Table 9
Top challenges facing shelters for victims of abuse, by type of shelter, Canada, 2020/2021


Table 9
Top challenges facing shelters for victims of abuse, by type of shelter, Canada, 2020/2021
Table summary
This table displays the results of Top challenges facing shelters for victims of abuse. The information is grouped by Challenges (appearing as row headers), Indigenous shelters and Non-Indigenous shelters, calculated using percent units of measure (appearing as column headers).
Challenges Indigenous sheltersTable 9 Note 1 Non-Indigenous shelters
percent
Lack of permanent housing 37 41
Low employee compensation 31 27
Lack of funding 27 26
Meeting the diverse needs of clients 27 28
Staff turnover 24 33
Capacity 20 15
Need for physical repairs 19 17
Accessibility issues related to structure 15 8
Mental health issues for staff 12 11
Skills development 12 8
Financial instability 10 12
Reliance on fundraising 8 21
Food costs 7 4
Providing culturally appropriate supports and services 7 4
Lack of administrative resources Note x: suppressed to meet the confidentiality requirements of the Statistics Act 9
Not having the mandate to serve male clients Note x: suppressed to meet the confidentiality requirements of the Statistics Act 2
Criminal justice system Note x: suppressed to meet the confidentiality requirements of the Statistics Act 7
Lack of affordable childcare Note x: suppressed to meet the confidentiality requirements of the Statistics Act 6
Transportation costs Note x: suppressed to meet the confidentiality requirements of the Statistics Act 5
Reliance on volunteers Note x: suppressed to meet the confidentiality requirements of the Statistics Act Note x: suppressed to meet the confidentiality requirements of the Statistics Act
Restrictions tied to external regulations Note x: suppressed to meet the confidentiality requirements of the Statistics Act 2
Advocacy 0 1
OtherTable 9 Note 2 12 8
0 true zero or a value rounded to zero
x suppressed to meet the confidentiality requirements of the Statistics Act
Note 1

Indigenous shelters for victims of abuse include shelters that are part of an Indigenous organization, are located in an Indigenous community, are located on a reserve, or are owned or operated by a First Nations government (band council).

Return to note 1 referrer

Note 2

Includes security issues at the shelter, the COVID-19 pandemic, staffing related issues (e.g., not having enough staff, inadequate staff training), among others.

Return to note 2 referrer

Note: Information in this table excludes 37% of Indigenous shelters and 21% of non-Indigenous shelters that did not provide a response to these questions. Percentages do not equal 100% as each shelter could provide up to three challenges.
Source: Statistics Canada, Canadian Centre for Justice and Community Safety Statistics, Survey of Residential Facilities for Victims of Abuse.
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