B.C.’s housing crisis creating challenges for domestic violence victims: report

A new report from a Vancouver family law group shows the dangerous effects B.C.’s housing crisis has on victims of domestic violence.

In a first-of-its kind study, subtitled Improving Family Law Remedies for Survivors During BC’s Housing Crisis, Rise Women’s Legal Centre found limited housing options can be a matter of life and death.

CLICK HERE TO LISTEN TO 1130 NEWSRADIO VANCOUVER LIVE!

Haley Hrymak, a staff lawyer at the centre, says the crisis and other challenges within the family law system make it hard for survivors to remain in a safe place after they’ve left the violent relationship.

“We know that many people have to return to abusive relationships after they’ve left, and part of that is because there is a lack of safe and affordable housing,” said Hrymak.

The report’s main title, “Should I Have Just Stayed?”, is a direct quote from one of the 48 survivors interviewed as part of the research. Hrymak says the findings show there’s a lack of understanding of domestic violence within family law, which contributes to why victims stay in violent homes.

“It’s very inefficient to go through the legal system, to try and seek child support. It can be really expensive to try to get the financial entitlements you’re entitled to, and it can be really dangerous,” she explained.

Angela Marie MacDougall, with Battered Women Support Services, says 200 women and their children were denied emergency housing due to a lack of space in B.C. last year.

“Forty-eight per cent of girls and women age 15 and older have experienced an incident of intimate partner violence in British Columbia. So that’s a huge portion,” said MacDougall.

“Not everybody’s going to need a transitional house, certainly, but we can see how endemic and how much of an epidemic this issue is. There’s some housing that’s coming online, but so often women don’t know how to access it, where it is. And so the presence of an advocate can be helpful.”

Krista Cassidy, a survivor and advocate of domestic violence awareness, says the housing crisis adds another layer of stress to parents looking for a safe home.

“You’re not just looking for a couch to sleep on, you’re looking for a home for your children. You shouldn’t have to feel that you need to be in a dangerous situation just to put food on the table,” said Cassidy.

“But only 25 per cent of people leaving a transition house are going to find housing, and only 4 per cent of those are finding safe and affordable housing.”

Rise Women’s Legal Centre has made several recommendations within the report, including advocating for more education for family lawyers.

“We really think it’s fundamental that everyone working within the family law system has ongoing, and continuous, and mandatory education on family violence. We know that survivors are not always met with appropriate responses in the legal system that are rooted in an understanding of what family violence is,” Hrymak said.

The report’s findings echo those of Dr. Kim Stanton’s 2025 report on the treatment of survivors of intimate partner violence in the B.C. legal system.

B.C. Attorney General Niki Sharma said Stanton’s report will take time to review thoroughly, but the government will look into what can be done to improve how the legal system treats victims.