Lack of available affordable rentals can leave Windsor-Essex women in 'unsafe situations.' Here's why
CBC
Not having enough available and affordable rentals in Windsor-Essex can cause women to stay in abusive or unhealthy relationships, some shelter providers say.
A rental market report from the Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation (CMHC) released this week pointed out that of the region's affordable options there were "no vacancies" for one bedroom units. An affordable unit is one where the tenant pays 30 per cent or less of their income on rent.
Anthony Passarelli, lead economist for southern Ontario with CMHC, said that not having these units available for low to mid-income renters is a "big warning flag that more supply is needed."
Shelter service providers in the region say that while housing affordability impacts everyone, it particularly affects those who are struggling with homelessness, addiction or intimate partner violence.
CMHC's rental report also found that while more rentals were being built, these new units were only affordable to the area's highest-income renters and primarily located outside of Windsor in Amherstburg, Lakeshore and St. Clair Beach.
According to the report, the average rental cost of a one-bedroom in Windsor this year increased to $1,095.
In a letter to the city last month, the Legal Assistance of Windsor (LAW) — which provides legal support for survivors of gender-based violence — said that since 2021, eight women have been murdered in the region as a result of intimate partner violence.
It also said that in 2022 and 2023, Windsor police received more than 6,400 calls for service related to intimate partner violence. And over the last two years, LAW said that it has seen an "overwhelming demand" for service, helping more than 320 survivors of intimate partner violence and sexual assault.
The letter highlights that a variety of resources, from all levels of government, are what will address this worsening issue.
"It is well noted a lack of access to safe and affordable housing is a significant barrier preventing survivors from exiting a violent relationship," reads part of the letter.
And that's echoed by local women's shelters: Hiatus House and the Welcome Centre Shelter for Women and Families. Both told CBC News that affordable housing is an important piece of the puzzle, but that, increasingly, it's in short supply.
"It's not to say that the women that we're working with aren't resourceful and independent, but when you can't afford to live safely, when you don't have that basic need met, then you end up often in very unsafe situations," said Sylvie Guenther, executive director of Hiatus House.
Not being able to secure a place to live can mean women end up staying with an abusive or violent partner, but it can also mean they end up homeless or repeatedly cycling through shelters.
Guenther says it wasn't always like this: Women leaving abusive relationships or sexual assault survivors are prioritized through the City of Windsor's housing program. But while they used to be housed relatively fast, Guenther says now there's nothing available.
The new Ontario Line will include protective barriers at all stations to separate platforms from the tracks, something the Toronto Transit Commission has been considering adding to its subway system for years.
This First Person column is the experience of Andrew Stetson, a writer and storyteller in P.E.I. For more information about CBC's First Person stories, please see the FAQ.
After years of seemingly unlimited growth for the craft beer industry, the party is winding down.
Even from a few kilometres away, Dr. Vitor Mendes Pereira is able to perform a critical diagnostic procedure, thanks to an internet connection and a remote-controlled robot.
The side of an abandoned fish sauce plant in St. Mary's, N.L. was ripped open after high winds overnight Friday into Saturday.
A police officer shot a man on Quinpool Road after he allegedly threatened them with a knife, Halifax Regional Police said in a news release.
For nearly a month, Montrealers from African countries have been gathering in the city's cafés, restaurants, bars and the comfort of their own homes to support their respective teams in the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations — the continent's preeminent soccer tournament.
The union that represents Manitoba nurses says the emergency department at the hospital in Swan River is running with half the nurses required, with some shifts having no nurses at all.
Edmonton Oilers forward Leon Draisaitl is taking a brief leave of absence to attend to a family illness in Germany.
A fire tore through a school on Blueberry River First Nation north of Fort St. John early Saturday morning, destroying a building that has served the northeastern B.C. community for decades.
UPDATE | In an email Saturday, Air Canada passenger Heather Badenoch told CBC that CBSA officials had reached out, asked if she had anything to declare, and assured her she wouldn't have any future problems travelling.
With city crews still working away to clear the snow buildup from Thursday and more flurries in the forecast for this weekend, disability advocates in Toronto say there’s not enough support during winter weather events.