagementCapacity......................................................409.4 ShelterImpact..............................................................................................419.5 NextSteps.....................................................................................................42
SectionX.ReportHighlightsandNextSteps....................................................................44
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ListofTablesTable1. ACWSMemberOrganizationswithOperationalSecond-StageShelters..............3Table2. GoalAttainmentatDischarge.....................................................................................19Table3. ReliabilityResultsSummary.................................................................................24Table4. Test-RetestReliabilityResults..............................................................................25Table5. ProportionofWomenbyFeedbackSurveyItems...............................................28ListofFigures
Figure1. NumberofWomenandChildrenServedandAdmittedbyFiscalYear.............4Figure2. ReasonsWhyApartmentsWereNotAvailable.................................................5Figure3. AverageOccupancyRatebyLocationbyYear..................................................6Figure4. HealthandAddictionIssuesbyFiscalYearofAdmission..................................9Figure5. TypesofAbuseExperienced..............................................................................10Figure6. DA/WTPTDAScorebyNumberofWomeninSecond-StageShelters..............11Figure7. DVSAAreasofChangebyNumberofWomeninEachStage............................12Figure8. ParentingStressIndexResults..........................................................................13Figure9. PercentofWomenbyLengthofStay................................................................14Figure10.LengthofStaybyWoman’sBackground...........................................................14Figure11.TypesofServicesProvidedbyPercentofWomen............................................15Figure12.TypesofSafety-RelatedActivitiesbyNumberofContactswithWomen.........16Figure13.StatusofProgramCompletionatDischarge.....................................................17Figure14.ProportionofWomenSuccessfullyCompletingtheProgrambyBackground..18Figure15.TypeofHousingatAdmissionandDischarge...................................................20Figure16.StableHousingatDischargebyWoman’sBackground.....................................21Figure17.ProportionofWomenbyTypesofCommunityServicesTheyAccessed..........36ForalladditionaldocumentationthatisreferencedthroughoutthereportpleaserefertotheseparateAddendumDocument.
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I. Introduction
Second-stagesheltersaresafe,longerterm(6monthsto2years),apartment-styleresidencesthatarepartofthespectrumofdomesticviolencesupportandhousingservicesthatincludesemergencyandsecond-stageshelters,outreachservices,anddomesticviolencehousingfirstservices.Second-stagesheltersoftenbridgethetransitionbetweenanemergencyshelterandawomanlivingonherown.Second-stagesheltersprovidewrap-aroundservicescriticaltomeetingtheneedsofabusedwomenandtheirchildren.Therearetwelvesecond-stagesheltersinAlberta.Outofthetwelveshelters,fiveareinurbanareas(EdmontonandCalgary),andtheothersevenareintownsandsmallcitiesthroughouttheprovinceincludingtwoon-reserve.1SevenofAlberta’ssecond-stagesheltersarerunbyshelteringorganizationsthatalsooperateemergencyshelters.2Tenmembersofferingsecond-stageresidentialprograms,aswellasmembersintheprocessofbuildingorplanningtobuildasecond-stageshelters,begantomeetformallyinFebruaryof2013tosupportPhaseIimplementationoftheSecond-StageShelterproject.ThepurposeofPhaseIwastocollectivelydevelopstrategiesthatpromoteacommonunderstandingofandsupportforsecond-stagesheltersinAlberta.Phase1ofthisprojectsupportedcreationofinformedservicedeliverycultureswithineachparticipatingorganization.Asshelterstaffimprovedtheircapacitytocollect,analyzeandreportdata,theywerebetterabletounderstandtheneedsofwomenandchildrenintheirshelters,supportingdeliveryofmoreresponsiveandinformedservices.Withincreasedknowledge,shelterstaffwillbebetterequippedtoeffectivelyadvocateforneededcommunityservicesaswomentransitionfromshelterlifetolivingincommunity.Ourprojectgoalswereintendedto:
• Positionsecond-stageshelterswithinthehousingandsupportsspectrumofhomelessserviceprovision;
• Demonstratetheimportantrolesheltersplayinhousingwomenandchildrenleavingdomesticviolence;
• Supportthedevelopmentofaclear,convincingrationalefortheneedandbenefitsofsafeandsupportivehousingforwomenandchildrenleavingabusiverelationships,and
• Ultimatelyresultinaccesstolong-termandsustainablefundingsupports.PhaseIoftheprojectconcludedinAprilof2015,withsubmissionofseveraldeliverablesincluding:• Promisingpracticereview• Second-stagelogicmodel• Implementationofnewdatacollectiontools• PhaseIreport
1Thetwoon-reservemembersofferingsecondstageprogramsdidnotparticipateinthisstudy.2Albertaalsohastwosheltersthatspecializeinservicestomeettheneedsofolderadultswhohavebeenabused.2Albertaalsohastwosheltersthatspecializeinservicestomeettheneedsofolderadultswhohavebeenabused.Thesesheltersalsoprovidelongertermstaysthanwhathastraditionallybeenseeninwomen’semergencysheltersandalsoofferahostofservicesandcommunitysupports.Thesesheltersdidnotparticipateinthestudy.
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1.1 ProjectPhaseIIAllmembersthatparticipatedinPhaseIremainedcommittedtocontinuewiththeinitiative,asdemonstratedbytheirparticipationinthePhaseIIinauguralwebinartraining,whichfocusedonanewgoalattainmenttooltobeimplementedinPhaseII.Othermembersalsojoined:somehadplansforopeningasecond-stageshelter;somehadjustrecentlyopenedsecond-stageshelters;andsomeothershadsimilarservices,albeitnotformallydesignatedassecond-stageshelters.PhaseIIbeganwiththelaunchofgoalattainmentdatagatheringonApril1,2015.PhaseIIbuiltontheactivitiesanddocumentationdevelopedinthefirstphase,withthefollowingmajorobjectives:
1. Womenandchildrenwhoreceivesecond-stageshelterservicesachievestabilityandsafetyasaresultoftheirshelterstay(seeLogicModelforspecificindicatorsandtoolsintheAddendumDocument).
2. ParticipatingSecond-stageshelterhavetheneededcapacitytodeliverevidence-basedandinformedservice.
PhaseIIactivitiesincluded:• Toolfinalizationandtraining:PreparationforPhaseII,includingtrainingwebinarsandsupportto
shelterstaffforenhanceddatacollectiontoolsandprocesses(seetoolsattachedintheAddendumDocument).
• DevelopmentofanAcuityScale:Acuityassessmentquantifiesthecomplexityofneedswomenandchildreninsheltersexperience(seeSectionVIIandAddendumDocumentforscaledocumentation).
• Datacollectionwithtrainingandsupport:Shelterstaffcollecteddataandindividualandgroupsupportwasprovidedtothemthroughtrainingwebinarsandtelephoneconsultation.
• Quarterlydatareview:Thedatacollectionprocesswassupportedbyquarterlymeetingsandreports.Emerginginformationhelpedinformservicedeliveryandnewquestions.
• Staffandclientinterviews:Helpeddescribeserviceimplementation,theimpactoftheprojectonshelterservices,andoutcomesforwomenatdischargeaswellasaftertheyleavetheshelter(seesummaryoftheirfeedbackinSectionsVIIIandIXandtheAddendumDocumentforinterviewschedules).
• Finalreport:SynthesizesprojectoutcomesfrombothPhasesandidentifiesnextstepsforACWSanditsmemberorganizations(thisdocument).
ParticipatingOrganizationsTheprojectinvolvedsixteenACWSmemberorganizationsthatrepresentedallAlbertaregionsandthateithercurrentlydeliversecond-stageshelterservices,plantodeliversuchservicesordeliversimilarservices(e.g.,domesticviolencehousingfirst,thirdstageshelter,progressivehousing).Twelveoftheseorganizationshadfunctioningsecond-stagesheltersortransitionalhousinginPhaseIIandcontributeddatatotheproject(seeTable1).
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Table1.ACWSMemberOrganizationswithOperationalSecond-StageSheltersorTransitionalHousing
MemberOrganization Shelter/HousingName
#ofApartments Location
BrendaStraffordCentreforthePreventionofDomesticViolence
BrendaStrafford 34 Calgary
CatholicSocialServices LaSalle 11 EdmontonDiscoveryHouseFamilyViolencePreventionSociety
DiscoveryHouse 19 Calgary
Dr.MargaretSavageCrisisCentreSociety
Joie’sPhoenixHouse 6 ColdLake
GrandePrairieWomen'sResidenceAssociation
SerenityPlace 14 GrandePrairie
HopeHavenSociety Lynne’sHouse 2(withplansforanadditional2units)
LacLaBiche
LloydminsterIntervalHomeSociety DolmarManor 5 LloydminsterMedicineHatWomen'sShelterSociety
MusasaHouse 10 MedicineHat
RowanHouseSociety RowanHouse 4 HighRiverSonshineSocietyofChristianCommunityServices
SonshineCenter 24 Calgary
Waypoints WoodBuffaloSecondStageHousing
13 FortMcMurray
WingsofProvidenceSociety WINGS 20 Edmonton
Additionalfourorganizationsthatparticipatedinthestudyhadplansunderwaytodevelopasecond-stageshelterorsimilartypesofhousingintheirlocations:
• St.Paul&DistrictCrisisAssociation,St.Paul• WellspringFamilyResource&CrisisCentreSociety,Whitecourt• CentralAlbertaWomen’sEmergencyShelter,RedDeer• MountainRoseWomen’sShelterAssociation,RockyMountainHouse
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II. ShelterServiceUse
2.1 AdmissionsandServiceUseTheinformationinthisreportdescribesexperiencesofwomenandchildrenwhoresidedinelevensecond-stagesheltersbetweenApril2013andFebruary2017:3
• Overthatperiodshelterssupportedatotalof2,704individualsincluding997womenand1,707children;
• Ofthese,112womenand146childrenwereadmittedpriortoAprilof2013;• Tenofthe997individualwomen(about1%)wereadmittedmorethanoncewithinthistime
period;• Overthesametimeperiod,860womenand1,441children–atotalof2,301-weredischarged
fromsecond-stageshelters.Mostofthesewomenandchildren(n=687,about70%)werereferredtosecond-stagesheltersbyemergencydomesticviolenceshelterstaff,confirmingtheirroleasprovidersofhousingandwrap-aroundsupportstowomenforwhomemergencyshelterstaysarenotsufficient.Othersourcesofreferralsincludedself-referralsorreferralsfromvariouscommunityagencies.AsshowninFigure1,serviceandadmissionnumbershavegrownsincethestudybegan,mostlyduetotheexpansionofsecondshelterspace(newprogramsbeganoperatingandexistingsheltersaddednewapartments),allreflectingthecontinueddemandforsecond-stageshelterservicesacrossAlberta.Thedecreasein2016-17showninFigure1couldbearesultoftheincompletefiscalyear(datacollectionendedinFebruary2017),butmayalsoreflecttheincreaseinvacancyratesinAlbertain2016.About77%ofallsecond-stageshelteradmissionsareinEdmonton(27%)orinCalgary(50%),againreflectingthenumberofsecond-stagesheltersandnumberofapartmentsineachoftheshelterslocatedinthosecities.
Figure1.NumberofWomenandChildrenServedandAdmittedbyFiscalYear
3Notethatoneofthesheltersusesadifferentdatabase,withsomewhatdifferentdataset.Thatshelter’sdataisreflectedin:Section2.1,SectionIII,portionsofSections4.1and4.2,Section5.1,portionsofSection6.1andcompleteSectionsVIIthroughX.
547 618 701575
795918
1099917
020040060080010001200
2013-14 2014-15 2015-16 2016-17
Admiped
Served
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2.2 OccupancyTheconceptofshelteroccupancyhelpsusunderstandhowfullthesheltersareatanyonetime.Thistermwasadoptedfromthehotelindustryanddoesnotfullytranslateintotheworkofthesecond-stageshelters,aswomendonotmoveinandmoveoutwithminimaltimelaginbetween.Thereneedstobetimetochangebedding,cleanrooms,aswellasspendtimewiththewomanandherchildrenatdischargeplusconductanempatheticintakeforthenextwomanwhowillbeoccupyingtheapartment.Oftensecond-stageshelterapartmentsareunavailablebecausetheyareunderrepair,awaitinganoutoftowntransfer,closedforhealthreasonsorrenovationsandpaintingaswellasahostofotherreasonsuniquetoeachshelter.Figure2belowquantifiesafrequencywithwhichthesereasonswereidentifiedbetweenAprilof2014andFebruary2017todescribewhytheapartmentswerenotavailableeachmonth,withcleaningandmaintenanceandrepairsasthereasonsmostfrequentlysited.Figure2.ReasonsWhyApartmentsWereNotAvailable4
Inordertoaccountfortheseuniquefactorsandtomeetfunderreportingrequirementsonoccupancy,ACWSmembersdevelopedanoccupancyratecalculationformula,asfollows:
Fundedapartmentoccupancyrate=Numberofpeopleinshelterplusapartmentsthatareheldorunavailabledividedbytotalnumberofprovinciallyfundedapartments.
Figure3averagesmonthlyoccupancyresultsfortheyears2014,2015,2016andthefirsttwomonthsof2017andcomparesitacrossurbanshelters(CalgaryorEdmonton)andsheltersinothersmallermunicipalitiesorrurallocations.AscanbeseeninFigure3,theurbanoccupancyrateconsistentlyremainsatnear100%,whiletheoccupancyrateinsmallerlocationsfluctuatesandislower.Whilethepopulationsizeandaccompanyingdemandproducethe100%occupancyinCalgaryandEdmonton,therateinotherlocationsislikelyaresultofseveralfactorsincludingsizeofshelter,resourcesandhousingavailableinthesheltercommunity,averagecostoflivingaswellasthesizeoffamiliesaccessingtheshelter.
4Otherreasonsincludedinstanceswheretheapartmentswereusedforanemergency,wherethestaffwerewaitingforthereferralstobescreened,orwherefurnituredeliverywaspending.
61
41
26
17
11
25
0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70
Cleaningandmaintenance
Inrepair
Financespending
Closedforrenovaqons
Awaiqngtransfer
Otherreasons
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Figure3.AverageOccupancyRatebyLocationbyYear
Finally,theoccupancyrateisamisleadingmeasureparticularlyforsmallershelterswith2or3apartments,whereoneemptyapartmentmaymeananoccupancyrateof50%or75%.Occupancyintheseshelterscannotbemeasuredwiththesameconsiderationasoccupancyatmid-sizedandlargeurbansheltersthataretemporaryhomesforalargernumberofwomenandfamilies.ACWSandmemberscontinuetohaveaconversationaboutthevalueoftrackingoccupancyrateandthemeaningthatithas,particularlyforsheltersinruralorsmallercenters.
100.00 98.33 97.81 98.1669.36
84.42 77.1158.35
0.00
50.00
100.00
150.00
2014 2015 2016 2017
CalgaryorEdmonton Other
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III. WomenandChildreninSecond-StageShelters3.1 DemographicCharacteristicsThedemographiccharacteristicsof997womenwhoresidedinthesecond-stagesheltersbetweenAprilof2013andFebruaryof2017wereasfollows:
• Womenwere,onaverage35yearsofage–asisconsistentwithresearchsuggestingthat18to34yearsistheagewhenmostwomenfirstexperiencedomesticviolence5.
• Second-stageshelterssupportfamilies:mostwomen(795or87%)6wereadmittedwithchildren,andabout60%ofthemwereadmittedwithtwoormorechildren;thechildrenwere,onaverage,sevenyearsofage,withabouthalfofthem(49%)sixyearsofageoryounger.About35%ofthesechildrenhadcurrentorpreviousinvolvementwithchildren’sservices.Childrenaregettingprogressivelyyounger–fromanaverageof9yearsforchildrenadmittedin2013/14fiscalyear,to7yearsin2014/15and2015/16and6yearsofagein2016/17fiscalyear.Thistrendsupportstheneedfortrauma-informedcareforchildrenwhoareexposedtodomesticviolenceatayoungerage.7
• Thepopulationofsecond-stagesheltersisdiverse:itwascomprisedofnon-AboriginalwomenwhowereborninCanada(39%),Aboriginalwomen(35%)andwomenwhoimmigratedtoCanadafromothercountries(26%).ThehighestproportionsofimmigrantwomencametoCanadafromIndia(8%),Pakistan(7%),Philippines(7%),Ethiopia(5%)andNigeria(4%).Onaverage,thesenewcomershadlivedinCanadaforabout9years,with28%inCanadafor3yearsorless.ConsistentwithCanadianimmigrationandpopulationtrends,theurbansheltersweremorelikelytoprovideatemporaryhomeforimmigrantwomen-about32%ofwomenhousedtherewerenewcomerstoCanadaascomparedto8%ofwomenhousedinsmallerlocations.Ontheotherhand,thesheltersinsmallerlocationsweremorelikelytoprovidesafehousingtoAboriginalwomen-47%ofallwomeninshelterslocatedinsmallerjurisdictionswereAboriginal,ascomparedto31%ofwomeninurbanshelters.
