Amid a rise in reports of conjugal violence, Quebec women’s shelters say demand is far outweighing capacity. “In the last six months, we offered shelters to 650 different women. That’s a very high number,” says Le Chaînon CEO Sonia Côté. “Half of them say they are a victim of violence, but we know it’s more than that.” Demand is so high that the organization’s annex, which opened earlier this year, is already full. Le Chaînon operates four buildings with 142 spaces, along with 60 more in subsidized housing units. Côté says the shelter offers various services, including medical care, to 2,300 women each year. It includes victims of conjugal violence, women who have aged out of youth protection and those on the verge of homelessness. “When women come here, we are the last hope,” she says. Emergency coordinator Krystel Drouin adds that it can be a long process to build trust with women who seek refuge. “Some of them still have their abusers on the phone because they are controlling their phones,” she said. “We are removing the location services to ensure they can be safe.” She says it can take months or years for victims to get back on their feet after fleeing. Others go back to their abusers, sometimes because of children, family pressure or financial strain. “We are always telling them, ‘Let us know, you can always write to us, you can always call,’” she says. Six suspected femicides in six weeks In the first six weeks of 2026, there were six suspected femicides in Quebec. Helene, a counsellor at the West Island Women’s Shelter, says it’s a distressing figure. She says due to overcapacity, the organization has had to turn women away. “When we receive a call, we have to tell the people, ‘Sorry, we’re full. We have no room.’ So, when we hear about the femicides, it often comes to reach us because we think, ‘Is it somebody that we could have helped?’” she says. Along with counselling, judicial and emergency services, the shelter has 14 apartments for medium-term stays, but it is securing another eight to try to meet growing demand. Its 24/7 crisis line has been flooded with calls. “We receive over 11,000 calls on a yearly basis,” says Helene. “We have approximately 325 families that we’ve followed over the last year, for instance.” She says there are instances where victims aren’t sure if their cases constitute violence. “Sometimes, it’s not black and white,” she says. “There’s a lot of different nuances in there. Sometimes, it could be just in a look, a tone of voice that you know for sure is not correct. There’s that sense of fear.” She says there are many cases of emotional manipulation or abuse that she sees with her clients that can be warning signs of impending physical violence. Prevention and funding Both Le Chaînon and the West Island Women’s Shelter run prevention programs to reach women in the workplace and educate students on what healthy relationships should look like. Drouin says it’s extremely rewarding to see a victim who has rebuilt their life pass through their doors. “They say ‘Thank you for believing in me at the moment where I was not believing in myself, when I didn’t have the strength to get through that,’” she says. The shelters say more funding is always needed, especially from the provincial government. “There’s no room in the shelters,” says Helene, “We’re not the only one that has that situation. There is just no room. We have a lot of women and children that are in a very difficult situation that can’t wait for a month [for a space]. They can’t wait for a week. They have to leave now. So what do we do? What do we do?” Seeking help Other resources (bilingual)
