The price of safety is out of reach.
There are many reasons why a woman might not be able to leave her abuser, but there’s a big one that doesn’t get talked about nearly enough: the high cost of housing. Especially if she has children, for a woman in an abusive situation in Kawartha Lakes, the price of safety is too often out of reach.
In 2024, 79 per cent of respondents to a Canadian Centre for Housing Rights survey said the cost of housing in Ontario presented a barrier to their ability to leave a violent home. It observed that women also often end up returning to an abuser, even after finding safety in a shelter, because they can’t afford to live on their own.
Rental housing costs have increased more than 50% in a five year period.
While many people assume rental housing costs less here than in urban centres, the reality is sobering. The cost of renting a one-bedroom apartment jumped 54 per cent from 2018 to 2023, and a three-bedroom rental went up 65 per cent in the same period, according to a report on housing needs by our local Kawartha Lakes-Haliburton housing organization. Rental prices in neighbouring Durham Region are lower than here in Kawartha Lakes, where availability is also extremely tight.
Most of the new construction underway is for single-family homes, many of them detached and hardly any of them affordable for a woman facing financial uncertainty. At Women’s Resources, we hear dispiriting stories of rentals that are in poor, even unacceptable condition or otherwise unsafe, but for which landlords still ask thousands of dollars a month. The situation is bleak enough for women on their own; for women who have children, finding appropriate accommodation they can afford is even harder.
Some women are forced to stay in an abusive home.
Many women who depend on Ontario Works report that it’s taking longer to process their applications, meaning they face even lengthier waits for financial support. That in turn delays their ability to afford safe, stable housing and forces them to stay in an abusive home.
Although we decry all of these injustices, at Women’s Resources we continue to do everything in our power to help women leave violence behind and rebuild life for themselves and their children. The lack of affordable housing means these women and children stay in our emergency shelter longer. It’s not a long-term solution, but for now they are safe, which is the most important thing.
The opening in 2024 of our second-stage housing facility, Lori’s Place, added six affordable rental units for those who are ready to leave our shelter. It’s a drop in the bucket of what’s needed, but we are grateful to everyone who donated and supported the construction of Lori’s Place. We look forward to the day when demand is not so high and women no longer have to stay with or return to an abuser because safety was too expensive.
If you need help, please don’t wait.
Call our 24/7 Crisis Line 1-800-565-5350 or visit our website Chat Line www.womensresources.ca
By Nancy Payne