5NationalIntimatePartnerandSexualViolenceSurvey,2010SummaryReport.NationalCenterforInjuryPreventionandControl,DivisionofViolencePrevention,Atlanta,GA,andControloftheCentersforDiseaseControlandPrevention.https://www.domesticshelters.org/domestic-violence-articles-information/domestic-abuse-topline-facts-and-statistics#.WAUEmZMrLBI6ExcludingadmissionsfromshelternotonOutcomeTracker7Baker,L.,andCampbell,M.(2012).ExposuretoDomesticViolenceanditsEffectonChildren’sBrainDevelopmentandFunctioning.LearningNetworkBrief(2).London,Ontario:LearningNetwork,CentreforResearchandEducationonViolenceAgainstWomenandChildren.www.learningtoendabuse.ca/learningnetwork/network-areas/childrens-exposure
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• Povertyisasignificantissueformostwomenandchildreninsecond-stageshelter:Regardlessoftheirincomepriortoleaving,manywomenleavingviolentrelationshipshavelimitedfinancesavailabletothem.Effortstoescapedomesticviolencecaninthemselvesresultinlossofjob,housing,healthcare,childcare,andaccesstoapartner’sincome–infact,pastexposuretodomesticviolencehasbeenshowntobelinkedtofutureunemploymentandpovertyforwomen.8Childrenwhoexperiencepoverty,especiallypersistently,areathigherriskofsufferinghealthproblems,developmentaldelays,andbehaviordisorders.Theytendtoattainlowerlevelsofeducation9andaremorelikelytoliveinpovertyasadults.10Socialassistancewasthetopsourceofincomeforwomeninsecond-stageshelters(69%)withothersourcesincludingAISH,pensions,studentfunding,childtaxcreditandincomefrompartnerorfamily.Mostofthewomenresponding(84%)describedtheirfinancialsituationasaconcernatthetimeofintakeandwereunemployed(83%);asizeableproportiondidnotcompletehighschool(38%).Assuch,second-stagesheltersupportisessentialforthesewomenandchildrentoaddresstheirbasicneedsandlinkthemwithfinancial,employment,childcare,andeducationopportunities.
3.2 HealthandAddictionsOverall,almosttwo-thirdsofthewomeninsecond-stageshelters(65%)self-reportedorwereobservedtohaveoneormoretypesofhealthconcerns.Theseconcernsincludedmentalhealthissuesordevelopmentalconcerns(54%),physicalhealthissues(39%),andaddictionissues(33%).Elevenpercentofthesewomenwereseriouslyconsideringsuicideatthetimeofshelteradmission.Thehealthandaddictionissuesamongwomenaccessingthesecond-stagesheltersaresignificant,bothintermsofthenumberofwomenexperiencingthoseissuesaswellastheseriousnessoftheissuestheyarefacing.Asfrequentlyconfirmedinliterature,mostoftheseproblemsarecausedby,orareatleastrelatedtothewoman’sexperienceofabuse11.Box1belowdescribesinmoredetailthetypesofhealthandaddictionissueswomenwereexperiencingatthetimeoftheiradmissiontosecond-stageshelter.
8Baker,C.K.,Billhardt,K.A.,Warren,J.,Rollins,C.,andGlassN.(2010).Domesticviolence,housinginstability,andhomelessness:Areviewofhousingpoliciesandprogrampracticesformeetingtheneedsofsurvivors.AggressionandViolentBehaviour,15,430-439.9http://www.conferenceboard.ca/hcp/details/society/child-poverty.aspx#_ftn110fromDominiqueFleury,“Low-IncomeChildren,”PerspectivesonLabourandIncome9,5(Ottawa,StatisticsCanada,May2008),1(accessedSeptember9,2009).http://www.conferenceboard.ca/hcp/details/society/child-poverty.aspx11VanBerkum,A.,Oudshoorn,A.(2015).BestPracticeGuidelineforEndingWomen’sandGirl’sHomelessness.FundedbytheGovernmentofCanadaHomelessnessPartneringStrategy;Scott,S.andMcManus,S.(2016).HiddenHurt:Violence,AbuseandDisadvantageintheLivesofWomen.DMSSResearch,UnitedKingdom.
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Box1.TypesofMentalHealth,PhysicalHealthorAddictionConcernsSelf-ReportedorObserved
Physicalhealthconcerns Mentalhealthconcerns Developmental/cognitiveconcerns
Addictions
• Seriousinjuries(e.g.,headtrauma,chronicpain,limitedmobility,brokenbones)
• Chronicillnesses(e.g.,diabetes,arthritis,fibromyalgia,seizures,thyroidproblems,asthma,heartcondition,HepC,HIV/AIDs)
• Acuteillnesses(e.g.,kidneyproblems,bronchitis,Lupus,IBS,STDs,infections)
• Anxietyandphobias• Depression• PTSD• Bipolardisorder• Eatingdisorder• Suicidalideationorattempts
• Personalitydisorders• Schizophrenia
• ADHD• FASD/FAE• Developmentaldelays
• Learningdisability
• Alcohol• Illegaldrugs• Prescriptionmedication
• Tobacco• Compulsiveshopping• Gambling• Sexaddiction
Figure4demonstratesthattheproportionofhealthissuesasexperiencedbywomeninthesecond-stageshelters-withapossibleexceptionofaddictionissuesinthemostrecentfiscalyear-hasgenerallybeenincreasingsince2013/14fiscalyear.Thisisparticularlyevidentwiththephysicalhealthissuestrend,withproportionofwomenexperiencingthoseissuesincreasingfrom36%in2013/14to46%in2016/17fiscalyear.Figure4.HealthandAddictionIssuesbyFiscalYearofAdmission
Exposuretoabuseisalsoasignificantproblemforchildren,forwhomabusecausestraumaandimpactsthedegreetowhichtheycansuccessfullytransitiontoadulthood.12Aboutathirdofthechildren(27%)werealsoreportedorobservedtohaveadisability,amentalhealthoraphysicalhealthconcern.Similartotheirmothers,theproportionofchildrenwiththeseissueshasalsoincreased,mostnotablybetween2013/14and2015/16fiscalyears,from19%to35%. 12McDonald,S.,andTough,S.(2015).The2013AlbertaAdverseChildhoodExperiences(ACE)Survey.KeyFindings.Calgary:AlbertaCentreforChild,Family&CommunityResearch;NorlienFoundation.
62%69%
70% 69%
53%59%
55%58%
36%
37%
39% 46%
33%
36%
37%28%
0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
60%
70%
80%
2013/14 2014/15 2015/16 2016/17
Atleastoneissue
Mentalhealth&developmentaldisabiliqes
Physicalhealth
Addicqons
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IV. TheExperienceofAbuse
4.1 TheNatureoftheAbuseInalmosteveryinstance,menweretheperpetratorsoftheabusethatwomenandchildrenwereescaping(98%).Menwereusuallywomen’sspousesorcommon-lawpartners(65%),andotherswereex-spouses/ex-common-lawpartners(17%)orboyfriends(18%).Inmostinstances,womenreportedexperiencingmultipletypesofabuse,oftenincludingemotional/psychological/verbal(87%of980women)aswellasphysical(73%)andfinancialabuse(61%)(Figure5).Foratleast22%ofthewomen,physicalabuseresultedinsignificantphysicalinjuries,includingbrokenbones,bruises,cutsandabrasions,stabwounds,neckandthroatinjuriesfromasphyxiation,headinjuriesandconcussion,miscarriagesfrombeinghitinthestomachwhenpregnant,injuriestointernalorgans,chronicmobilityimpairments,aswellaseyetraumaandhearingloss.Figure5.NumberofWomenbyTypesofAbuseExperienced
4.2 SafetyandReadinessAssessmentDangerAssessment/WTPTDangerAssessmentTheDangerAssessment(DA)isatoolforpredictingawoman’sriskofbeingkilledoralmostkilledbyanintimatepartner.ThetoolwasdevelopedbyDr.JacquelynCampbell(1986)withconsultationandcontentvaliditysupportfromabusedwomen,shelterworkers,lawenforcementofficials,andotherclinicalexpertsonabuse.13
13Campbell,C.,Webster,D.,Koziol-McLain,J.,Block,C.,Campbell,D.,Curry,M.,Gary,F.,McFarlane,J.,Sachs,C.,Sharps,P.,Ulrich,Y.,andWilt,S.(2008).Assessingriskfactorsforintimatepartnerhomicide.NationalInstituteofJusticeJournal,no.250.
853717
594342342
225221
141124112106
7252
20
0 100 200 300 400 500 600 700 800 900
Emoqonal/Psychological/VerbalAbusePhysicalAbuseFinancialAbuse
SexualAbuse/AssaultPropertyDestrucqon
AbusetoFamilyMembersNeglect
Non-ElectronicStalkingandHarassmentThreatsofAbuseSpiritualAbuse
ElectronicStalkingandHarassmentCulturalAbuse
HarmorCrueltytoAnimalsTrafficking
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TheWalkingthePathTogether(WTPT)DangerAssessmentwasdevelopedincollaborationwithDr.CampbellandbuiltontheoriginalDA.DevelopedaspartoftheWalkingthePathTogetherProjectthatinvolved5on-reservesheltersinAlberta,itwasdesignedtoensureculturalapplicabilityandrelevanceoftheDangerAssessmenttoolforAboriginalwomen.14DA/WTPTDAquestionnairemeasuresthedegreetowhichwomenareatriskoffemicide.Atotalof493womencompletedtheDAorWTPTDAatthetimeofintake.Theneedforsecond-stagesheltersisunderscoredbytheDAquestionnaireresultswhichdemonstratethatabout73%ofthewomenaccessingsecond-stagesheltersareinextremeorseveredangeroffemicide,requiringassertiveactionstoprotectthewomanandherchildrenincludinghighlevelsofperpetratorsupervision.Anadditional19%ofwomenexperienceincreasedriskofdangerwithrecommendationsforsafetyplanningandincreasedmonitoring(Figure6).Figure6.DA/WTPTDAScorebyNumberofWomeninSecond-StageShelters
Thedangerwomenareinasaresultoftheirpartner’sabuserequiresinteractionwiththelegalsystemonanumberoffronts:fortheirandtheirchildren’sprotection;tonegotiateseparationfromtheirspousewithassociatedcustodyissues,andtomanageanyfinancialorimmigrationissuesthatariseasaresultoftheseparation.42%ofthewomeninourstudyrequiredsometypeoflegalsupportswhileinshelter,including26%ofwomenwhorequiredprotectionordersand21%ofwomenwithfamilylaw-relatedissues.
14ACWS(2014).WalkingthePathTogetherTools:DangerAssessmentPhaseII.DevelopedinconsultationwithDr.JacquelynCampbell.file:///C:/Users/Irene/Downloads/Walking%20the%20Path%20Together%20Tools%20-%20Danger%20Assessment%20PhII%20Reduced.pdf
VariableDanger,41,
8%IncreasedDanger,94,
19%
SevereDanger,94,
19%
ExtremeDanger,264,
54%
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DomesticViolenceSurvivorAssessment(DVSA)TheDVSAwasdevelopedbyDr.J.DienemanninconsultationwithDr.JCampbell.15TheDVSAisbasedontheTranstheoreticalModelofChangefirstdevelopedbyProchaska.TheDVSAfocusesonindividualsandtheirstrengths,recognizesthenonlinearpathofbehaviorchangeandtheuniquecomplexityofthechangeprocesswhenleavingarelationshipcharacterizedbydomesticviolence.TheDomesticViolenceSurvivorAssessment(DVSA)examinesthestageofchangefor13personalandrelationshipissuescommonlyfacedbysurvivorsofdomesticviolence.Theseissuesaregroupedacrossfourareas:Safety(managingpartnerabuse,seekingsanctionsandaccessinghelp),Culture(viewsregardingnormsandbeliefsrelatedtoabuse),Health(managingfeelingsandmentaldistress)andSelf-strengthsandskills(self-efficacyandlifeskills).Thereadinessforchangeoneachissueisratedona1to5scale,fromPre-contemplationtoContemplation,Preparation,ActionandMaintenance.Figure7summarizesresponsestoDVSAby116womenwhocompletedthisassessment.Figure7.DVSAAreasofChangebyNumberofWomeninEachStage
Figure7demonstratesthatonlyafewwomenentersecond-stageinthepre-contemplationstageineachoftheareas,whilethereisvariabilityamongwomenindegreeofreadinesstomoveforward.ThisFigurealsoshowsthat,atthetimeofadmission,womenweremostlikelytobeinMaintenanceorActionstagewithrespecttotheareaofCultureandleastlikelytobeinthosestagesintheareaofHealth.Theseresultssuggestthatwomen’sreadinesstomoveforwardmaybefacilitatedbyaddressingtheirmentalhealthconcernsandneedforemotionalsupport.
15Dienemann,J.,Glass,N.,Hanson,G.,andLunsford,K.(2007).TheDomesticViolenceSurvivorAssessment(DVSA):Atoolforindividualcounselingwithwomenexperiencingintimatepartnerviolence.IssuesinMentalHealthNursing,28(8):913-25.
9 13 8 820 23
14 23
34 2833
39
38 27 3737
1113 19
5
0
20
40
60
80
100
120
Maintenance
Acqon
Preparaqon
Contemplaqon
Pre-Contemplaqon
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4.3 ParentingAfterAbuseTheexperienceofabusewithresultingtraumaforbothwomenandherchildrensignificantlyimpactsherabilitytoparent.Thesecond-stagesheltersusetheParentingStressIndex(PSI)tounderstandtheimpactofabuseonwomen’sparentingandidentifytheareasthatwherethesheltermightbeofassistanceandsupport.ThisscreeninganddiagnosticinstrumentwasdevelopedbyDr.RichardAbidin16onthebasisthatthetotalstressaparentexperiencesisafunctionofcertainsalientchildcharacteristics,parentcharacteristics,andsituationsthataredirectlyrelatedtotheroleofbeingaparent.ThePSIisusedforearlyidentificationofdysfunctionalparent/childinteractions.SincetheprojectstartinAprilof2013,149womencompletedtheParentingStressIndexatintake.AsFigure8shows,halfthemothers’TotalStressscorewasinthehighorclinicalrange,suggestingthattheyexperiencedasignificantamountofstressassociatedwithparentingresponsibilities.About40%scoredintheclinicalrangeonDysfunctionalInteractionsub-scalesuggestingthatmoreopportunitiesforpositiveinteractionsbetweenmotherandchildwereneeded;33%wereintheclinicalrangeontheDifficultchildsub-scale–potentiallyrequiringareferraltoapediatricianorchildpsychologist;and21%exhibitedclinicallevelsofParentalDistressrequiringactivitiesdesignedtosupportmothers’increasingself-esteemandsenseofparentalcompetency.Figure8.ParentingStressIndexResults
16Abidin,R.R.(1995).ParentingStressIndex,ThirdEdition:ProfessionalManual.Odessa,FL:PsychologicalAssessmentResources,Inc.
15%33%
9%20%
36%
36%
50%40%
24%
10%
5% 8%
26% 21%37% 33%
0%10%20%30%40%50%60%70%80%90%100%
TotalStress ParentalDistress
DysfuncqonalInteracqon
DifficultChild
ClinicalScore
HighScore
NormalRange
LowScore
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V. Second-stageShelterServices
5.1 LengthofStayTheallowablelengthofstayvariesamongstsecond-stageshelters–from6monthsto2years–althoughthereissomeflexibilityineveryshelter.Onaverage,familiesresidedinsecond-stagesheltersforaperiodofabout6months(amedianof5months)–withabout30%remaininginashelterfor3monthsorless,another33%stayingbetween3and6months;andanother29%stayingbetween6and12months.About8%remainedinashelterforayearorlonger(Figure9).Whilethelengthofstayispartiallydeterminedbytheallowablelengthofstay,itisalsodeterminedbyavailabilityofservicesandhousinginthelocalcatchmentareaaswellastheindividualwoman’scircumstances.Figure9.PercentofWomenbyLengthofStay
WomenwhoarenewtoCanadatendtoremainintheshelterthelongestastheyoftenlackaninformalsupportnetwork,areseekingachangeinimmigrationstatus,andrequireasignificantamountofsupportandresourcesbeforetheycanleavetheshelter(Figure10).Womenwithhealthconcerns(mental,physicaloraddictions)tendtoleavesheltersearlier.Thismayreflectchallengesthatstaffexperienceinprovidingservicesandsupportstowomenwithmentalhealthandaddictionissuesinafamily-orientedshelter.ThefactthatAboriginalwomenalsostayforashorterperiodoftimerequiresfurtherexploration,focusingontheculturalcompetencyofshelterservicesandwomen’suniqueneeds.Figure10.LengthofStaybyWoman’sBackground
30%33%
17%12%
6%1% 1%
0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
3monthsorless
3to6months
6to9months
9to12months
12to18months
18to24months
over24months
7.59
7.16
6.6
5.84
4.87
0 2 4 6 8
BornoutsideofCanada
Nohealthconcerns
BorninCanada,non
Atleastonehealthconcern
Aboriginal
AvgMonthsinShelter
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5.2 ShelterServicesandSupports
Inadditiontosecureandsafeapartments,second-stagesheltersprovidewrap-aroundservicescriticaltomeetingtheneedsofabusedwomenandtheirchildren.Theseservicesincludesafetyplanning,crisissupport,individualcounselling,caseplanningandsupports,supportedreferralsandadvocacy,communityoutreach,childcare,accesstospecializedservicesandsupportsaswellasanopportunitytoattendgroupsandotherprogrammingforbothwomenandtheirchildren.Figure11belowillustratesthevarietyofdifferentservicesthatwomeninsecond-stagesheltersreceivedoverthecourseofthestudyperiod.Thefocusonsafety,partnershipsandwrap-aroundsupportsisevidentfromthischartasistheimportanceoftransportationsupportforwomeninsecond-stageshelters.
