Quebec women's shelters are asking the government to fast-track construction of more spaces
The Shield of Athena expansion project in Montreal is an answer to the high number of calls across the province from women in need.
"There's been a lot of demand for emergency shelters. We've had to expand," said Shield of Athena (SOAFS) executive director Melpa Kamateros.
For years, women's shelters like the Shield of Athena have been under immense pressure, but it's been particularly difficult recently.
"In the last 12 months, we've received over 53,000 calls," said SOS Violence Conjugale social worker Claudine Thibaudeau. "It's over double the number of calls that we used to get a few years ago."
The problem is that there isn't enough space at shelters, and that means some women have to call back as they try to flee a violent relationship.
"What's really troublesome for us is that when people ask for shelter, we've only been able to find shelter that has availability in about half of the situations," said Thibaudeau.
Opposition party Quebec solidaire is calling on the CAQ government to fast-track construction of women's shelters.
"There is existing projects of shelters that are ready to be constructed, but, unfortunately, it's blocked or it's not going very fast," said QS MNA Ruba Ghazal.
Ghazal said Quebec has the power to make it happen if a government decree is adopted.
"This has been done in the past, it can take 18 months," said Ghazal. "And even sometimes 13 to 14 months, so if the government have the want to construct them quickly. It's possible."
For years, Shield of Athena has been trying to get a second shelter built to help women fleeing violence transition to a better life.
"A project that should have taken a year has taken close to four years now, the actual construction part," said Kamateros.
Although the facility is almost complete, it can't come soon enough.
"We've been getting calls for the second step for the past two years continuously, and we keep on telling them it hasn't been built yet," Kamateros added.
In a statement, Quebec said it's had several meetings with shelters to find solutions, and the government has agreed to add one or more housing units to the project with certain organizations.
"Quebec will ensure that all projects are built as quickly as possible," the statement read.
"There also has to be a factor of flexibility and of quickness," said Kamateros. "It has to be quick. It has to respond to immediate needs."
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Signs of Alzheimer’s were everywhere. Then his brain improved
Blood biomarkers of telltale signs of early Alzheimer’s disease in the brain of his patient, 55-year-old entrepreneur Simon Nicholls, had all but disappeared in a mere 14 months.
Box tree moths have infested Ontario and experts say more are coming. Here's what to do to protect your garden
An invasive moth species is on the rise in Canada and, if you've planted a certain shrub, it could stand to ruin your garden.
Lyon-bound Air Canada Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner from Montreal turns back midflight due to pressurization alert
Passengers heading from Montreal to Lyon, France on Friday were forced to return home and depart the next day after a pressurization indication was detected in flight.
Oilers dominate Canucks, win to force deciding Game 7
The Edmonton Oilers avoided elimination from the NHL playoffs Saturday night, beating the visiting Vancouver Canucks 5-1 in Game 6 of their second-round series.
The eight most expensive homes for sale in Ottawa this spring
Ottawa's ultra luxury housing market is blooming like the tulips this spring, with a significant increase in the number of homes sold worth more than $2 million.
B.C. pipeline company argues its 'haulers' are not trucks, for tax purposes
A contractor working on the Coastal GasLink pipeline has been denied more than $333,000 worth of tax rebates because pieces of machinery it purchased – and claimed were not trucks – were deemed sufficiently truck-like in B.C. Supreme Court.
$500K-worth of elvers seized at Toronto airport
Fishery and border service officers seized more than 100 kilograms of unauthorized elvers at the Toronto Pearson International Airport on Wednesday.
Usyk beats Fury by split decision, becomes undisputed heavyweight champion
Oleksandr Usyk defeated Tyson Fury by split decision to become the first undisputed heavyweight boxing champion in 24 years.
To plant or not to plant? Gardening tips for May long weekend
May long weekend is finally here, and with the extra time off you may be getting the itch to head out to your garden and plant. However, the old debate whether you should plant now, or wait, is still ever-present.