Major Studies
Sheltering Under Pressure (2026)
Frontline Realities of Canada’s Violence Against Women Shelters and Transition Houses
WSC’s newest national report presents updated evidence on how shelters are operating under sustained strain due to chronic underfunding, aging infrastructure, workforce pressures, and the ongoing affordable housing crisis. The full report, executive summary, and other resources are available here.
Building a National Narrative: A Select Review of Domestic Violence Policies, Legislation, and Services Across Canada, updated 2025
Details the differences in resources, legislation, and services across Canada when it comes to domestic violence.
Insights Into Technology-Facilitated Gender-Based Violence: A Survey of Women’s Shelters and Transition House Workers Across Canada, 2024
Provides a national overview of tech-facilitated gender-based violence (TFGBV) as reported to frontline workers, including its prevalence, common forms, the technologies weaponized against survivors, and how experiences differ across survivor groups.
Study on Feminist Brain Drain in the VAW Shelter Sector, 2024
A report based on the Feminist Brain Drain Study (2022), which examined how shelters are struggling to recruit and retain staff, and staff are facing issues of burnout, exhaustion, vicarious trauma, and overall lack of wellness in their workplaces.
Breaking the Cycle of Abuse and Closing the Housing Gap: Second Stage Shelters in Canada, 2020
Examines the spectrum of supports for survivors of IPV and how second stage shelters address and close housing gaps and break the cycle of abuse.
Transitioning to a Life Free from Violence: Second Stage Shelters in Canada, 2019
As part of WSC’s first comprehensive national profile of both VAW and second stage shelters, this report focuses on longer-term, second stage shelters.
More Than A Bed: A National Profile of VAW Shelters and Transition Houses, 2019
As part of WSC’s first comprehensive national profile of both VAW and second stage shelters, this report focuses on short-term, emergency VAW shelters and transition houses.
Shelter Voices 2024: Crisis Within Crisis
The tenth national survey of VAW shelters, this issue was designed to contribute to a better understanding of the housing crisis and its impact on shelters, including individuals working in these spaces and survivors accessing supports. All previous issues of Shelter Voices are available here.
Briefs and Snapshots
Policy Shifts, 2025
A twice-a-year policy scan of VAW-related bills, legislation, policy changes, and consultations at the federal level. All previous issues can be found here.
Supporting Canadian Survivors Using Assistive Technology, 2024
Outlines the realities, challenges, and resource constraints shelters face in supporting survivors with disabilities, and identifies needs for better safety planning, funding, and partnerships to support survivors effectively.
How Canada’s Mobile Phone Providers Can Help Address Gender-Based Violence, 2024
Focuses on two key policy and practice issues that survivors and frontline workers have identified in the telecommunications sector – the cost of changing a phone number and the difficulty of leaving a shared family plan.
Shelter Trends, 2023-24
A set of seven one-page reports to monitor trends across the VAW shelter sector
Child Welfare Practices and Policies in Canada, 2022
An environmental scan looking at how shelters have engaged with child welfare services across Canada, the barriers and challenges they have experienced, and best practices emerging.
Housing, Homelessness, and Violence Against Women, 2017
This discussion paper is the result of a cross-sectoral roundtable on housing, homelessness, and violence against women and includes 11 recommendations for comprehensive policies and funding opportunities to better support women fleeing violence.