Figure11.TypesofServicesProvidedbyPercentofWomen
Maintainingwomen’ssafetyisanessentialelementofshelterwork.Toquantifythisaspectofservicedelivery,shelterstrackedtheircontactswithwomen,focusing,inparticular,onunderstandingthedegreetowhichsafetyplanningorrelatedactivitiestookplace.SinceSeptember2013,second-stageshelterstrackedatotalof3,865contactswithwomen,andalmostallofthesecontactsincludedsometypeofsafety-relatedwork:e.g.,developinganewsafetyplan(46%)orchanginganexistingsafetyplan(42%).
Shelterstaffalsodocumentedmanydifferentactivitiestheyusedtoaddresswomen’sandchildren’ssafety.Inmostinstances(inabout76%ofthecontactsthatweredocumented)womenparticipatedininformalsafetychecks.Thestaffalsooftenusedtheinformationabouttheabuserthatwasavailabletothem(41%)tosupportthewoman’ssafetyplanning.Themanyothersafety-relatedactivitiescarriedoutbyshelterstaffarelistedinFigure12below.17
17OthersafetymeasuresincludedcontactswithCrownandprivatelawyersanddiscussionofcourt-relatedissues,reviewingandapplyingfortheparentingorder,supportinghousingtransfer,connectingwithvictim-servingorganizations,creatinganewidentity,andmedicationmanagement.
93%81%
79%78%
68%62%61%60%
55%49%
36%35%
30%16%
0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70% 80% 90% 100%
TransportaqonDeliveredinPartnership
SafetyPlanningInformaqonProvisionOutreachorFollow-up
ReferralsCaseManagement
BasicNeedsAdvocacyChildCare
SupportServicesforChildrenSupportServicesforParentsandFamilies
CounsellingforAdultsCulturallySpecificServices
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Figure12.TypesofSafety-RelatedActivitiesbyNumberofContactswithWomen18
5.3 ShelterReferrals
Connectingwomenandchildrenwithneededresourcesandadvocacywiththoseresourcesontheirbehalfisanotheressentialelementofshelterwork,ensuringthatwomencantransitionsuccessfullytostabilityoncetheyleavetheshelter.Providingreferralsinsecond-stagesheltersusuallygoesbeyondjustgivingthewomanthenameoftheresourceandsuggestingthatshecall.Insteadtheshelterstaffoftenprovidesupportedreferrals,wheretheymightcalltheresourceonbehalfofortogetherwiththewomanoraccompanythewomantotheappointmenttosupportconnectionsthatareeffectiveandlong-lasting.Referralsoftenbuildontheworkthatshelterstaffdointernallytosupportthewomenandchildrenastheynegotiatetransition-relatedissues.AsshowninBox2womenandchildreninsecond-stageshelterwerereferredtomultipleresourcesreflectingthefullarrayofgoalsthatwomensetforthemselvesandtheirchildrenwhileinsecond-stageshelter.Italsoreflectscoreelementsofsecond-stageshelterworktofacilitatetransitiontohealingandstability–basicneeds,housing,healthaswellasfinancial,legalandgeneralcounsellingsupports.
Box2.CommunityReferralsbyPercentofWomenReceivingReferrals50%ormore 49%to30% 29%to20% 19%to10% Fewerthan10%
• BasicNeeds• Housing• Health
• CommunityAgencies
• FinancialSupports• LegalSupports• Counselling
• Parenting• Education• ServicesforChildren• MentalHealth• Otherprogramsprovidedbytheshelteringorganization
• Employment• AboriginalSupports• AddictionsCounselling
• Police/RCMP• EmergencyShelters
• OtherShelters• VictimsServices• ImmigrantServices• SexualAssaultServices• SpiritualServices• PregnancySupport• SuicidePrevention• SeniorsServices
18PoptartsreferstoaculturallyresponsivesafetyplanningapproachdevelopedaspartoftheWalkingthePathTogetherProject
0 500 1000 1500 2000 2500 3000
InformalSafetyCheckUsedAbuserInformaqon
SafetyPlanningforChildrenDangerAssessmentTools
DiscussedSafetyTechnologyOther
ContactedPoliceCourtAccompaniment
TransportaqonorEscortProvidedTransportaqonContactedChildWelfare
ReferralsforEPOPopTarts
ContactedGunRegistry
29321592
406235
1681401249891918947231
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VI. ServiceOutcomes
Second-stageshelterlogicmodelguidesthemeasurementofserviceimpactonwomenandchildrenwhoresideinsecond-stageshelters(seeAddendumDocument).TheoutcomemeasuresthatarediscussedinthissectionderivefromthedatagatheredusingACWS/MemberSharedDatabaseandincludeservicecompletionstatus,progressofattainmentofindividualwomen’sgoalsandtheirhousingandlivingarrangementsatthetimeofshelterdischarge.ServiceoutcomesarealsodiscussedinSectionsVIIIandIX,summarizingqualitativefeedbackgatheredininterviewswithwomenandshelterstaff.
6.1 ServiceCompletionandGoalAttainmentAsshowninFigure13below,about57%(of859women)weredischargedbecausetheycompletedtheirgoals19and/orfoundsafeaccommodationelsewhere;about13%wereaskedtoleavetheshelterduetonon-compliancewithshelterpolicies;and,another9%hadneedsthatcouldnotbeaccommodatedintheshelters(e.g.,mentalhealthissues,wentbacktopartner,sheltercouldnotextendthestay,womanmoved).Thereasonsfordischargewithrespecttotheremaining1%werenotdocumentedinthedatabase.Figure13.StatusofProgramCompletionatDischarge
Predictably,womenwhostaylongerinshelterarealsomorelikelytocompletetheprogram(asdefinedindividuallybyeachwoman).Onaverage,thosewhocompletedtheprogramstayedintheshelterforabout8months,ascomparedtothosewhochosetoleavewithoutareason(anaverageof5months).Housingisanimportantconsiderationforwomenwhocometosecond-stageshelters–thosewhofoundsafeaccommodationinthecommunitybeforetheycompletedtheprogramonlystayedintheshelterforanaverageof3months.Figure14illustratesotherassociationswithsuccessfulprogramcompletion–Aboriginalwomen,womenwithaddictionissues,andwomenwithoutchildrenwerelesslikelytocompleteshelterprogramorreachtheiridentifiedgoals.19Notethatsuccessisindividuallydefinedbyeachwoman
Completedprogram422(54%)
Foundsafeaccommodaqon
27(3%)
[CATEGORYNAME],[VALUE]([PERCENTAGE])
[CATEGORYNAME]given[VALUE]
([PERCENTAGE])
[CATEGORYNAME][VALUE]([PERCENTAGE])
[CATEGORYNAME][VALUE]
([PERCENTAGE])
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Figure14.ProportionofWomenSuccessfullyCompletingtheProgrambyBackground
GoalTrackingThegoalsettingprocesswasinitiatedatthebeginningofPhaseIIandhasbecomepartofcasemanagementandactionplanningworkinsecond-stageshelters.Forevaluationpurposes,itprovidesanopportunitytobetterunderstandprogressonspecificgoalsthatwomensetforthemselveswhiletheystayattheshelter.Thegoaltrackingprocessbeginswhenwomenarefirstadmittedandendsatthetimeofdischarge.Overthecourseoftheshelterstaycounselorsencourageandcollaboratewithindividualwomentosetgoalsandevaluatetheirachievements.Womenaresupportedtodecidewhichproblemstheywanttoaddressandhowtheywanttoaddressthem.Womenmeetwithcounselorsseveraltimesoverthecourseoftheirshelterstaytoreviewprogressongoals,reevaluategoalsandconfirmand/orsetnewgoals.Second-stagesheltersbegantrackingwomen’sgoalsconsistentlyinMayof2014,and334of589(57%)womenwhoweredischargedafterMayof2014participatedinthegoalsettingprocess.Womensetupto19differentgoals(anaverageof10differentgoalseach)andparticipatedinthegoaltrackingexerciseasoftenasfourtimesoverthecourseoftheirstay.AsTable2demonstrates,87%ofwomenwereabletoachievesomeprogressonatleastoneofthegoalstheyhaveset.Womenweremostsuccessfulinachievinggoalssetintheareasofsafety,basicneeds,childsafety,linkageswithcommunityresourcesandself-careandlivingskills(between82%to72%ofwomenidentifiedatleastsomeprogressintheseareas).Womenwereleastsuccessfulinachievinggoalsrelatedtolegalissues,childwell-being,childcare,relationshipsandemployment/education(rangingfrom59%to55%ofwomenwithprogressonthosegoals).Whencombinedwiththeresultsrelatedtobarriersexperiencedbywomeninachievingthesegoals,lessprogressonlegalandemployment/educationareasarelikelyduetosystemicbarrierswomenface.Itisalsonotablethatmorewomenexperiencedbarrierswhenaddressinghousing(18%),emotionalandmentalhealth(11%)andfinancialissues(11%).Theseresultsarenotsurprising,giventhestrugglesthatshelterstafffaceinsupportingwomenwithlocatingaffordablehousing,accessingmentalhealthsupportsandnegotiatingthechallengingincomesupportsystem.
67%
60%
56%
54%
50%
44%
42%
0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70% 80%
BornoutsideofCanada
BorninCanada,nonAboriginal
Hasnohealthconcerns
Womenwithchildren
Nochildren
Hasaddicqonissues
Aboriginal
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Table2.GoalAttainmentatDischarge
GoalAreaNumberofwomen
settinggoals
NumberwithProgressontheGoal
PercentofWomenwith
Progress
PercentofWomen
ExperiencingBarriers
Woman'sSafety 289 236 82% 6%BasicNeeds/Identification 159 120 75% 5%ChildSafety 214 160 75% 8%LinkageswithCommunityResources 207 150 72% 3%Self-CareandLivingSkills 184 132 72% 7%Parenting 166 113 68% 8%HousingandAccommodation 329 223 68% 18%CommunitySupports/SocialNetworks 177 119 67% 7%ManagingAddictions 82 54 66% 7%EmotionalandMentalHealth 224 140 63% 11%Spiritualhealth 106 66 62% 5%FinancesandIncome 273 166 61% 11%PhysicalHealth 158 96 61% 5%LegalIssues 188 111 59% 19%ChildWellBeing 51 30
59% 7%Childcare 131 74 56% 7%Relationships 123 69 56% 4%EmploymentandEducation 256 140 55% 14%
Total 334 289 87% 34%
6.2 HousingandLivingSituationatDischargeAsdiscussedpreviously,amajorityofwomenwereessentiallyhomelesswhenaccessingsecond-stagesheltersastheypreviouslyresidedinwomen’semergencyshelters.Supportingwomen’stransitiontostablehousingisoneofthekeyoutcomesofsecond-stageshelterwork.Figure15belowcompareswomen’shousingpriortotheirsecond-stageadmissiontothetypeofhousingthattheyweregoingtoatthetimeoftheirdischargefromsecond-stageshelters.Asshowninthechartbelow,therewasasubstantialimprovementinhousingstabilityamongwomenwhoweredischarged.20Immediatelypriortoadmission,abouttwo-thirdsofthewomen(67%)werehomeless,livedinashelterorhadshort-termhousing(usuallyanemergencyshelter)while17%wereinsometypeofstablehousing.Bycomparison,atdischarge,55%ofthewomenexpectedtoliveinstablehousingandonly9%expectedtoliveinashort-termhousingsituationordidnothaveaplacetoliveatdischarge.About27%ofwomencontinuetorequiresometypeofintensivesupportsaftertheirdischargefromsecond-stageshelters(i.e.,transitionalhousing,ortreatmentandhealthfacilities).20Includes523dischargedwomenforwhomhousinginformationwasavailableatbothintakeanddischarge
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Figure15.TypeofHousingatAdmissionandDischarge
Additionalanalysisshowsthatasizeableproportionofwomen(19%)wereseeking,butunabletoobtainthehousingtheyneeded,pointingagaintothehousing-relatedbarriersthatwomenexperiencewhentheyleavesecond-stageshelters.Housingshortagesappearedtobeslightlyhigherinlargeurbanareaswhere25%ofwomencouldnotfindhousingascomparedto17%ofwomeninsmallerorrurallocations.Emergencyshelterdatasuggeststhatatleast46%ofwomenwerelivingwiththeirabusivepartnerpriortotheiradmissiontotheemergencyshelter.21Bycomparison,only6%ofwomeninthiscurrentstudywereplanningtoreturntotheirabusivepartnerwhentheywereleavingsecond-stageshelters.Another17%weregoingtolivewithfriendsorfamily,someweregoingtoacommunallivingfacility(e.g.,treatment,hospital,shelter,4%),and42%wereplanningtoliveindependently.Thelivingarrangementsoftheremaining31%werenotspecified–anditispossiblethatmanyofthesewomenwerereturningtotheirpartners.Forthem,community-basedoutreachisanessentialservice,toensurethattheyandtheirchildrenremainsafe.Consistentwithearlierdiscussionsaboutassociationbetweenthelengthofstay,successfulprogramcompletionandwomen’sbackground,therearesimilarassociationswithwomen’sabilitytoobtainstablehousingatdischarge.AsillustratedinFigure16,womenwhowereaskedtoleavetheshelter,Aboriginalwomen,womenwithmentalhealthconcernsandwomenwithoutchildrenarelesslikelytoobtainstablehousingatdischarge,ascomparedtonon-Aboriginalwomen,womenwithouthealthconcernsandwomenwhocompletedtheirsecond-stageshelterprogram.Althoughtheseresultsarenotnecessarilyconclusive,theypointtotheuniquebarriersexperiencedparticularlybyAboriginalwomenandwomenwithmentalhealthconcerns,bothwithinandoutsideoftheshelters.Itisalsointerestingtonotethatnewcomerwomenaremostlikelytolocatehousing,thisispossiblyrelatedtotheirbeingmostlikelytostaylongerintheshelter(8monthsvs.5and7monthsforAboriginalandotherwomenrespectively).
21Hoffart,I.,andCairns,K.(2011).PracticalFrameworksforChange:SupportingWomenandChildreninAlbertaEmergencyShelters.AreportcompletedfortheAlbertaCouncilofWomen’sSheltersandtheStatusofWomenCanada.
67%
9%
17%
55%
13%
26%
1%3% 9%
0%10%20%30%40%50%60%70%80%90%100%
Atadmission Atdischarge
Other
Faciliqes
Transiqonalhousing
Stablehousing
Short-TermHousing/Homeless
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Figure16.StableHousingatDischargebyWoman’sBackground
59%57%57%
52%47%
42%42%
33%16%
0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70%
BornoutsideofCanadaCompletedprogramandmet
HasnohealthconcernsBorninCanada,nonAboriginal
FamilyNochildren
HasmentalhealthconcernsAboriginal
Askedtoleaveshelter
PercentinStableHousingatDischarge
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VII. AcuityScale
7.1 IntendedUseTheACWSSecond-stageShelterAcuityScalewasdevelopedoverseveralyearsofcollaborationamongstmemberorganizationsandappliedresearchinthedomesticviolencesheltersystem.DiscussionswereheldwithACWSstaffandmemberrepresentativestoclarifythepurposesforwhichtheinstrumentwouldbeusedwhencompleted.Aftertheseconsultations,theprimarypurposesoftheproposedinstrumentwereidentifiedasmeasuring:1. Thenumberandseverityofissuesinvolvedineachparticularwoman’ssituation(i.e.case
complexity);and,2. Thenumberoftheseissuesthatwouldrequireshelterstaffsupporttoresolve(i.e.theamountof
stafftimethatwouldberequiredtoassisteachwomaneffectively).TheACWSSecond-stageShelterAcuityScaleincorporatesacuityindicatorsassociatedwithviolencerisklevels,parentingstresslevels,poverty-relatedissues,thepresenceorabsenceofaddictions,mentalhealthproblems,and/orphysicalhealthproblems,andhousing,financial,legalandsocialsupportissues.Likemanyothermeasurementtools,thescalehasanintendedrangeofuses,including:• Measuringclientcomplexity;• Understandingthestaffresourceinvestmentnecessaryforeffectivemanagementofeachcase;• Distributing‘keyworker’responsibilityinsuchawayastobalanceworkloadacrossfront-linestaff;• Informingfundersofchangesinthelevelofcomplexityandtheresultingstaffrequirements;and,• Functioningasachangemeasuretocomparecomplexityatadmissiontoshelterandatdischarge.
7.2 ScaleDevelopmentThescaledevelopmentprocessincludedthefollowingsteps:• Aliteraturereviewidentifiedtheresearchandpracticevariablesthataresupportedascontributing
tothecomplexityofinterpersonalviolence.AfinallistingofthesevariableswasthentakentotheShelterDirectorsfortheircommenttoensurethatnovariablesofimportancetothemhadbeenoverlooked.
