Across British Columbia, many survivors of intimate partner violence are making decisions about their safety while navigating housing shortages, financial instability, and limited access to childcare. Leaving violence is not simply a personal decision, the systems around us shape what is possible.
In this Global News report, BWSS Executive Director Angela Marie MacDougall explains how these conditions affect the choices survivors face when seeking safety.
When safe housing is scarce and supports are difficult to access, leaving violence becomes far more complicated and more dangerous.
At Battered Women’s Support Services, we see these realities every day through crisis support, counselling, legal advocacy, and second-stage housing. Supporting survivors is essential, but it is only part of the work. We must also change the conditions that shape safety.
Policies on housing, childcare, and economic stability are not separate from violence prevention. They directly influence whether survivors can leave abuse and rebuild their lives.
This story also includes perspectives from $10 a Day Childcare advocate Sharon Gregson and BC Minister of Housing Christine Boyle, reflecting how housing and childcare policy intersect with survivor safety.
As British Columbia debates housing, childcare, and provincial budget priorities, these decisions have real consequences for survivors seeking safety.
Safety is never accidental because it is shaped by the systems around us.
