THE “Resources” VS IPV/DV -By Toni-Lee Danso

 Does anybody ever wonder why? 

Why are people that you know are in precarious situations actually stay? 

Why are people that you know who are unhappy where they are at continue to stay?

Why is your friend who’s always talking to you about the domestic and emotional abuse that happens to her continuing to stay in that situation? 

Why doesn’t she just leave? 

Why is a teenage boy who is abused by his parents constantly, and deprived of basic necessities as punishment still staying in the house? 

Why doesn’t he leave? 

Why don’t they just use “All the resources” That we have in Canada to protect and provide for these people?

It’s because there are no resources for them. 

It’s always this continuous assumption that Canada has endless shelters, endless capacity, endless funding, endless subsidized housing … And that everybody is just able to pick up the phone and be in a new house by tomorrow. Like they can pack their bag and start a new life tomorrow. 

The countless times that I have worked with clients who are in precarious situations, some in extremely desperate need to leave, And there’s nowhere for them to go. 

Everyone’s first response is always “Oh, there’s resources for that-There’s a way out!” We are too privileged and don’t know what these people really go through. Searching and begging for help, with no answers or actions. When then they reach out to these resources and they are “told that they have options”, these “options” tell them they need to wait seven years for subsidized housing, Three years for emergency housing, Four years for a spot in the shelter. 

So what’s the point? 

What is the point in convincing people that there are so many resources out there that they can reach out to? 

What’s the point, when they can barely access any of these resource resources when they’re all so restricted and at max capacity. This is why people are forced to stay in situations where they are not happy. I have asked multiple times “ Why don’t you just leave? Are you aware of the resources that there are to help you?” And the answer is always that there’s nowhere to go. There’s no space for me. 

Realistically, that is the truth. Because if somebody is going to remain in the same situation for 4 to 5 years before they can escape, What can happen in that timeframe? How worse can the situation get? Most of the time we just see their well-being decline as a month go by, Let alone years. 

The fact that all these resources are at maximum capacity, and even people in emergency situations cannot have access to them is alarming and actually devastating. 

Where I reside now in Nova Scotia, There have been about 3 to 4 femicide cases in the past couple of months. And those are just ones that I’ve heard of. People who are stuck in domestic violence, usually suffer and silence until they are paired with an organization who is willing to help them. Then they are No longer suffering In silence, but they are still suffering. 

Reaching out to a shelter, or reaching out to your municipality, asking about subsidize housing for those who qualify Is not always the answer. I put an application for people to get subsidize housing many times, and every time I call the waitlist gets longer and longer. There are some parts of Ontario, where the waitlist is up to 14 years long. Can people wait that long? Can people survive that long?

Something clearly needs to be done in regard to funding and subsidies that are geared towards the more vulnerable populations

Canada is a multi trillion dollar, first world country, So they say. Canada‘s most recent net worth is $17.5 trillion. 

So how are so many people struggling to just find safe housing and happiness? Why is it so difficult to listen to the experts, look at the trends, And notice that there has been an extreme increase in need for more capacity at shelters, more quantities of shelters, more money and diverted emergency funds for people who need to escape. But instead, as the numbers double and triple throughout the year, Only about one or two new resources pops up-And with limited capacity at that. The math is not adding up. 

Doesn’t seem like such a glamorous country anymore when you look at it that way, Does it? 

Changes need to be made. People need to get involved and ask for more funds to be allocated towards these resources. Because there is no point in “having them” when there’s no access to them after they fill up. 

If everyone who accessed a shelter or safe house, was allowed to stay and HAD to stay, where would all the new cases that arise go to then? That’s like trying to fit 30 eggs in a dozen carton. It just DOESNT WORK. You need a bigger carton, or another carton. 

So these resources need to expand, and Canadians need to be prioritized over funding wars and genocide in other countries. Money made in Canada needs to stay in Canada and help these people who can’t even afford to live in their country anymore. People who are suffering in their own country. 

You’d be surprised how little of an investment it would be in the long run. As little as 1 billion of the 17+ trillion dollars the country has, could make a big difference. 

The question is, do they care? 

Do they WANT to help? 

We are all awaiting the answers. And hopefully some change as well.