• ThefinallistwasthenreviewedagainstthecontentsoftheACWS/Memberdatabasetodeterminewhetherallofthenecessaryvariableswerecurrentlybeingcollected.Whenscaletestingiscompletethemissingitemswillbeaddedtothedatabase.
• Thevariablelistandtheliteraturereviewwereusedtodevelopitemsforthefirstdraftofthescale.TheitemswerethentakentoseveralconsultationswithShelterDirectorstoensurethattheitemwordingwasclearandthatthescoringcategoriesforeachitem(low,mediumorhighcomplexity)wereappropriatelydefined.Theconsultationprocesswasrepeateduntilallparticipantswereinagreementthatthescaleitemswerecomprehensiveandthatthemeasurementcategorieswereappropriate,witheachlevelclearlydefined.
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• TheresearchersusedtheACWS/Membershareddatabase(OutcomeTracker)exportstoselectwomeninshelterswithrelativelycompletedata.Theresearchersusedthesesamplestodeveloptwoinitialcasedescriptions.Shelterstaffwerethenaskedtocompletethescaleusingeachofthecasestudies,allowingforcalculationofinter-rater22andtest-retest23reliability.Tosupportfurthertesting,shelterstaffalsocompletedthescalewiththeactualclientsintheirsheltersbetweenOctoberandNovemberof2016.
• ThefirstroundofreliabilitytestingusingthetwocasestudiesinAugustof2016(n=62),andtestingwithactualclientsintheFall/Winterof2016(n=24)helpedidentifyissuesandrevisethescaleforthefinalreliabilitytestthattookplaceinJanuaryandFebruaryof2017,theresultsofwhicharedescribedbelow.
7.3 ScaleDescriptionandScoringThereare28scaleitemsandeachscaleitemhasapossiblescoreof0,3or5(SeeAddendumDocumentforthefullscaleandassociatedmaterials).ThetotalscorefortheACWSSecond-StageWomen’sShelterAcuityScalethereforerangesfrom0to140,withhigherscoresrepresentinganincreasingdegreeofwoman’scomplexityatsecond-stageshelterintake.Acorrectedacuityscorecanbecalculatedforwoman’srecordsthatincludedataforatleast26ofthe28scaleitems.Scalesthathavefewerthan26itemscompletedcannotbescored.Ifanitemscoreismissing,themissingvalueiscalculatedastheaverageitemscoreforallcompleteditems(usingaminimumof26items).Thetotalscoreforthescalecanthenbecalculated.Pendingfurthertestingandanalysis,thefinalacuityscoreiscurrentlydescribedusingfourcategoriesthatreflectthelevelofacuityoverall,aswellasthenumber,typeandintensityofservicesthatarerequiredtosupportpositiveoutcomesforwomen.• LowAcuity:ascoreof35orlower• ModerateAcuity:ascorebetween36and70• HighAcuity:ascorebetween71and105• VeryHighAcuity:ascoreof106andhigher
7.4 FinalAcuityScaleTestingResultsFinalscaletestingtookplaceduringthelastweeksofJanuary(pre-test)andFebruary2017(post-test),usinganewsetofcasestudies.StaffwereinvitedtoparticipateiftheytookpartinorwatchedarecordingoftheAcuityScaletrainingwebinarandiftheirusualresponsibilitiesintheshelterincludedsometypeofassessmentand/orintakework.Atotalof40stafffrom11sheltersparticipatedinscaletesting,allofthemcompletingthescalesatpost-testand38ofthemcompletingthescalesatpre-test.Theentriesfromthreescorerswereremovedduetoerrorsindataentry.Thefinalnumberofscorerswas35forpre-testandthepre/postcomparisonand37forpost-test.
22Inter-raterreliability,inter-rateragreement,orconcordanceisthedegreeofagreementamongraters.Itgivesascoreofhowmuchhomogeneity,orconsensus,thereisintheratingsgivenbyjudges23Test-retestreliabilityreferstothedegreetowhichtestresultsareconsistentovertime.Inordertomeasuretest-retestreliability,wemustfirstgivethesametesttothesameindividualsontwooccasionsandcorrelatethescores.
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IntraclassCorrelationCoefficient(ICC)wascomputedtotestboththeinterraterreliabilityandthetest-retestreliability.AsshowninTable3,thefinalresultsdemonstrateastrong,statisticallysignificantcorrelationforboththeinterraterandtest-retestreliability,suggestingthatthereisasignificantdegreeofagreementinscalescoringamongtheratersaswellaswithintheratersovertime.Table3.ReliabilityResultsSummary Casestudy1 Casestudy2
Pre-test Post-test Pre-test Post-testNumberofValidScorers 35 37 35 37AverageScore 90.7 90.2 45.5 46.7MedianScore 90 91 47 48StandardDeviation 7.1 8.1 8.3 8.3ScoreRange 71to103 73to103 24to58 27to60InterraterReliability r=.986,p=.000 r=.992,p=000 r=.999,p=.00024Test/retestReliability r=.831,p=.000 r=.869,p=.000Moredetailedtest-retestreliabilityanalysiswasalsocarriedouttoidentifypotentialissueswithindividualscaleitems(Table4).Inmostinstances,theICCresultsshowedstatisticallysignificantmoderatetohighassociationforeachitem,withasizeablenumberofitemsshowingzerovariance–thatis–identicalresponsesfromeachrater.Theanalysisalsoidentifiesseveralscaleitemswhichshowedweakand/ornotstatisticallysignificantassociationandwhichrequirefurtherexamination,including:Casestudy1:
• #3:Engagedinstayingsafe• #8:Personal/informalsupports• #16:Suiciderisk• #24:Childprotectioninvolvement• #27:Legalissues
Casestudy2:
• #7:Transportation• #22:Ageofchildrenadmitted
ThefactthatthereisnoconsistencyacrossthecasestudiesintermsofwhichitemsshowedweakerICC,andthattheweakerICCisusuallyaresultofafewoutlierscorers,suggeststhatthereissomeconfusionintheitemdefinitionorinthecasestudyitself,ratherthanthescaleitems.Furthermore,scaleusewithactualshelterclientswillprovideanopportunityforstafftoexploreandclarifyactualissueswithclientsbeforeenteringthescore,whichisclearlynotpossiblewithacasestudy.
24Insufficientvariabilitytocalculatepreandpost-testseparately
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Table4.Test-RetestReliabilityResults
Sub-Scale/Indicator CaseStudy1 CaseStudy2Safety 1. Riskoffemicide zerovariance zerovariance2. Levelofviolence .795 zerovariance3. Engagedinstayingsafe .494 .762Poverty 4. Financialsituation .732 .5325. Education 1.000 zerovariance6. Englishandbasicliteracy .667 zerovariance7. Transportation .771 .443SupportsinPlace 8. Personal/informalsupports .485 zerovariance9. Professionalsupports .624 .71110. LengthoftimeinCanadaoroff-reserve .503 zerovarianceHousing 11. Typeofhousing .885 .88612. Numberoftimesmoved .890 .714MentalHealth/Wellness/Trauma 13. Abusedasachild zerovariance zerovariance14. Numberofpriorabusiverelationships zerovariance zerovariance15. Mentalhealthconcerns .728 .65116. Suiciderisk -.00425 zerovariance17. Addiction zerovariance zerovariancePhysicalHealth 18. Physicalhealth .701 .63619. Injuryresultingfromabuse .538 .64620. Pregnancy .807 1.000AdmittedChildren 21. Numberofchildrenadmitted .569 zerovariance22. Ageofchildrenadmitted .795 .4182623. Childmental,behaviouralorphysicalhealthconcerns .695 .74224. Childprotectioninvolvement .35527 .61525. Parentingstress zerovariance zerovarianceSystemInvolvement 26. Immigrationstatus .646 zerovariance27. LegalIssues .25928 .70328. Overallsysteminvolvement .651 .818
25notstatisticallysignificant;4outof35peoplechangingscoresfrompre-testtopost-test,withalmosteveryotherraterprovidingthesamescoreatbothpreandpost-test26notstatisticallysignificant;4of35peoplechangedscores27notstatisticallysignificant;majorityofresponsesdifferfrompretopost-test28notstatisticallysignificant;7of35individualsprovideddifferentscoresfrompretopost-test
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7.5 NextSteps
Suggestednextstepsforscaleimplementationinclude:
• Reviewweakeritemstoprovideenhanceddefinitions,ifrequired.• Carryoutfurtheranalysisoftheinstrumentusingfullscalecompositescoresasindependent
variablesanddemographics(ethnicity,citizenshipstatus,incomelevel,etc.)asdependentvariablestotesttheirimpactonscores.
• Testthescalewithactualshelterclientsandconsiderexpandingthetestingtoemergencyshelters;withapotentialtoincludetestingforinstrument’sconstructvalidity(i.e.,comparingacrossdifferentgroupsofwomenandwithothersimilartools).
• ThescaleisintendedforusewiththeOutcomeTrackerdatabasetosupporteaseofdataentryandreporting.Oncethescaleisfinalized,theitemsandthescoringinstructionsforeachitemwillbebuiltintothedatabasesothatthescaletotalcanbecalculatedautomatically.
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VIII. Women’sFeedbackTheprojectusedthreedifferentmethodstogatherwomen’sfeedbackabouttheirstayintheshelter.First,womensharedtheiropinionsusingtheShelterFeedbackSurveyatthetimeoftheirshelterdischarge.Second,selectedwomenparticipatedinaninterviewwithanACWSresearchertosharetheirperspectivesonshelterstayandprovidecontextforthesurveyresponses.Finally,shelterstaffcompletedatelephonequestionnairewithwomensometimeaftertheyleftthesheltertodeterminethedegreetowhichshelterimpactissustained.Asnotedinthediscussionbelow,noneofthesemethodsarestatisticallyrepresentativeoftheoverallshelterpopulation,however,theydocometogethertopaintaconsistentpictureofshelterservicesandimpact.
8.1 ClientFeedbackSurveyThissurveywasdevelopedbytheLongTermWorkingGroup-acollaborativecommitteewithrepresentativesfromShelterDirectors,ACWSandCommunityandSocialServices(thefullsurveyisreproducedintheAddendumDocument).Whilethissurveywasdevelopedfortheemergencysheltersandmaynotfullyreflectallsecond-stageshelterservices,itwasdeemedsufficienttoprovideanoverallsenseofsatisfactionbywomenwhostayedinsecond-stageshelters.Thesecond-stagesheltersbeganusingandenteringthisinformationinaconsistentandaggregablefashiononApril1st,2015.About30%ofwomen(119of417)whoweredischargedfrom10sheltersafterApril1stof2014completedtheclientfeedbacksurvey.Clearlyitwouldbeidealifmost,ratherthanonlyathirdofthewomencompletedthissurveyanditisimportanttonotethatsheltersarecontinuallydevelopingprocessesaimedatincreasingthisresponserate.AsillustratedinTable5below,alargemajorityofwomenrespondingweresatisfiedwiththeservicestheyreceived–between82%and98%ofthemprovidedpositiveresponsestothequestionsinthesurvey.Shelterabilitytomeetwomen’suniqueculturalneedsandtheirchildren’sneedsreceivedalower,albeitstillalargemajorityofpositiveresponses,suggestingsomepossibledirectionforshelterworkintheseareas.However,andpredictably,womenweremorelikelytocompletethissurveyiftheysuccessfullycompletedtheprogram(37%)thaniftheychosetoleave(14%),orcouldnotbeaccommodatedintheshelter(17%)orwereaskedtoleave(2%).Asnotedearlier,thisexcludesahigherproportionofAboriginalwomen,womenwithaddictionsandwomenwithmentalhealthissues,sincetheyarelikelytostayintheshelterforashorterperiodoftimeandarelesslikelytocompletetheprogram.Ultimatelythesearewomenwithamorecomplexarrayofissuesandwhoseexperienceinthesheltermaynothavebeenassuccessfulasthatoftheothergroups.Thereisclearlyalackofvariabilityintheresponsestothissurvey,withmostoftheresponsesbeingoverwhelminglypositive.Combinedwitharelativelysmallresponserateandunderrepresentationofcertaingroups,thereisaneedtoreviewthistoolandassociatedprocessesfortheireffectivenessingarneringmeaningfulinformation.
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Table5.ProportionofWomenbyFeedbackSurveyItemsSafety PercentIfeltsafeinsidetheshelter 98%IagreethatIammoreabletokeepmyselfandchildreninmycaresaferfromabuse 95%Theserviceshelpedmebetterunderstandthedangertomyself 96%Theserviceshelpedmebetterunderstandthedangertomychildren 95%MeetingNeeds Mostorallofmyneedsweremet 96%Mostorallofmychildren’sneedsweremet 88%Servicesmetmybasiclivingneeds 98%Servicesmetbasicneedsofchildren 97%Servicesmetmyuniqueculturalneeds 83%ChoicesandServiceAccess Serviceshelpbetterunderstandthechoicesavailabletome 95%Serviceshelpedbetterunderstandwhatotherservicesthatareavailabletome 91%Serviceshelpedgainaccesstootherservices 97%OverallSatisfaction Servicewasmostlyorextremelyhelpful 97%MylifeismuchbetternowbecauseIreceivedthishelp 82%Womenalsoprovidedsomecommentswithrespecttotheirexperienceintheshelter,assummarizedbyrelevantquestionsbelow:
• Whatwerethemosthelpfulservicesyoureceived?o Safeplacetocallhomeo Basicneedsmet(food,shelter,financialresources)o Staffsupportaroundtheclocko Oneononemeetings,counselling,groups,emotionalsupporto Communityreferralsandadvocacyo Childcareandchildsupportserviceso Legalsupports
• Whatcouldhavebeendonebettertohelpyouand/oryourchildren?o Betterstafftrainingre:communityresources,workingwithdiverseclients,workingwith
behaviorallychallengingchildreno Moreopportunitiesforchildren–accesstochildcare,activitiesandservicesforchildren
andforteenso Improvedbuildingmaintenance–e.g.,addressingheating,waterproblems,working
laundryo Improvedaccesstoprogrammingafterworkhourso Betterlinkageswithaffordablehousingo Longerandmoregroupssessions,moreoneononesupport
• Whatservicesorsupportsdoyoufeelyoustillneed?o On-goingoutreachandcounsellingo Basicneeds:housing,furnishings,daycare,foodbank,generalfinancialsupporto Legalservicesandcourtsupporto School/education
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8.2 InterviewswithWomenTheinterviewswithwomenhelpedcontextualizetheirresponsestotheFeedbackSurvey,providingmoreexplanationanddetailabouttheirexperienceintheshelter.Atotalof21womenfrom12sheltersparticipatedintelephoneinterviewsinFebruaryandMarchof2017.Thisgroupofwomenwasfairlydiverse,reflectinggeneralcharacteristicsofsecond-stageshelterclients.
• 4womenwereAboriginalandanother4womenwerebornoutsideofCanada;• 9womenwereexperiencingsometypeofahealthissue,includingdepression,anxiety,
addictions,andinjuries;• Thewomenwere,onaverage,34yearsofage,rangingfrom24to52yearsofage;• 13womenhadchildrenwiththemintheshelter;• Atthetimeoftheinterviewthewomenhadbeenintheshelterforanaverageof7months,
rangingfrom5to13monthseach.ComingtotheShelterMostwomencametothesecond-stageshelterfromanemergencyshelter.Thechoiceofaparticularshelterusuallydependedonshelteravailabilityanditslocationandwasoftenbasedonsuggestionsfromfriends,familyorprofessionals(e.g.,doctors,socialworkers).Alloftherespondentsdescribedthesecond-stageshelterastheonlyalternativeavailabletothem,neededtosafeguardtheirownortheirchildren’ssafetyandtoaddressthelackofaffordablehousinginthecommunity.
• [Theshelter]wastheonlyplacewithanopening.IcouldhavewaitedforanothershelterbutIwantedtogoto[thisshelter]becauseofthelocation.Ipickedthelocationbecauseitisdowntownandclosetothetrain,andtogovernmentoffices.
• Iwasinanemergencyshelterin[ashelterlocation].Ididmyresearchonthevarioussecond-stageshelters.Iknewabout[theshelter]andthentherewasanopening.Iknewtherewasasecurebuilding,therewascounselling.
• Icamefromashelterin[ashelterlocation].Iwantedtogoto[theshelter]becauseitisinmyhometown-Igrewuparound[theshelterlocation].
• IbecameafraidformysafetyandIleftwithmydaughterwhenshewasjustafewweeksoldandIwenttolivewithmyparents.WhileIwasgone,myex-partnergotcustodyofmydaughter.IreturnedandIhavebeenfightingeversincetogetcustodyofmydaughter…Myex-partnerlivesherein[shelterlocation].
• AnoutreachworkerImetwithtoldmeabout[theshelter].Iwasinthehospitalandthenmyhusbandleftmeforanotherwoman.Icamehomefromthehospitalandhewasveryemotionallyabusive.Hewasabusivetomydog.Imetwithoneoftheoutreachworkersandsheinvitedmetocomelookattheshelter.IcametoseetheplaceandIdecidedtomovein.
• Livingherein[shelterlocation]hasitsprosandcons.Ididn’thavefriendsanywaybecausemyrelationshipdidn’tallowmetohavefriends.IthinkitismaybebetterthatIamnotinthesamecityasmyex-partner.Icanbemoredetachedlivinginadifferenttown.Icanbetterfocusonmyself.MaybeifIwasin[cityname]Imightbemoretemptedtogoback.
