Provincial boost in funding under-delivers for Safe Haven

By Cal Braid
Taber Times
Local Journalism Initiative Reporter

On Sept. 9, Alberta’s government announced an increase in funding for women’s shelters by $10 million over four years. It promised that $3 million of that would be invested in women’s shelters across the province in 2024-25.

 The Province said that all women’s shelters which are currently funded by the government received a one-time payment of 3.5 per cent of current operational funding.

 On the face of it, the announcement is good news, however the Alberta Council of Women’s Shelters (ACWS) lists about 50 shelters province-wide. In Taber, the Safe Haven Women’s Shelter Society receives government funding but battles to keep up with its cost of running the facility and its programs.

 Safe Haven Director Michelle Higginson explained, “The government currently funds 66 per cent of the shelter costs, with the rest coming from fundraising and the occasional very-hard-to-get grants. We were initially optimistic when we heard the news but, in the end, the reality was (we received) $34,044 to last us two years. The money is swallowed up into the operating costs that allow us to keep our doors open.”

 Safe Haven’s operating budget is just under $1.5 million and it receives some strong local support, especially from Taber. Higginson said, “We were very happy this year when the Town of Taber pledged $25,000 a year for three years. The MD gave us a one time donation of $5,000 and the Community Foundation of Lethbridge is a long-time supporter with its latest grant of $5,000 given to build a sensory room which will be open to some other local agencies to use as well as our own clients.”

  An ACWS report from 2023-24 showed that shelters providing domestic violence and elder abuse services answered 53,391 calls for help. The shelters provided over 50,000 services to survivors and their children and completed over 20,000 referrals to connect survivors to other supports and services.

 During that same period, provincial shelters admitted 8,136 survivors and their children to in-shelter programs. According to the ACWS, domestic violence is more than physical; it can also manifest as psychological, financial, and spiritual abuse. It’s estimated that more than two in five women are subjected to domestic abuse at some point, and children are often caught in the crossfire.

 Elsewhere in the provincial budget, $1.6 billion, or a six per cent increase from last year, will go to children and family services. About $6.2 billion, or an 8.8 per cent increase from 2024-25, will go to unspecified “core social programs,” including support for people affected by potential U.S. tariffs and rising grants for housing programs.

 The Province said Budget 2025 invests more than $60 million for women’s shelters to help individuals and families receive the support they need, including the aforementioned increase of more than $3 million for this year.

 It also invests more than $188 million annually in programs and services designed to prevent and respond to gender-based violence, including more than $88 million for the prevention of family and sexual violence. When it isn’t preventable, shelters like Safe Haven provide personalized care and refuge for survivors.

 If you or someone you know is experiencing family violence, you can call or text the Family Violence Info Line 24-7 at 310-1818, go online to alberta.ca/safetychat or visit your local women’s shelter for support. Safe Haven can be reached at (403) 223-0483.