A coalition representing workers in Nova Scotia’s violence-against-women sector are demanding immediate action on wage equity to address severe staffing shortages and recruitment issues.
On Monday, the Transition House Association of Nova Scotia (THANS) along with representatives from the Public Service Alliance of Canada (PSAC), the Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE), and non-unionized facilities, issued a plea to the province for immediate wage equity. Of the 11 transition houses under the THANS umbrella, seven are unionized — four with CUPE, three with PSAC.
“I think we’ve always done more with less out of necessity because regardless of the funding or the wages, the work needs to be done,” THANS provincial coordinator Ann de Ste Croix said in an interview Monday.
“There are many examples, but the Mass Casualty Commission and the recent report from the Desmond fatality inquiry are two very clear examples of what happens when the system fails and when there isn’t investments into our sector and into these systems.”
The coalition said in a media release Monday that its members were tackling the “pressing” issue of wage equity for people working in the violence-against-women sector. The release said achieving wage equity was essential, noting that the province’s transition houses “continue to grapple” with severe staffing shortages and recruitment.
“This is a role that requires a high level of compassion and empathy and care. There’s vicarious trauma that comes along with that as well,” de Ste Croix said. “You’re helping people who are fleeing domestic violence, who are really at a critical point in their lives.”
‘Losing dedicated, highly skilled folk’
In addition to the nature of the work, de Ste Croix said transition houses across the province are struggling with staff retention and recruitment because they can only offer low wages.
“Our frontline staff provide critical, lifesaving services to women and children in the province and they are not being compensated adequately for that work. In turn, they’re having their own struggles financially to be able to continue to do this work,” she said.
“We have staff who are really dedicated and are passionate, but ultimately they have to leave because financially for themselves and their families they just can’t continue to do that work. We’re losing dedicated, highly skilled folk who want to be doing this work but just can’t afford to.”
When transition houses are unable to provide things like double staffing or consistent programming or support, de Ste Croix said it’s women and children who suffer. She also said while many people don’t know what services transition houses provide, they assist with a range of things like counselling, safety planning, and emergency crisis response.
“These are things that require specific training and skills. That should come with adequate compensation for those doing this work,” she said.
“Unfortunately, this work hasn’t historically been valued by our funders. That’s really what we’re trying to highlight and advocate to change.”
Urging Community Services to increase core funding
Their members across the province often have positions where salaries are completely paid through fundraising efforts, de Ste Croix said. She’s calling on their funders — the Department of Community Services — to increase core funding for violence-against-women organizations.
“When you’re constantly struggling to figure out how you’ll be able to maintain a position or to add the much needed positions to appropriately respond to the level of need that we’re seeing in the province, that takes time and effort away from being able to actually provide those services,” she said.
“We need to see an investment by our provincial government to recognize the important work that our frontline staff are providing so that they don’t have to fundraise for essential positions like child and youth outreach workers and people providing that frontline care.”
Pointing to the 2023 Mass Casualty Commission report, de Ste Croix said it acknowledged the sector has been historically underfunded, and that meeting the current and growing need for its services required increased funding.
“I hate to always bring it back to funding, but that really is our biggest barrier. There’s only so much that you can do with limited funding,” she explained.
“An increase in core funding would not only benefit our own staff, but would benefit the women and children in the province too. They would be able to receive services from the best, most skilled staff and be able to have the benefit of consistent and adequate programming throughout the province.”
International Women’s Day is on March 8. With the federal government’s 2024 theme being ‘invest in women, accelerate progress,’ de Ste Croix said the time to act is now.
“It’s time to invest in the women’s sector and invest in the safety of women and children in our province,” she said.
Why is it in our system are the decisions makers who are the generally overpaid, underworked (Municipal/Provincial/Federal) bureaucrats control the funding to places that really need it. There are MANY EXCUSES (the government(s) will tell you them all) why the funding cannot increase; but it requires only one reason- IT IS THE RIGHT THING!!, so get it done.