• Iwasin[nameofcity]inaverybadrelationshipandIdidn’tknowhowtoleave.MydoctoradvisedmethatIhadtoleave.Iwaslookingaroundatallofthesheltersin[thecity]andtheywerefull….I[ultimatelyfoundanemergencyshelter]andstayedtherefor14days.OneofthestaffthereaskedmewhatIthoughtaboutgoingtoasecond-stageshelter…andtoldmeabout
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theshelterin[shelterlocation].IcalledthereandIwasin[anotheremergencyshelter]for21days.Mytimingwasgreatbecausejustthenaspaceopenedupin[asecond-stageshelter].ThiswasgoodbecauseIwasabusedasachildandIneededcounselling.Ihaveneverhadcounselling.
ShelterServicesandSupportsWomengenerallydescribedmanyshelterservicesandsupportsasveryhelpful.Theytalkedaboutshelterasasafeplace,anddescribedashelpfulindividualcounsellingtheyreceived,groupswithotherwomenandservicesfortheirchildren,includingchildcare,therapyandparentingsupports.Theyalsoappreciatedavarietyofothersupportsthathelpedaddresstheirbasic,legal,recreation,language,spiritualandhealthneeds;aswellasprovisionofgeneralinformation,referralsandadvocacyinthecommunity.
• Isaw[sheltercounsellor]forindividualcounsellingandshewassohelpful.Ialsowenttogroupeverymorning.Thegroupsweresohelpful.Ilearnedtotrustothersandtoopenuptoothers.Itwashelpfultoheartheotherwomen’sstories.Mydaughterwasveryclosedofftoo.Sheisdoingmuchbetternow.Therapyforthechildrenissoveryhelpful.
• Iseemycounselloreverytwoweeks.TheyprovidechildcareformysonwhenIseemycounsellor.Iamnotabletoqualifyforthefoodbanksotheysometimeshavefoodforusandthatisveryhelpful….Therearehousemeetingsandsometimesyoga.Theyhaveafterschoolprogramsforthechildren.Theydothingslikecrafts,bakingandmovietimes.
• Thereisacommunitykitchen–wegettogetheronceamonthandcooktogether.Thereisaspeechtherapist[forchildren].Therearegroupsforchildrenbutmychildrenaretooyoungforthegroups.Theyprovideparentingsupportandinformationwhichishelpful.Thereisahealthnursethatcomestotheshelter.
• [Sheltercounsellor]camewithmetomostofmyappointmentswiththelawyerandtocourt.Sheexplainsthingstome.EnglishismysecondlanguageandIdon’talwaysunderstandeverything…Forthecourtshehasbeenveryhelpful.ThesheltertakescareofmychildrenwhenIhavetogotothecourt.Thishelpedmealot.
• TheshelterhelpedmegetAlbertaWorksandtheyhelpmewithgroceries…Thegroupwasreallyhelpfulbecausewetalkedaboutmanythingslikeunderstandingabuseandstressandanger.Icantalktoanyofthestaffhere…ThereisalsoanexerciseroombutIhaven’tusedthatyetbutIwouldliketo…Theyhelpedmegetmilkandbabyitemsandclothingformychildren.
• TheypaidformyrentonemonthbecauseIneededtopaymyoverdueutilitybill.Theygivemefreshmilk,breadandeggsthathelpsalot.[Staff]helpsmegetafoodhampersometimes.Iamlettingherinabitmore.Ihaven’tgonetoanygroupsyet.Ihavebeenisolatingmyself.Theyaregivingmetime.TheyhavebeenpatientwithmeandIamstartingtoopenup.
• Thestaffarereallywalkingwithyou;theylistentomeandtellmetolistentomyinstincts.TheytellmeIamnotcrazy.FortenyearsIwaswithmyhusband.Ioftenfeltguiltybecausehewouldtellmehewasdepressed.NomatterwhatIsaidordidn’tsayIcouldnotmakethingsbetter.Thisdevaluatesyouropinionofyourself.Ifeltinsecure.NowIhaveconfidenceonhowImakedecisions.Ifeelsecure.Ifeelthatmychildrenareprotected.
• Itisasafeplace.Iliketherulesbecauseitisaboutmysafety.Myanxietyhasdecreased.Thecounselorsmadesureyoukeepontrack.IhavestruggledwithaddictionssomycounsellorsuggestedIgotoAADAC.IamgoingtoagroupatAADACnow.
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• Iamstayingherebecauseitiseasiertoseemydaughter….Thestaffherearedoingsuchagreatjob…TheyhavetriedtohelpmebutIamnoteligibleformanyresourcesbecauseIamnotaCanadiancitizen.Theyareprovidingmewithlotsofemotionalsupport.AtfirstIwenttocourttogetparentingrightsandstaffcamewithme.IhadalawyerforaboutayearandahalfbutIdon’thavemoneytokeepgoingtocourt.Ican’tgetLegalAidbecauseIamnotaresident.Thestaffhavemadelotsofphonecallsonmybehalf-theyhavetalkedtoalotofpeoplelikeChildProtectionandtheRCMP.Theyhaveprovidedmewithaplacetolive.
• OneofthegroupsiscalledspiritualThursdays.Ireallyenjoythisgroup.Itisnotaboutjustonereligion.Itisabouthope.Itisabouthavingfaith.Ididnothaveanybeforebutthisgroupishelpingmesomuch.Itissoimportanttohavefaithandhope.
ConnectionstoCommunityServicesandSupportsTheconnectionsshelterstaffmakesforwomeninshelterreflecttheneedsforservicesandsupportstheyexperiencewithintheshelter.Manyoftheselinkagesaremadetoaddresswomen’sfinancialsituation–whenstaffconnectthemwithhousing,basicneeds,employmentorschoolingopportunities,oradvocateontheirbehalfwithcommunityfinancialprograms.Linkagesarealsomadewithmanyothercommunitysupports,includingthoseforchildren,parentingprograms,andmentalhealthcounsellingandsupports.Theseareoftensupportedreferrals–wherestaffaccompanieswomentoappointments,oradvocatedirectlywiththecommunityresource,ratherthansimplysuggestingthatwomengothere.Women’sfeedbackalsoillustratessomeofthebarrierstheyandtheshelterstafffaceastheytrytoaccesssomeofthecommunity-basedservices–somehavingtodowomen’sreadinesstomoveforward,otherspointingtothelackoftimethatshelterstaffhaveandyetothersreflectingsomeofthesystemicbarriers.
• ThestaffgavemeencouragementandsupportwhenIwantedtostartmyownbusiness.Iwasconnectedto[community-basedorganizations].Igotsomehelptocomeupwithalong-termplan.
• ThestaffhereconnectedmetotheFoodBankandto[awomen’sorganization].Theyhaveknowledgeofanunlimitednumberofresources.Theyareallsoveryhelpfulandsupportive.
• Mysocialworkertoldmeaboutthefoodbankandhelpedmegothere.Shetoldmeabout[aCollege].
• Ihaveappliedto[ahousingprogram].Theshelterstaffdidtellmeaboutthishousing.Theyreferredmetoaprogramtohelpwomenwhohavebeenabusedgetbacktowork….TheshelterhashelpedmegetasubsidizedmembershipattheY.Itisgoodtogoactivitieswiththekids.Myolderchildwasreferredto[aprogramforchildren]tobeassessedforspeechtherapy.
• Idon’tgetverymuchmoneysotheshelterhelpsmewithdiapersandsometimesgettingfoodfromthefoodbank.Idon’tdriveso[shelterstaff]hasaskedthefoodbanktodeliverfoodforme.Thishelpsmealot.
• Thestaffhaveconnectedmetotheparentingclasseswith[agencyname].Itissohelpful.IhavefourchildrenandIamlearningsomuch.
• Thestafftoldmeaboutagriefcounsellor.Sheismostinterestingandhelpedmetolookwaybacktomychildhood.Ithasbeenextremelyhelpful.Ihavefoundotherthingsonmyownlikeamentalhealthworkerandasocialworkerwhohelpsmewithlawyerandmedicalstuff.
• Iwouldloveformykidstogetcounselling.TheycouldaccesscounsellingwhereIgobuttheirfatherneedstogivepermissionandhewillnotdothat.Itisveryfrustrating.
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• Thestaffhavenotconnectedmewithanysupports.IwasseeingacounsellorinthecommunitywhenImovedthere.BecauseIamworkingIdon’tqualifyformostcommunitysupports.
• MycasemanagerhastriedtosignmeupforafinancialinformationgroupbutIhaven’tgoneyet.Ijusthaven’tfeltlikegoingyet.Mycasemanagerdidrefermeto…agroupofvolunteersthatmakemealsandfreezethenandgivethemtomomslikeme.
IssuesorConcernsRegardingtheShelterWhilemanywomencouldnotthinkofanyissuestheyexperiencedwiththeshelterorshelterstaff,somedididentifyissuesthat,ifaddressed,wouldimproveshelterservices.Theydescribedfacility-relatedissues(e.g.,laundry,noise,smoke,garbagedisposal),shelteraccessissues(e.g.,animals,availabilityofservicesintheevenings)andservice-relatedissues(e.g.,shelterrules,staffexpertiseinaddressinghealth-relatedissuesandstaffavailability).
• Theoneissueisthelaundry.Ineverdomylaundryherebecausesomepeopledon’ttaketheirlaundryoutofthemachines….Thereisnosoundproofinghere.Itcangetverynoisy.Theotherthingisthatthesmokingareaisrightoutbytheplayarea.BothmysonandIaresensitivetosmokeandyouhavetowalkthroughthesmoketogettotheplayarea.NowItakemysontoaplaygroundfurtherawayanditdoesnotfeelassafe.
• Thisisareallygoodplace.TheonlythingisthatIbroughtmycatwithme.Irescuedherasakittenandsheislikemybaby.Icannothaveherhere.Sheislikefamilytome.Sheiswithmyex-partner.Thatistheonlythingthatisaproblemforme.
• ItfeltthreateningthatifIdidn’tdocertainthingsIwouldbekickedout.LikeifIdidn’tattendgroup.ButnowitseemslikeifIdon’twanttoattendIdon’thaveto.Itisconfusing.IwasalsotoldthattheywouldcheckmyapartmenttomakesureIwaslookingafteritbutthathasneverhappened.Itisliketheysaythingsbuttheydon’tfollowthrough.IknowrulesareaboutkeepingmesafebutIamconfusedabouttherules.
• Thestaffheredonotunderstandmyhealthissues…Ithinktheyshouldbetrainedtouseabloodpressuremachine.
• Ithinkmaybeitwouldbegoodtohavesomeonewhocandospecializedcounselling.IhavePTSDandanxietydisorder.[Theshelterstaff]isgreatbutshedoesn’tknowhowtohelpme.ShesaidshewouldlookintowhereIcouldgetcounselling.
• Ithinkthereshouldbemorestaffthatarecertifiedtoworkwithindividualswithmentalhealthissues.Ithinkthatinadditiontothemandatorygroupsinthemorningthereshouldbesomethingtodointheafternoons.Itwouldbegreatiftherewasagymtoworkoutinattheshelter.
• IworkfulltimesoIamnotabletoaccessmanyofthesupportsorthegroupat[theshelter].Icanseeoneofthestaff[intheearlyevening]andthenmychildrenareabletoaccessthedaycare.Occasionallythereareactivitiesintheeveninglikeyogaandthenmychildrencangotothedaycare.IjustfeelthatbecauseIamworkingandmychildrenareinschoolwedon’tgettoaccessmanyofthesupportsattheshelter.
• Allthethingsareformomsandchildrenduringtheweeknothingontheweekends.Itseemslikesinglewomenwithoutchildrenarediscriminatedagainst.Mostoftheresourcesareformomsandyoungchildren.Itwouldbeniceiftherewerethingslikeyogaandmeditation.
• WhenIfirstmovedinhereabouthalfofthetimethestaffcancelledourappointments.Therejustwasn’tenoughstaffsosometimesthatstaffpersonendeduphavingtodosomethingelse.Thingsareslightlybetternow.Theyhavehiredonemorestaff.
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• ItseemsasifIneedtogotothestaffwhenIwanttotalkorneedsomething.Thestaffdoesn’tcometome.Ilovehavingcompanysoitwouldbeniceifthestaffcametoseemewithoutmealwayshavingtocontactthestaff.
ShelterImpactWhenaskedabouthowtheirliveshavechangedaftercomingtothesecond-stageshelter,thewomentalkedaboutbeingsafer,feelinghealthieremotionally,havingamorepositiveoutlookonlife,becomingmoreindependent,theirchildrenimproving,and,ingeneral,feelingcalmerandlessstressed.
• Mylifewashellbefore.Iwouldcryallday.Beingherehasbeenunbelievablyamazing.WhenIfirstwentto[theshelter]iffeltlikeIcouldfinallybreathe.Ifeltsafehere.IhaveneverbeenashappyasIamnow.Iamflourishing.Iamwaymoreconfident.
• Mylifehasimprovedalot.MymindsetandthewayIthinkhavechangedforthepositive.Idon’tknowwhereIwouldbeifIhadnotcomehere.Ifeltsohopeless.Ididn’tcareaboutmylife.Iwasn’tsuicidalbutIjustdidn’tcare.Icarenow.Ihaveabetteroutlook.Itisaworkinprogress.Ihavemoreupsthandowns.BeforeIcouldn’tsleeporeat.IamsleepingmuchbetternowandIhavenoproblemeating.Ilovemyapartment.IneverhadanythingIownedmyselfbefore.NowIhavesecurity.Ihaveappliedtobeavolunteerwiththe[localorganization].Icouldnothavedonethatinthepast.
• Iexperiencedabuseforoverthirtyyearsofmylife.IdidnotrealizehowtraumatizedIhadbeen.Iseeacounsellorat[theshelter]whohasexperiencewithtrauma.Shehasbeenveryhelpful.IwouldneverbewhereIamrightnowifIhadnotcometoliveat[theshelter].IhavesupportandIfeelsafe.Ifeellikeanewdoorisopeningforme;theyarehelpingmestepoutmore.Iamsafe.
• Thereissuchabigdifferenceformychildren.Therearesomanyactivitiestheygettodobecausewelivehere.Theolderchildrenhaveimprovedtheirgrades…Theygettodonormalthingsthatotherkidsgettodo.
• [Theshelter]helpedmeemotionally,physicallyandmentally.Theyhavehelpedwithclothesandallthebasicthings.LifewouldnothavebeenthesameifIdidnotcomehere.Theyhavepreparedmeemotionally,helpedmyself-esteem.Myidentitywastakenawayandmywonderfulcounsellorhashelpedmegetitback.
• Livingherehascompletelyturnedmylifearound360degrees.Beforemovingheremylifewasnotverygood.Iammuchmoreindependentnow.Ihavemoreconfidence.IwouldneverhavebeenabletostartmyownbusinessifIhadn’tcometothe[shelter].
• Ihavechangedalotsincemovinghere.Ihavestruggledwithdepressionforalongtime.Iwasonantidepressantsforalongtime.Livingwithmypartnerworemedownalot.Igaveupalotofmyself.Iwasunsureofmyself.WhenIlefthimIwasunsureifIhaddonetherightthing.Ifeelsafenow.IusedtoalwaysbeonedgeandnowIcanrelax.IamnotonmedsrightnowandIamfeelingprettygoodwithoutthem.IfIbegintonoticesignsthatIamnotdoingokayIwilltalktomycounsellor.Ithinkmydepressionwassituational.NowthatIamoutoftherelationshipIfeelbetter.
• IfinallyfeellikeIhaveahome.Ihaveprivacyandaplacetobewithmydaughter.It’swonderfultohavemyownspace.Idon’thavetodriveanhourthereandanhourbackwhenIseemydaughter.IamamuchstrongerpersonthanIwasthreeyearsago.Igetemotionalsupporthere.
• Mykidsarecalmer.Icanmanagethembetter.Isleepbetter.Idon’thavetoworryanymore.We’rehappy.Thereislessstress.
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• Mylifeisalotbetter.Livingherehasgivenmetimetothinkaboutmylife.Thebestpartoflivinghereisitisasafeplaceformykidsandme.BecauseIfeelsafeIamabletothinkclearer.
PlansfortheFutureMostwomendescribedplansaftershelterasbuildingstabilityintheirlives–focusingonhousing,educationand/oremployment.Manywerealsohopingthattheywouldcontinuetoreceivesomecounsellingoremotionalsupporteitherfromshelterstafforcommunityprogramsandidentifiedadditionalgoals,suchasworkingtowardsbetterhealth,andresolvinglegal,custodyorimmigrationissues.Somewomenalsoexpressedworriesanduncertaintyaboutwhatwouldhappenwhentheirshelterstayisover.
• Ihavebeenmeetingwiththehousingcoordinator.SheishelpingmealottofindhousingforwhenIleavehere.IhavebeenthinkingaboutgoingbacktoschoolbutfirstIneedtofindhousingandgetsettled.IknowthereisanoutreachworkerthatwillhelpmewhenIleavehere.Iwantbetterformysons.
