Research and Advocacy
Sarnia- Lambton GBV SNAPSHOT
Sarnia-Lambton GBV SNAPSHOT is an annual compilation of client statistics by the Coordinating Committee of Violence Against Women to give the citizens, agencies, and policy makers a clear picture of the extent of gender-based violence in our community. The data is collected from seven local agencies including Women’s Interval Home, Sexual Assault Survivor Centre, Family Counselling Centre, Victim Services, Blue Water Health, Sarnia Police Services, and Lambton OPP.
86 Recommendations for Change
from the Renfrew Inquest
Jury recommendations from the Renfrew Inquest into the femicides of Carol Culleton, Anastasia Kuzyk and Nathalie Warmerdam by their former intimate partner were presented on Tuesday, June 28, 2022. In total, 86 recommendations for change were made, speaking to oversight and accountability, system approaches, collaboration and communication, funding, education and training, measures addressing perpetrators of intimate partner violence, intervention and safety. These recommendations inform our work at the Women’s Interval Home as we acknowledge 7 femicides in Sarnia-Lambton, successfully advocated for Intimate Partner Violence to be declared an epidemic, and request that gender based violence be an active pillar of investigation in County of Lambton’s Community Safety and Well-Being Plan.
National Action Plan to End Gender Based Violence
Everyone has the right to live free from violence. However, many people in Canada continue to experience violence every day because of their sex, gender, gender identity, gender expression, or perceived gender. This is gender-based violence (GBV), one of the most pervasive, deadly, and deeply rooted human rights violations.
In January 2021, the Joint Declaration for a Canada Free of Gender-Based Violence was endorsed by the federal, provincial, and territorial ministers responsible for the status of women. It laid out the High-Level Framework for Joint Action, identifying the vision, goals, pillars, and foundation for the National Action Plan.
Intimate Partner Violence and Acquired Brain Injury
Two in five women (approx. 7.5 million) and one in three men (approx. 6 million) had experienced IPV in Canada and women disproportionately experience the most severe forms of IPV. Thirty-five to eighty percent of women affected by IPV experience symptoms of TBI and up to 92% of IPV incidents involve hits to the head and face, and strangulation. There are indications that 60–92% of women with a history of IPV experience IPV-related head and facial injuries.
The full extent of the ABI crisis becomes visible when compared to some health conditions that receive extensive funding and public education: more Canadians will experience TBI (165,000) than, for example, breast cancer (26,900), new cases of spinal cord injury (4,300), or multiple sclerosis (4,015).
Sarnia-Lambton Transitional Housing Needs Assessment
Executive Summary
Statistics Canada’s Survey of Residential Facilities for Victims of Abuse identified 1,314 transitional housing units for victims of abuse across Canada. This means that just to reach the average service level provided in other communities across the Country, the County of Lambton should have five units of transitional housing for women and children fleeing domestic violence. This number, however, does not represent the full extent of need for transitional housing for women and children fleeing domestic violence. It is widely recognized that the supply of shelter beds and transitional housing units across the Country is insufficient to meet demands. Please read our Executive Summary for a fuller picture of transitional housing needs.
Full report
Women’s Interval Home generally only permits a six-week stay. However, finding alternative housing within this timeframe can be challenging for residents. Women leave Women’s Interval Home for a variety of housing and other destinations upon discharge. Women’s Interval Home’s data on housing destination at discharge suggests that a minimum of approximately half of the women leaving shelter, including many of those leaving to stay with family or friends, those moving to transitional housing for youth, many of those renting a room, some of those moving to market rental housing, and some of those returning to their abuser, could benefit from transitional housing.
Based on the assumption that approximately half of the women leaving shelter could benefit from transitional housing, approximately 54 women could benefit from transitional housing each year (based on an average of 108 women accessing shelter each year). Applying national average turnover rates (3.89 women per year), would translate into a need for a minimum of 14 units of transitional housing.
Several factors suggest that demand could be even higher than 14 units. For example, the 14 unit minimum does not consider the number of women who were not served in shelter because of limited capacity, the women who did not stay in shelter, but who may still benefit from transitional housing, nor does it include a vacancy factor to ensure availability when it is needed. Therefore, the total need for transitional housing is likely to be in the range of 15-18 units.