Chez Doris: Domestic Violence & Homelessness

Marina Boulos-Winton, the executive director of Chez Doris, joins CUTV to discuss the interconnectivity between domestic violence and homelessness.

In the last episode of Local 514, we discuss the barriers survivors face in escaping situations of domestic violence, including lack of funding and some services not being accessible for all survivors.

On average, Quebec experiences 12 femicides per year, so far in 2021 there have been 10 femicides in Quebec. Many shelters for domestic violence survivors have also reported an increase in domestic violence during the pandemic. 

Within the last provincial budget, the government provided an increase of $4.5 million annually to create more spaces in shelters. 

Boulos-Winton says the limitation for domestic violence shelters to serve all experiencing domestic violence causes some homeless shelters to take in survivors. She also says the increase in rent has caused a great difficulty for survivors to find permanent housing.

In some cases, Boulos-Winton has seen survivors come to the shelter shoeless, without identification in the middle of the winter, because they have immediately fled a situation of domestic violence and have nowhere else to go.

Boulos-Winton discussed how the federal government can further help domestic violence survivors, noting that great discourse around the increase in cases and severity of domestic violence during the pandemic has led to response and action from the government.

Boulos-Winton also talked about the unique challenges domestic violence survivors face, in particular ones fleeing these situations with children, and how Chez Doris recommends domestic violence shelters to those with children, as Chez Doris is a women only shelter, and does not accept children.