• IamgoingtostartschoolinSeptember.Iamgoingtocollegein[shelterlocation].IjustheardbackfromthecollegethatIhavebeenaccepted.Iamtakingacoursethatis2years.Iwilllookforhousinginafewmonths.IknowthatwhereIamlivingnowistransitionalhousingonlyfor2yearssoIamthankfulthatIhavebeenabletoliveherenow.
• IwanttogetmyfinancesinorderbeforeIleavetheshelter.IcanstayhereayearwiththeoptionofstayinglongerifIneedto.Ineedtogetthischildtaxcreditthingandmaintenancesettled.Iwanttosomedaytakehairdressingcourse.
• Iamtomoveout[soon].Iplantostayin[shelterlocation]IhavealreadyconnectedwiththehousingcoordinatorheresoIwillgetmyownplaceinthecommunityformydaughterandme…IwanttobemorefinanciallystablebeforeIhavemyotherchildrenlivewithme.Ihopetogotouniversity.Thestaffhelpmemakeatodolistandachecklist.Theyhelpmesetgoalsformyself.Ialsohopetostartmyownbusiness.Iamworkingonabusinessplan.AsocialenterprisebusinesswhereIcanmakemoneyanddogood.
• IcanstayhereforayearandthenIthinkthecounsellorcancontinuetoseemewhenImoveout.Ihopetogeta[subsidized]apartment.Mycounsellorwillhelpmemakeplanswhenitistimetomoveout.Iplantoregisterforschoolandthengetajob.Iamregisteredinaprogramnowthatisalifeskillsprogram–tohelpmegetbackintotheworkforce.Iwilllearncomputerskills,andotherlifeskillstohelpme.
• Iamhopingthatallmydoctorscanworktogethertohelpmegethealthier.Thatismymainfocus….Ihaveschoolingtobeanestheticianandacareaid.Ialsousedtobuildandrefinishfurniture.ButIneedtogethealthierfirstbeforedoinganyofthosethings.Thestaffwillhelpmefindanotherplacetolive.
• Iwanttokeepfightingtogetcustodyofmydaughter.Iamworkingongettingaworkpermit.OnceIhavethatitshouldbeeasiertoapplyforresidencybutitwillstilltakealongtime.RightnowIcan’tworkbecauseIdon’thaveaworkpermit.Idon’thaveanyIDandIcan’tgetabankaccount.MyyearisuphereattheendofJuneandIdon’tknowwhatisgoingtohappen.
• Theapartmentisfurnishedwhichisagoodthing.ButwhenImoveoutIwillneedtogetmyownthings.WhenIcamefrom[anothercity]Icameintheshelter’svanandIcouldonlybringafewthings.IheardthereisachurchthatisabletohelpwhenIamreadytomoveout.Theywillhelpwithgettingfurniture.
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• IworryabouthavingtogetthingsforanapartmentinProgressiveHousing.Hereinsecond-stageIdon’tneedmyownfurniturebutyoudoinProgressiveHousing.Thisseemslikeabigproblemforme.Maybethecounselorsherecanhelpme.
OverallSatisfactionWithoutexception,allofthewomenspokeofthesecond-stagesheltersasapositiveandextremelyimportantpartoftheirrecoveryfromabuse.Inparticular,theyspokeaboutthestaff,thefacilityandthesupportsasthekeyelementsthatcontributedtotheeffectivenessoftheirstaythere.
• Thestaffhereareincredible.Itisanamazingfacility.Thestaffgoaboveandbeyond.• Thestaffareamazing.Theyaretryingsohardtohelpmebutitissodifficult.Idon’tknowhowI
wouldhavemanagedwithoutthem.• Thisisagoodplace.Thestaffarepatienttobewithus.Iamwithotherwomeninthesame
situation.Thisisveryhelpful.Iamlearningtools.Thereisnothinglikethisin[thehomecountry]• Thestaffhavesomuchinformationforme.Theylistentomeanddonotjudgeme.Ilike
everythinghere.• Ithinkitistoobadthatthereisstigmaaboutgoingintoaplacelikethis.Toomanywomenare
stuckanddon’thaveanywheretogo.Iwasfeelingstuckanddidnotknowaboutthesecond-stageshelter.IwasluckyIgottocomehere.
8.3 Follow-upSurveyAsurveywasdevelopedtogatherinformationaboutwomen’ssituationbetween3and6monthsaftershelterdischarge.ShelterstafffromtenshelterstelephonedwomenwhoweredischargedbetweenJulyandNovemberof2016andwhocontinuedtoreceivesometypeofservicesorsupports,whichcouldhaveincludedoutreach,housingsupports,orsupportgroups.Theywereabletoreach57womenofthe120thatweredischargedinthattimeperiod.29Thisgroupofwomenwascomparabletotheoverallgroup–aboutahalfstayedintheshelterlessthan6months,athirdwereimmigrantand25%wereAboriginal,42%wereexperiencingsometypeofhealthoraddictionissuesand65%successfullycompletedtheirshelterstay.AswiththeFeedbackSurveyhowever,therearelimitationstothisexercise,asnotallwomenwhoweredischargedcouldbecontactedandtheonesthatweredidnotnecessarilyrepresentallofthewomeninsecond-stageshelters.Theresultsofthesurveyaresummarizedbelow:Situationatfollow-upAlthoughmostofthesewomenwerelivingindependently,financialsituationcontinuestobeachallengeforatleastathirdofthem.Manyareaddressingthisissuebyupgradingorbyactivelylookingforfull-timeemployment.
• 79%(n=45)womenwerelivingontheirown,3werelivingwiththeabusivepartner,andtheremainingwomenwerelivingwiththeirfamily,friends,anewpartnerorinashelter.
29Wewouldexpectbetween30%and50%ofwomenwhoaredischargedtocontinuewithsometypeofsheltersupport
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• 28%(n=16)wereemployedand26%(n=15)wereattendinganeducationalinstitution.Anadditional8women(14%)wereunabletoworkoftenbecauseoftheinjuriestheysustainedasaresultoftheabuse.Theremaining32%ofwomenwereunemployedandlookingforwork.30
• 28%(n=16)womenjudgedtheirfinancialsituationasaproblemrequiringassistance.MostofthemreliedonAlbertaWorks,ChildTaxCreditorStudentFunding.
Servicesprovidedpostsecond-stageThewomenappeartobewell-connectedwithneededservices,asprovidedbytheshelterstaffaswellasothercommunityorganizations.Financialstabilityandmentalhealthcontinuetobethemostpressingissuesforwomenpostshelterdischarge.
• Allofthesewomenandchildrenhavebeenreceivingshelterservicessincetheirdischargeincluding:individualsupport(n=51),basicneedsupport(n=44),individualorgroupsupportfortheirchildren(n=24),andgroupsupport(n=19)
• Allbut5ofthesewomenhaveaccessedcommunityservicessinceleavingsecond-stageshelter.AsillustratedinFigure17,manyofthesewomenaccessedservicesaddressingfinancialandbasicneeds(56%),46%connectedwithcounsellingtoaddressemotionalormentalhealthissues,andabout40%accessedlegalsupportsinordertodealwithlegalissuesrelatedtotheirexperienceofabuse.Otherwomenalsoaccessedsupportsfortheirchildrenorparentingsupports(30%),medicalsupports(25%)andservicestoaddressaddictionissues(16%)
Figure17.ProportionofWomenbyTypesofCommunityServicesTheyAccessed
Women’sfeedbackWomen’sfeedbackatfollow-upconfirmsthatsecond-stagesheltershavemadeapositiveimpactintermsofsafetyandstability,howeverasizablenumberofwomencontinuetostrugglewithavarietyofissuesgenerallyincludingfinances,mentalhealth,parentingandlegalissues.Thisisnotunexpected,asitmaytakeuptoseveralyearsforwomentostabilizeoncetheirhousingandsafetyconcernsareaddressed.31
30Notethatmanyofthosewhowereemployedorwerestudentswerealsolookingforwork.31Tutty,L,Radtke,L.,andNixon,K.(2009).TheHealingJourney:ALongitudinalStudyofMothersAffectedbyIntimatePartnerViolence,PerceptionsoftheirChildren’sWell-BeingandFamily-RelatedServiceUtilization.ReportPreparedforTheAlbertaCentreforChild,FamilyandCommunityResearch.
56%
46%
40%
30%
25%
16%
0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60%
FinancialSupport
Emoqonal/MentalHealth
LegalandJusqce
SupportforChildrenorParenqng
MedicalSupports
Addicqon
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• Allbutthreewomenagreedorstronglyagreedthatasaresultoftheirsecond-stageshelterstaytheyhavegainedknowledgeabouthowtokeepthemselvesandtheirchildrensafe.
• Allbutfourwomenagreedthattheyfeltsafersincetheirstayinsecond-stageshelter.
• 31womensharedtheirself-assessmentofhowwelltheyweremanagingassummarizedandillustratedbyselectedquotesfromtheinterviews:o 16womenindicatedthatthereweredoingwellwithoutanysignificantproblems:
- Womanrecentlyreportedthatsheandherfamilyaredoingwell.Sherecentlyreturnedtopartnerafterheattendedcounselling.Shehasasafetyplanifhebecomesabusiveagain.
- [Thewoman]ismanagingverywell.ShemaintainsherbudgetwiththeHandsUpBursaryandisdoingwellwithhereducation.Shemakescontactwiththeworkerif/whenshehasneeds...forinstance...foodbankdelivery.Otherwisesheisindependent.
o 11wereontheirwaytostability,butwerestillexperiencingissues(usuallyincluding
financial,mentalhealthandparentingconcerns):- Sherealizesshewouldnothavemadeallofthesepositivechangesifshehadnot
completedthesecond-stageprogram(s);lookingahead,feelinghopefulandmakinglong-termplansforherselfandherchildren…stillstruggleswithdepressionwhichistreatedwithmedication.
- [Thewoman]hascomealongwayfromwhenshefirstcametoshelter.Shehasworkedthroughasignificantamountofissuesonherownandhasproventobeindependentandsuccessful.Shehasenrolledherselfintoaday-treatmentfacilitythatissupportingherwithalcoholaddiction.Shehasalsofoundday-careforherchildindependently,andhasexpressedanumberofgoalsthatshewouldliketoaccomplishwithinthenextfewmonths.Shewouldliketogobacktoschoolandworkonherrelationshipwithfamilymembers.
- Womanismanagingwellinthecommunity.HerstruggleshavebeenwithAlbertaWorksandlegalissues.Sheishappiernowthatsheisattendingschoolfulltime.
o 4describedtheirsituationas“coping”or“struggling”:
- Sheneededthecontinuedsupportsafterleavingtheshelter,re-appliedtothesecond-stageandwasreadmittedtosecond-stageprogram.
- Sheisstruggling;hasalotofdebtandlittleincome;wantslegalsituationtoberesolvedastrialdateforherexcontinuestobepostponedandnowitisputoffforanotherentireyear.
- Womanstillstrugglesfinanciallyandhastriedtogetfulltimeemploymentbuthasn’tgottenoneyet.Sheisgratefultogetsupportforherfamilythroughtheshelter.
- Clientismanaging,butherwell-beinghasbeenaffectedduetoCFSAinvolvementwithherchildren.Sheisreceivingcounsellingandsupportfromouragency.
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IX. ShelterDirectors’FeedbackProjectparticipantssharedtheirperspectivesandfeedbackinafocusgroupaswellasindividualinterviewsthatoccurredoverthecourseofFebruaryandMarch2017.Altogether,therewere21directorsand/ortheirdesignateswhorepresented13shelteringorganizations.ThefocusofthediscussionwasonthechangesinshelterprogrammingsincecompletionofProjectPhaseI,anticipatedshelterimpactaswellasthenextstepsfortheSecond-StageShelterCommittee.
9.1 ShelterProgramDevelopmentGovernmentFundingShelterDirectorsreflectedthattheprojecthelpedgainmorerecognitionforthesecond-stagesheltersfromthegovernment,resultingintherecentinjectionofdollarsbytheprovincialgovernmentintosecond-stageshelterwork,withninepreviouslyunfundedsecond-stagesheltersreceivingrenewablegrantsforprogramingaswellasIntensiveCaseManagementandChildTraumapositions.Twosecond-stagesheltersfundedformanyyearsbygovernmentreceivedadditionalfundingforIntensiveCaseManagementandChildTraumapositions.Alloperationalsecond-stagesheltersinAlbertaarenowfunded.ShelterDirectorsjudgedthisdevelopmentashavingasignificantpositiveimpactonshelteroperations.Priortothis,manyofthesheltershadtorelyonunpredictablefundraisingactivitiesand/orhadtodivertallocationsfromotherprograms,ultimatelynotbeingabletodeliverthescopeorthequalityofservicesneeded.Asaresultofthesenewdollars,thosesheltersthathistoricallyhavenothadgovernmentfundingarenowabletoprovidecoreservices,ensurethatshelterpremisesaresafeandsecure,implementsomefacilityimprovements,havefull(qualified)staffcontingent,andareabletodelivermoremindfulandformalizedservices.Allsecond-stagesheltersintheprovincearealsonowabletosignificantlystrengthenserviceofferingsforchildren,astheycouldhirechildtraumainformedcounsellorsandaddnewchildcarestaff,ultimatelybeingabletoaddressthesignificantandlife-longimpactoftraumathatchildrenexposedtodomesticviolenceexperience.Furthermore,thedollarsfortheIntensiveCaseManagement(ICM)positionsstrengthenedsheltercapacitytosupportwomen’stransitiontoindependenceandprovidewrap-aroundservicesandsupports,asthesestaffhelpedwomenlocatehousing,connectedthemwithneededresourcesandprovidedcounsellingandemotionalsupport.Government’sflexibilityinallocatingtheavailabledollarswasalsowelcomebythesheltersassomeofthefundscouldbeusedtosupportstafftraininginareasofparticularinteresttoshelters.NewProgrammingInadditiontooverallstrengtheningofshelterservicesresultingfromnewgovernmentfunding,second-stageshelterscontinuedtoengageinprogramdevelopmentandimplementationofpromisingpracticesintheirfacilities.Someofthemoresignificantchangesandimprovementstoprogramsinclude:
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• Shiftingtotrauma-informedservices,includingtraining,andintentionalconsiderationofimpactoftraumainallfacetsofservicedelivery(e.g.,focusonchoices,experientialservices,women’sneedsvs.programneeds);
• Bringingmorefocustochildreninsecond-stageshelters(e.g.,buildingtherelationshiporconnectionbetweenmomandchild,addressingtheimpactofFASD);
• Increasingoutreachprogramsize,inresponsetotheincreasedvacancyratesinsomelocations;• Whilerecognizingandaffirmingthatdomesticviolenceisagenderedissue,providingfamily-
centeredservices,focusingonfamilystructure,familyoforiginaswellasmentalhealthandaddictionissues;
• Developingmethodsformedicationcontrolanddisbursement;• Adoptingaresponse-basedpracticewithaprimarymessagethatwomenarenotbrokenand
theyjustneedenoughtimetoprocessthingsandtorecognizethattheyarestrongandcapable;• Requiringthatwomennotworkforthefirst6monthsofshelterstay,allowingthemtofully
commitandparticipateinprogramofferings;• Requiringthatwomenspendsometimeinanemergencyshelterbeforemovingontothe
second-stagesheltertoensurethattheyareabletoliveindependently;• Developingasharedintakeprocessamong3urbansecond-stage,andcreatingonepointof
contactforwomenwhoseekadmission.9.2 Second-stageSheltersandHousingServicesSectorDiscussionswithShelterDirectorshighlightedtheirperspectivesonhowsecond-stagesheltersfitwithinthespectrumofhousingservices.Theywereveryclearastothevalueanduniqueplaceofsecond-stagesheltersinthecontinuum,supportingwomenandchildrenwhosesafetyisatriskandwhoarehomelessbecauseoftheirexperienceofabuse.Somestatedthat,asaresultoftheprojecttheyarenowbetterabletoarticulatewheresecond-stagesheltersfit,howtheyaredifferentfromwomen’semergencysheltersortransitionalhousing,thecomplexityofthewomen’sneedswhostayinsecond-stageandthevalueofshelterwork,bothemergencyandsecond-stage.Finally,someShelterDirectorsthoughtthattheroleofthesecond-stagesheltersisnotyetfullyunderstoodinthecommunityandthatmoreworkisrequiredinthisareaaswellasto‘bridgethegap’withthehomelessservingsectoranddeterminehowsecond-stageshelterscanworkbetterwithinthehousingservicecontinuum.Therecontinuetobesomedifferencesbetweenexperiencesofurbansheltersandshelterslocatedinsmallerjurisdictions.Highdemandinurbanlocationskeepsthosesheltersalwaysfullwithadmissionslimitedtowomenandchildrenfleeingdomesticviolence.Sheltersinsmallerlocationsoftentimesare“theonlygameintown”forallwomenwhoarehomeless.Therefore,theymayadmitwomenforwhomhomelessnessistheprimarypresentingissue,althoughmosthavehadsomeexperienceofdomesticviolenceinthepast.Forthesereasons,theycannotalwaysbeseenasfocusingentirelyondomesticviolenceandinsteadsomewouldratherbedescribedas“socialhousingforwomen”.Notwithstandinghowthesheltersdefinethemselvesuniquelyintheircommunities,theyallemphasizedtheimportanceofcontinuedoutreachandfollow-upworkwhenwomenleavesheltertoensurewoman-centered,wrap-aroundservicedeliveryapproach.Tosupportthisidea,severalsheltershaveinitiatedcommunitybasedhousingprojects(e.g.,domesticviolencehousingfirst,progressivehousing),wherewomenliveindependentlybutwithcontinuedsupportfromtheshelterstaff.Manyalsohaveanexpectationoffollowupsupportwitheverywomanwholeavessecond-stageshelter,insomesheltersforaslongasayear.
