Alberta’s on-reserve women shelters face funding cuts

The recent decision by Indian and Northern Affairs Canada to decrease $60,000 in funding to three of Alberta’s six on-reserve women’s shelters has shelter directors concerned. While the Sucker Creek, Ermineskin, and Bigstone women’s shelters were initially told the cuts would come in April 2010, they now have until next year to figure out how they can alter their budgets.

“What it means for the shelters…(is) there will be cuts in staffing,” said Carolyn Goard, acting provincial coordinator of the Alberta Council of Women’s Shelters. “That amount of dollars in terms of one staff. When your shelter is operating really close to over-capacity from a staffing perspective.…you take someone away and that just puts you right over the edge.”

Goard said ACWS will continue to support the on-reserve shelters and find ways to meet the needs of the women they’re serving. While INAC funds on-reserve shelters, off-reserve shelters get funding from the province of Alberta.

“We’re hoping that INAC will engage with the on-reserve shelter directors really quickly to find a way forward to continue uninterrupted service delivery,” Goard said.

Bigstone Women’s Shelter director, Janet Gladue, whose shelter will see its funding cut by $60,000 next year, said current funding allows them to offer programs to clients on anger management, debriefing, parenting skills, and on the different types of abuses. However, they face a shortage in their budget to adequately staff the 24-hour shifts at the shelter.

“We’re still underfunded. And now on top of that, we have to lose more funding,” Gladue said.

She said it has been a struggle to work towards getting the same kind of funding that off-reserve shelters get from the province.

“We offer the same services they offer,” she added. “It’s just that they get more funding then us, they have more programming… (and) more funds to spend on their programming.”

Ermineskin Women’s Shelter Director Sandra Ermineskin said she found out the funding cuts would be held off until next year through a letter from INAC with no explanation.

“Next year… Ermineskin Women’s Shelter will be deducted $60,000,” she said. “Most of my job is getting those extra donations for the shelter. And for $60,000 it will have an impact. We worked hard to get the extra money three years ago for parity. It’s going to affect our programs.”

Ermineskin said that over 70 per cent of Aboriginal women use women’s shelters both on-reserve and off-reserve and they have great benefit. She sees the success at Ermineskin shelter where it helps not only the women, but the family as a whole through cultural programs such as traditional parenting and understanding the roles of women.

“All shelters are good, all shelters are needed. Violence is violence. No woman should be abused,” Ermineskin added.

She noted that the shelters have the unanimous support of their chiefs and councils.

“Basically, these are lives we’re talking about. We’ve lost many women, many of our First Nations women that are unaccounted for across Canada,” Ermineskin said.

“We’re addressing the issue of violence in our communities and these on-reserve shelters play a major part in decreasing or addressing the issues that we have to face as First Nations people.”