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9.3 DevelopingDataManagementCapacityOneofthegoalsoftheSecond-StageShelterProjectwastoestablishaprocessforcollectiveoutcomemeasurementinAlbertasecond-stageshelterstosupportsheltereffortstosecurecorefunding.Asnotedinthediscussionabove,ACWSandsecond-stagesheltershavebeensuccessfulinobtainingcorefundingforsecond-stageshelterscurrentlyoperatinginAlberta.Developingdatamanagementcapacitytogetherwasoneimportantelementcontributingtothissuccess.ShelterDirectorsindicatedthattheywouldnothavehadthecapacityinternallytodevelopwhattheyachievedasagroup.Comingtosecond-stagecommitteemeetingshelpedthemhelptheirstaffunderstandtheimportanceofevaluation,gavethemthelanguagetoexplaintheimportanceofevaluation,andhelpedthembecomemoreproactiveintheirwork.Overthecourseoftheprojectsecond-stagesheltershaveexpandedandfine-tunedtheiruseoftheACWSMemberSharedDatabase,improvingtheaccuracyandcompletenessofdataentry,usingthedataforreportsandfundingapplicationsandstartingtousethedatatoinformdevelopmentofservicesandprogramsaswellasforshelteradvocacyandlocalpublicawarenessactivities.ShelterDirectorsdescribetheirstaffasgenerallybeing“onboard”andunderstandingthevalueofinformedservicedeliveryand,insomeshelters,regularprocessesareunderwayforidentifyingemergingresearchquestionsandusingtheshareddatabasetoanswerthem.Staffespeciallyappreciatetheopportunitytohaveaccesstodatasummariesorreportswheretheycanseetangibleresultsoftheirwork.Theworkofdatamanagementisalsomoreformalizednow,withclearerroles,responsibilitiesandexpectationsandgroundedinthesecond-stageshelterlogicmodeldevelopedcollectivelyinPhaseI.Dedicatingstaffpositionstoevaluation,researchanddatamanagementactivitieshelpssignificantlyinthisregard.Whilesomesheltershavesuchpositionsinplace,otherswithoutdedicatedpositionsarestillstruggling,withstafffeelingoverwhelmedwithdatamanagementandreportingresponsibilities.Second-stageShelterDataCollectionToolsThesecond-stageshelterprojectintroducedseveralnewdatacollectiontoolstosupportmeasurementoftheindicatorsidentifiedinthesecond-stagelogicmodel.ThesenewtoolsincludeGoalAttainmentScaling,ParentingStressIndexandImpactofEventsScale.Theprojectalsosupportedimplementationoftoolsthatshelterswereusingpriortoprojectimplementation–includingtheDangerAssessmentorWalkingthePathTogetherDangerAssessmentandCalendar,theDomesticViolenceSurvivorAssessmentandtheClientFeedbackQuestionnaire.ShelterstaffalsohelpeddevelopaSecond-StageAcuityScale,andtheresultsofthisprocessaresummarizedinSectionVIIofthisreport.ShelterDirectorstalkedaboutthevalueofthesetoolswithassociatedstandardsandconsistencyofuseemergingasoneoftheimportantlearningsthatoccurredoverthecourseoftheproject.Whileallofthesetoolsweredescribedaspotentiallyvaluable,andhelpingshelters‘makesenseoftheirwork’,theShelterDirectorshighlightedafewtoolstheythoughtwereparticularlyuseful:
• DangerAssessment:isstandardtoshelterpractice;hasalwaysbeenhelpfultounderstanddangerandrisk;also,helpfultocomparehowwomen’srisklevelschangeovertime;andsomehavebeenabletouseDAinformationtosupportwomenincourt;
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• AcuityScale:auseableandpotentiallyveryvaluabletool–itisimportanttobeawareofandbeabletodescribethelevelofacuityoftheclientsweserve;itwillhelpusmakesurethatstaffareequippedtoservethewomeninsecond-stageshelters;
• ParentingStressIndex:sheltersappreciateACWS’helpinpurchasingthistool;thetoolconcretelyidentifiesmothers’strengthsandchallenges;however,perceivedcomplexityofscoringisachallengeforsomesheltersandhascontributedtoafewdecidingnottouseit;
• Goalattainmentisveryvaluablefromthecasemanagementperspectiveandtosupportservicedirection;itisaflexibletoolallowingwomentosettheirowngoals;italsohelpsspeakcollectivelytosecond-stageshelterwork;
• DomesticViolenceSurvivorAssessment:enhancedstaffunderstandingofsituationswomenfindthemselvesin,andwasespeciallyvaluableforstaffwhomaynothavehadsignificantbackgroundindomesticviolence.
TheShelterDirectorsoftenexpresstheirappreciationofthesupportfromACWSinassistingsheltersdeveloptheirdatamanagementcapacity.TheyparticularlyvaluedtheresponsivenessofACWSstaffwhenaddressingquestionsabouttheshareddatabase,theirhelpinensuringthatdataandreportswereaccurateandcomprehensive,andthatindividualandcollectivedataanalysisreportssupportedmovingprojectworkforward.Theywouldlikethissupporttocontinue,alongwithassistingallshelterstomovebeyondsimplygatheringdatatousingdatatoinformshelterpractice.
9.4 ShelterImpactInadditiontosupportingtheideathateachwomanworktowardsachievingheruniquegoals,ShelterDirectorsidentifiedthefollowingoutcomestheywerehopingforwomenleavingsecond-stageshelters:
• Affordable,stableandsecurehousing;• Financialindependence(i.e.,educationalupgradingandemployment);• Enhancedabilitytoaccessresourcesinthecommunity;• Forwomenwithchildren,securingcustodyoftheirchildren,improvedparentingskills,and
betterunderstandingofchildhoodtraumaandtheimpactthatithasonchilddevelopment;• Achievingalifefreefromviolence;and,• Ingeneral,becomingavibrantpartofthecommunity.
Theydescribedseveralsuccessstoriesofwomenwhoaccessedtheirshelters,womenwhoarrivedintheshelterindiresituationsemotionally,physicallyandfinanciallyandwhowouldhavebeenableto,aftertheirshelterstaytostabilizetheirlivesbyfinishingtheireducation,findingemployment,housingandchildcare.TheytalkedabouthowthefocusondatagatheringhelpedenhancetheworkoftheshelterstaffandhownewIntensiveCaseManagementpositionsarehelpingcreatemoresuccessstoriesforwomen,asthelikelihoodthatwomenwillbesuccessfullyhousedandconnectedwithneededresourcesisenhanced.Theyalsodescribedwomen’sprogresstowardsintendedimpactasajourneythatmaytakesometimeandthatmayrequirethatsheaccessthefullspectrumofservicesincludingemergencyandsecond-stageshelters,progressivehousingandoutreachservices.Forexample,womenwhowecontactedbetween3and6monthsafterleavingthesheltermaybehousedbutmightstillbelookingforworkoreducation,solidifyingtheirfinancialsituationandstillworkingongoalattainment.Manycontinuetorequiresupportforemotionalhealing,somemayhavetoreturntoshelterortransitionalhousingandsomeothersmayreturntotheirpartner.
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Thedirectorsalsoemphasizedthat,astheyworktowardsindependencewomencontinuetoexperiencemanysystemicbarriers,mostsignificantbarriersincluding:
• Povertyandassociatedlackoforinadequatefinancialsupports(e.g.,insufficientincomesupportfromthegovernment,notreceivingchildsupport);
• Lackofaffordablehousing–womenmayhavealloftheabilitiesandskillstomoveforwardbutmaynotbeabletodosowithoutaccesstohousing;
• Childwelfaresystemthatisnotresponsivetotheneedsofmothersandchildren;• Challengingaccesstoeverydayservicesandsupports,suchastransportationthatisparticularly
problematicforshelterslocatedinruralareas;aswellaslackofaffordablechildcareandaccesstofurniture;
• Lackofservicesandsupportsforimmigrantwomen,especiallyinterpretationandculturalawareness;
• RacismandlackofculturalawarenessthatAboriginalwomenface;• Challengesthataddictionsandmentalhealthpresentwhenintegratingintothecommunityand
lackofsuchservicesinsomesmallerjurisdictions.Shelterdirectorsalsospoketothechallengesforsomewomenwhostayatsecond-stageshelters,particularlythosewithmentalhealthandaddictionsissues.Second-stagesheltersdonotalwayshavestaffwithrequisiteexpertiseandmanyhavepoliciesguidingbehaviorandalcoholuse.Eventhoughsheltersarenotwellequippedtosupportthesewomen,someshelters,particularlythoseinsmallerjurisdictionsfacesignificantpressuretoacceptwomenwithaddictionsandmentalhealthconcernsbecauseofthelackofspecializedservicesinthearea.
9.5 NextStepsTheparticipantsthoughtthatingeneral,theprojecthelpedsheltershelpwomen,helpedgovernmentunderstandwhatthesecond-stageshelterdo,andhelpedenhanceshelterstafflearningbygatheringdataabouttheimpacttheserviceshaveonwomen.AllSecond-stageShelterCommitteemembersdescribedtheprojectasvaluableandthegroupmeetingsas“extremelyhelpful”.Theywereunanimousaboutthevalueofcontinuingtomeetasagroup.Theyalsoprovidedseveralsuggestionsforthecontentanddirectionoffuturemeetings:
• Continuetoaggregatecollectivedata,developbenchmarksfordatacollection,compareindividualshelterdatatotheaggregate;continuetousedatatoinformcollectiveandindividualshelterprogramdevelopment;continuewithtooldevelopment;
• Developdatabridgingprocessesforthoseusingadifferentdatabaseordifferenttools(e.g.,OutcomesStarvs.GoalAttainmentscaling);
• Continuetoprovideanopportunityforgroupsharingwithrespecttolearnings,shelterpractices,policies,challengesandfundingconsiderations;considercreatingsimilaropportunitiesforfront-linestaff;
• Continuetohelpshelterspositionthemselvesintheircommunities,continuesupportingshelteradvocacyandaccesstocontinuedfundingtoensurewrap-aroundqualityserviceprovisionforwomeninsecond-stageshelters;
• Jointlyaddressoperationalissuesandhelpsheltersbuildinfrastructuretosupportsheltergrowth:e.g.,humanresources,hiring,training,positiondescriptions;
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• Continuetheworkofdevelopingthesecond-stageshelterstandards,includingmoreconcreteandpracticaldirectionsforprogrammingandstaffactivities;
• Providetraininganddevelopatrainingplanthatmakesconsistenttrainingavailabletosecond-stageshelterstaffoncontinuousbasis(e.g.,ethics,trauma,basicstandards,culturalcompetency);
• Implementresearchactivitiesaimedatspecificclientgroups(e.g.,bestpracticeswithAboriginalandImmigrantwomen,supportingmentalhealthchallenges,understandingmoreaboutwomenwhoreturntotheshelter);
• Worktobridgethegapwiththehomelessservingsector;lookingtodeterminehowsecond-stageshelterscanworkbetterwithinthehousingservicecontinuum.
ThevalueofthecollectiveworkisillustratedinthesequotesfromtwoShelterDirectors:“Iwouldlikethefunderstoknowthatthisprojecthasmadeasignificantdifferenceinthequalityofservicethatweareabletoprovidetofamilies,thistrickledallthewaydowntothewomenandchildren–[wenowhave]informedprogramming,ithelpedusevaluateourservices,havethelanguagetohelpusunderstandwhoweareandhowtoworkwithpeople–that’sbeenremarkable.”
“IsovalueACWSandmyco-directorswhethertheyarefromsecond-stageorelsewhere–becauseIwouldbeveryconcernedifweweredoingasecond-stageshelterfromscratchwithnoconnection.It’sbecauseofthatconnectionandgreatnetworkingthatsmallorganizationslikeoursfeelsconfidenttostepforward…andIthinkthat’snotalwaysavailabletonot-forprofitandisinvaluable.Ourmembershipduesdon’treflectthecontributiontheymake.”
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X. ReportHighlightsandNextStepsSecond-stagesheltersaresafe,longerterm(6monthsto2years),apartment-styleresidencesthatarepartofthespectrumofdomesticviolencesupportandhousingservicesthatincludesemergencyandsecond-stageshelters,outreachservices,anddomesticviolencehousingfirstservices.Second-stagesheltersprovidewrap-aroundservicescriticaltomeetingtheneedsofabusedwomenandtheirchildren.Therearetwelvesecond-stagesheltersinAlberta.Outofthetwelveshelters,fiveareinurbanareas(EdmontonandCalgary),andtheothersevenareintownsandsmallcitiesthroughouttheprovinceincludingtwoon-reserve.SevenofAlberta’ssecond-stagesheltersarerunbyshelteringorganizationsthatalsooperateemergencyshelters.32Second-stagesheltersaswellasothershelteringorganizationsthatareintheprocessofbuildingorareplanningtobuildasecond-stageshelterbegantomeetformallyinFebruaryof2013tosupportPhaseIimplementationoftheSecond-StageShelterproject.Thepurposeoftheprojectwastocollectivelydevelopstrategiesthatwillpromotecommonunderstandingofandsupportforsecond-stagesheltersinAlberta,withPhaseIdeliverablesincludingapromisingpracticereview,alogicmodel,andintroductionandimplementationofnewdatacollectiontools.PhaseII(April1,2015–February28,2017)builtontheworkinPhaseI,expandingdatacollectionandintroductionoftools,providingtrainingandsupport,implementingclientfollow-upanddevelopinganewAcuityScale.
10.1 WomenandChildreninSecond-stageSheltersEachyearsecond-stagesheltersacrossAlbertasupportoveronethousandwomenandchildrenwhoarefleeingdomesticviolenceandabuse(basedon2015/16fiscalyear).Undoubtedly,thesenumbersrepresentjustafractionofthenumberofwomenwhorequiresecond-stagesheltersupports,asdemonstratedbythewaitingliststhateachsecond-stageshelterhas,andreflectedinthenear100%occupancyrates,particularlyinsheltersinurbanlocations.TherecentinjectionofnewAlbertagovernmentfunding(December2015)isawelcomeadditionforthesesheltersastheyworktoaddressthedemandforservices.
Thedemographiccharacteristicsofwomenandchildreninthisstudyarecomparabletothewomeninsheltersacrosstheprovince.Theyare,onaverage35yearsofage,overathirdareAboriginalandanother26%areimmigrantstoCanada.Similartowomen’semergencyshelterslocatedacrossAlbertaandconsistentwithimmigrationtrends,sheltersinthesmaller,morerurallocationsaremorelikelytohouseAboriginalwomen,whilesheltersinthelargercitiesarewelcomingmoreimmigrantwomen.33However,whileinsomewayswomenaccessingsecond-stagesheltersaresimilartowomenlivinginemergencyshelters,womeninsecond-stagesheltersareatahigherriskforfemicidethanthewomeninemergencyshelters34.Theyarealsomorelikelytobeadmittedtotheshelterwithchildren,andthese
32Albertaalsohastwosheltersthatspecializeinservicestomeettheneedsofolderadultswhohavebeenabused.Thesealsoprovidelongertermstaysthanwhathastraditionallybeenseeninwomen’semergencysheltersandalsooffersahostofservicesandcommunitysupports.33Hoffart,I&Cairns,K.(2012).StrengthinNumbers:ATen-YearTrendAnalysisofWomen’sSheltersinAlberta.AreportpreparedfortheAlbertaCouncilofWomen’sShelters.34Cairns,K.,andHoffart,I.(2009).KeepingWomenAlive–AssessingtheDanger.AreportcompletedfortheAlbertaCouncilofWomen’sShelters.
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childrenaregettingyoungereachyear,beingonaverage6yearsofageinthemostrecentfiscalyear.Torespondtotheseneeds,second-stagesheltersprovideasafeandsecureenvironment,including24-hourstaffingaswellasindividualized,intensiveandlong-termcasemanagementandwrap-aroundservicesforbothmothersandtheirchildren.Poverty
Povertyisasignificantissueforwomeninsecond-stageshelters.Abouttwo-thirdsofthewomenaccessingtheshelterswerehomeless(theylivedinawoman’semergencyshelterpriortotheirsecond-stageshelteradmission),andmostofthemdescribedtheirfinancialsituationasaconcernatthetimeofintake(84%).Theyneededthetimeandsupportsprovidedbythesecond-stagesheltersinordersecurestableemployment,upgradetheireducationandfindaffordablechildcareandhousing.Manyofthesewomenrelyonsocialassistanceinordertosupportthemselves(69%)andtheirsocialassistanceentitlementsoftendonotmatchthecostofhousingandotherlivingexpenses.Alberta,inparticular,hasthelowestsocialassistanceratesinCanadaforasingleparentwithchildrenandthoseratesarenotsufficienttocovertheaveragerentalprices.35Increaseinsocialassistanceratesisneededtosupportwomen’stransitionintothecommunity,aconsiderationforfutureadvocacyeffortsbyACWSandmembers.HealthandAddictionsAlmosttwo-thirdsofthewomeninthisstudyhadeithermentalorphysicalhealthconcernsoraddictionsoracombinationofthoseconcerns.Overhalfwereexperiencingmentalhealthconcerns,about40%wereexperiencingphysicalhealthissuesandoverathirdwerestrugglingwithaddiction–manyoftheseissueslikelyaresultoftheabusetheyexperienced.Theirchildrenaresimilarlyimpacted–aboutathirdofthechildren(27%)werealsoreportedorobservedtohaveadisability,amentalhealthoraphysicalhealthconcern.Thisdataconfirmsreportsinliteraturethatasignificantnumberofdomesticviolencesurvivorsfaceserioustrauma-relatedmentalandphysicalhealthissuesincludingdepression,anxiety,suicidalideationandstress.Literaturesuggeststhatifthesewomenarenotgivensupportstoaddresstheirtraumasymptoms,thelikelihoodoftheirachievingresidentialstabilitymaybeseriouslycompromised.36Inlightofthis,manysecond-stagesheltersareworkingtointegratetrauma-informedapproachintheirservicedelivery,forbothwomenandtheirchildren.
35EdmontonSocialPlanningCouncil(2015).AProfileofPovertyinEdmonton.AreportforEndPovertyEdmonton,theMayor’sTaskForcetoEliminatePoverty.http://www.iaaw.ca/wp-content/uploads/2016/10/PovertyProfileJanuary2015.pdfForexample,inthe1981/1982onewomenwithonechildreceived$370permonth–theamountwhichonlyincreasedslightlyin2014to$546.36Hayes,M.,Zonneville,M,Bassuk,E.(2013)TheShiftStudy:FinalReport.ServiceandHousingInterventionforFamiliesinTransition.AmericanInstitutesforResearch,TheNationalCentreonFamilyHomelessness.
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TheExperienceofAbuseWomenandchildreninsecond-stagesheltersareoftenfleeinghorrificabuseatthehandsoftheir(almostalwaysmale)partners,havingexperiencedmanydifferenttypesofabuserangingfromemotionaltophysical,thelatterresultinginsignificantphysicalinjuriesforatleast22%ofthewomen.Atthetimeoftheiradmissiontosecond-stageshelter,over70%ofthewomenwereinextremeorseveredangerofbeingkilledbytheirpartners.Itisnotsafeformanyofthesewomentoliveunprotectedinthecommunity.Womencometosecond-stagesheltersinvariousstagesofreadinesstomoveforwardinaddressingtheabusetheyhaveexperienced.Comprehensiveassessmentoftheirsituation,needsandreadiness,followedbyindividualizedandflexibleservicesandsupportsarerequiredtosupporteffectivetransitions.Inparticular,and,again,supportingtheneedfortrauma-informedcare,isthefactthatmanywomenareincontemplationorpreparationstageswhenitcomestomanagingtheirfeelingsandmentaldistress.Theexposuretoabusealsocauseswomentoexperienceasignificantamountofstressassociatedwiththeirparentingresponsibilities.Manyofthesefamilieswouldbenefitfrommoreopportunitiesforpositiveinteractionsbetweenmotherandchild,workingtostrengthensenseofparentalcompetency,andsome,fromreferralstopediatricianorchildpsychologist.
10.2 ServicesandServiceOutcomes
Thestudydemonstratedthatsecond-stagesheltersinAlbertaprovideaspectrumofmulti-facetedservices.Likeinemergencysheltersservicesincludesafetyplanning,counseling,basicneedssupport,andadvocacy.Incontrastwiththeemergencyshelters,however,theyalsoprovidelongertermsupport(from6monthsto2years),programmingforchildren,aswellaspost-shelterfollow-up,thathelpwomen’stransitiontostabilityuponconclusionofshelterstay.Intheirinterviewswomenusuallytalkedaboutshelterasasafeplace,anddescribedashelpfulindividualcounsellingtheyreceived,groupswithotherwomenandservicesfortheirchildren,includingchildcare,therapyandparentingsupports.Theyalsoappreciatedavarietyofothersupportsthathelpedaddresstheirbasic,legal,recreation,language,spiritualandhealthneeds;aswellasprovisionofgeneralinformation,referralsandadvocacyinthecommunity.Manyoftheseservicesaredeliveredtogetherwithothercommunityservicestoensuresmoothtransitionforwomenandchildren.Staffalsoadvocateandsupportwomentoconnectwithawidearrayofservicesinthecommunity,mostoftenincludingbasicneedsandfinancialsupport,housingsupports,healthservicesandlegalsupports.
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ServiceOutcomesShelterprogrammingappearstobesuccessfuloverall:
• almost90%ofthewomenwereabletoachievesomeprogressonatleastoneofthegoalsthattheysetforthemselves;
• over80%ofwomenweresatisfiedwiththeservicestheyreceived;• about60%completedshelterprogramming;• atdischargeoverhalfwereexpectingtoliveindependentlyinstablehousingupondischarge
andatfollow-up79%werelivingontheirown(thiscomparedto67%whowerehomelessatshelteradmission);
• only6%wereplanningtoreturntotheirabusivepartners.Intheirinterviewsandwithoutexception,allofthewomenspokeofsecond-stageshelterasapositiveandextremelyimportantpartoftheirrecoveryfromabuse.Inparticular,theyspokeaboutthestaff,thefacilityandthesupportsasthekeyelementsthatcontributedtotheeffectivenessoftheirstay.Whenaskedabouthowtheirliveshavechangedaftercomingtothesecond-stageshelter,theytalkedaboutbeingsafer,feelinghealthieremotionally,havingamorepositiveoutlookonlife,becomingmoreindependent,theirchildrenimproving,and,ingeneral,feelingcalmerandlessstressed.Furtheranalysishelpedidentifyareasforfurtherwork.Womenwereleastsuccessfulinachievinggoalsrelatedtolegalissues,childwell-being,childcare,relationshipsandemployment/education(rangingfrom59%to55%ofwomenwithprogressonthosegoals).Someofthisresultisduetosystemicbarrierswomenface,particularlywhentheyaretryingtoaccesslegal,employment/education,housingandfinancialservicesandsupports.Also,sheltersuccessvariedinaccordancewithwomen’sbackgroundandtheiruseofshelterservices.Predictably,womenweremostlikelytobesuccessfulintheshelteriftheystayedlonger.Thosewomenwhostayedintheshelterforshorterperiodsoftimewerealsolesslikelytocompletetheprogram,achievetheirgoals,andlocatestablehousinguponleavingtheshelter.ThesegroupsincludedAboriginalwomen,womenwithhealthconcernsandparticularlymentalhealthandaddictionsissuesaswellaswomenwithnochildren.ThattherearechallengesinsheltersforwomenwithmentalhealthandaddictionissueswasalsoconfirmedindiscussionswiththewomenandShelterDirectors.SomeworkisalreadyunderwaywithACWSandmembersworkingcollaborativelytobuildasustainableoverarchingsheltertrainingplanfocusingonseveralkeytrainingissues(e.g.,ethicsandtrauma-informedservicedelivery,developingaStatementofPrinciplesandValuesguidingworkwithAboriginalwomen).Moreworkwillberequiredtobuildontheseinitiativesandexplorefurthertheseissuestodevelopworkableguidelinesandpoliciesforimprovingsecond-stageshelterservices.
10.3 AcuityScaleDevelopmentTheACWSSecond-stageShelterAcuityScalewasdevelopedoverseveralyearsofappliedresearchinthedomesticviolencesheltersystemandthroughthecollaborationbetweenthesheltersandtheAlbertaCouncilofWomen’sShelters(ACWS).
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Itincorporatesacuityindicatorsassociatedwithviolencerisklevels,parentingstresslevels,poverty-relatedissues,thepresenceorabsenceofaddictions,mentalhealthproblems,and/orphysicalhealthproblems,andhousing,financial,legalandsocialsupportissues.Ithasanintendedrangeofuses,including,amongothers,measuringclientcomplexityandfunctioningasachangemeasure.Thescaledevelopmentprocesswascomprisedofseveralsteps,includingaliteraturereview,consultationwithShelterDirectorsandstaff,severalrevisions,andusingtwohypotheticalcasestudiestosupportinterraterandtest-retestreliabilitywithshelterstaff.Thefinaltestsdemonstratedstronginterraterreliability(r=.986tor=.999)andtest/retestreliability(r=.831,r=.869).Severalnextstepsforscaletestingweresuggested,includingexpansionoftestingtoemergencysheltersandautomatingthescalethroughACWSSharedDatabase.
10.4 ProjectImpact
Shelterdirectorsjudgedtherecentinjectionofdollarsbytheprovincialgovernmentintosecond-stageshelterworkasoneofthemostsignificantrecentchangesintheshelteroperations,allowingthemtodelivermorecomprehensive,mindfulandformalizedservices.Theyespeciallyemphasizedhowtheincreaseinfundinghelpedsignificantlystrengthentheirserviceofferingsforchildrenandbettersupportwomen’stransitiontoindependenceaftershelterstay.TheprojectalsohelpedShelterDirectorsbetterarticulatewheresecond-stagesheltersfitinthehousingservicecontinuum,howtheyaredifferentfromwomen’semergencysheltersortransitionalhousing,thecomplexityofthewomen’sneedswhoaccesssecond-stageandthevalueofshelterwork.Manysheltershavestrengthenedthecontinuityofservicedelivery,havinginitiatedhousingprograms,andexpandedexpectationsforfollowupsupportforaslongasayearaftershelterservicecompletion.Therecontinuetobesomedifferencesinshelterexperiencesbetweenurbanandsmallerjurisdictionswiththelatterexperiencingpressuresforsupportingwomenwithhomelessnessasaprimaryissue.TherearealsodifferencesamongjurisdictionsinhowsheltersworkwiththehomelessservingsectorleadingsomeShelterDirectorstosuggestthatmoreworkisrequiredinthisarea,especiallydetermininghowsecond-stageshelterscanworkbetterwithinthehousingservicecontinuum.Thatshelterdatamanagementcapacityhassignificantlyimprovedoverthecourseoftheprojectwasreflectedincompletenessandaccuracyofdatathatwasavailableforanalysisinthisreport.ShelterDirectorsalsosupportedthisfinding,describinghowtheprojecthelpedthemexpandandfinetunetheuseoftheACWSMembershareddatabase,enhancetheunderstandingamongsttheirstaffofthevalueofinformationgatheringandingeneral,beginningtodevelopcultureofinformedservicedelivery.Theyalsospokepositivelyaboutthevalueofthetoolsthattheyhaveimplementedaspartoftheproject,andtheassociatedimprovedstandardsandconsistencyofuse.
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10.5 NextStepsAlloftheSecond-stageShelterCommitteemembersdescribedtheprojectasvaluableandthegroupmeetingsas“extremelyhelpful”.Theywereunanimousaboutthevalueofcontinuingtomeetasagroup.Theyprovidedseveralsuggestionsforthecontentanddirectionofthesefuturemeetings,includingcontinueddataanalysisanduseofdatatoinformshelterservices,continuedadvocacytohelppositionsecond-stagesheltersintheircommunities,continuingtodevelopsecond-stageshelterstandards,andimplementingresearchactivitiesaimedatimprovingshelterservicesforspecificclientgroups(e.g.,Aboriginalwomenandwomenwithmentalhealthissues).Theirfeedbacktogetherwiththedatagatheredinthisreportprovidessomedirectionsforfurtherstudy,discussionandanalysis,assummarizedbelowacrosskeyareasofwork:DevelopingDataCollectionTools
• Thestudyhadidentifiedseveralmeasuresofsuccess,includingalifefreeofviolence,stabilityatdischargeandfollow-up,progressandachievementofgoalsthatwomensetforthemselves,women’ssatisfactionwithshelterservicesaswellasprogramcompletionatdischarge.Thelattermeasureisnotyetclearlydefined,anditsdefinitionmaydifferacrosssheltersandamongindividualwomen.Morediscussionisrequiredaboutprogramcompletionasameasureofsuccessandaboutotherwaysofunderstandingshelterimpactandhowtheycanbestbemeasured.
• TheparticipatingACWSmemberorganizationsimplementedavarietyoftools,includingtheDA/WTPTDA,DVSA,PSI,IES,GoalAttainmentScalingandClientFeedbackSurvey.Althoughmostoftheparticipantssawvalueinallofthesetools,therecontinuetobesomechallengesand/orquestionswithrespecttoacross-the-boardimplementation.ACWSandthememberscouldcollectivelyreviewthesetoolsandjointlyaddressanyissuesorchallengesassociatedwiththeiruse.
• Thisstudyprovidedanopportunityforaggregatingsecond-stageshelteroccupancydatausingthenewformuladevelopedbyACWSmembers.Theanalysisshowedthatoccupancynumbersmaybemisleading,particularlywhenaggregatedwithinformationfromsmallershelter.ACWSandmembersmaycontinuetheirconversationaboutthevalueoftrackingoccupancyrateandthemeaningthatithas,particularlyforsheltersinruralorsmallercenters.
• AcuityScaledevelopmentprocesshadproducedsomestrongresults,supportingfutureuseofthisscalebysecond-stageshelters.Beforewholesaleimplementation,however,itisrecommendedthatthescalebefurthertestedwithemergencyshelters,analyzedforconstructvalidityandintegratedintotheACWS/Membershareddatabase.
• ThisstudyrepresentsthefirsttimethatDangerAssessmentinformationwasavailableforwomeninsecond-stagesheltersinbothurbanandsmallerjurisdictions,andthatusedthenewWTPTDAtool.Areviewand/orrepeatofaDangerAnalysisstudymaybeofbenefittobetterunderstandanycurrenttrendswithrespecttoriskoffemicideforwomenacrosstheprovince.37
37Cairns,K.,andHoffart,I.(2009).KeepingWomenAlive–AssessingtheDanger.ReportpreparedfortheAlbertaCouncilofWomen’sShelters.
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BestPracticeResearch
• AsmoreandmoreACWSmembersintroducetheconceptoftrauma-informedcareintheiragencies,itmaybehelpfultostudyimplementationofthoseservicestodeterminewhatadditiveimpactstheyhaveonwomenandchildreninsecond-stageshelters.
• Someofthestudyresultsspeaktothepositiveexperienceofimmigrantwomeninsecond-stageshelters,notnecessarilyreflectingthefullcomplexityoftheirneeds.Furtheranalysisandfocusonimmigrantwomen,thebarrierstheyfaceandhowthosebarrierscouldbeaddressedmaybeofbenefit.
• Thereisasubstantialproportionofwomenwhosereasonforleavingtheshelterisunknown(18%)orwhoselivingarrangementsatshelterdischargeareunknown(31%).ACWSandthesheltercollectivecouldworktodevelopprocessestobetterengagewiththesewomen,sothattheirsituationcouldbebetterunderstoodandsupported.
• Almosttwo-thirdsofthewomeninthisstudyself-reportedorwereobservedtohavephysicalhealth,mentalhealthoraddictionconcerns.Thesewomenalsoleavesheltersearlierandarelesslikelytocompletetheprogramorobtainstablehousing.Moreworkneedstobedoneinsecond-stageshelterstodeterminehowtobestaddresstheirneeds.
• Aboriginalwomenaremorevulnerabletoabuse–bothintermsoffrequencyandseverityoftheabuse.Aboriginalwomenarealsolesslikelytobenefitfromsecond-stageshelterservicesthantheothergroupsofwomen.Whentheyleavethesheltertheyalsofacemultipleaccessbarriersresultingfromdiscriminationandlackofculturalcompetence.SomeworkbyACWSandmembersisalreadyunderway(e.g.,aStatementofPrinciplesandValuesguidingworkwithAboriginalwomen)andmoreworkwillberequiredtodevelopworkableguidelinesandpoliciesforimprovingsecond-stageshelterservicesforAboriginalwomen.
DirectionsforAdvocacy
• Povertyisasignificantissueformostwomenandchildreninsecond-stageshelter:regardlessoftheirincomepriortoleaving,manywomenleavingviolentrelationshipshavelimitedfinancesavailabletothem.Theyhavetorelyonincomeassistancethatisofteninsufficienttoaccessstablehousingandaddressbasicneeds.Continuedadvocacywithrelatedsystemsisnecessarytoaddressthisveryseriousissueforwomenandchildreninsecond-stageshelters.
• Accesstolegalservicesandsupportscontinuestoemergeasoneofthemostsignificantbarriersforwomeninsecond-stageshelters.Issuesoftenincludeproblematicserviceaccess,narroweligibilityrequirementsandhighservicecost.Workingwithsystemstofacilitatebetteraccesstolegalservicesforwomenandchildreninsecond-stagesheltersrepresentsanotherimportantareaforadvocacybyACWSanditsmembers.
• Asnotedinthereport,someShelterDirectorsthoughtthattheroleofthesecond-stagesheltersisnotyetfullyunderstoodinthecommunityandthatmoreworkisrequiredinthisareaaswellasto‘bridgethegap’withthehomelessservingsectoranddeterminehowsecond-stageshelterscanworkbetterwithinthehousingservicecontinuum.