The MPP for Windsor West urgently calls for more funding for local shelters and affordable housing for those fleeing gender-based violence.
"Women's shelters in Windsor and across the province are struggling to recruit and retain staff due to consistent underinvestment by the Conservative government," said Lisa Gretzky. "The work is complex and requires specialized training, yet provincial funding isn't enough to even pay a living wage."
Gretzky said 31 non-profit organizations in Windsor and Essex County needed more than $26-million to repair social housing units last year. They got less than a sixth of that. She said units continue to fall apart and some are in such poor condition, they are uninhabitable.
"Ford is putting women and children fleeing domestic violence at risk by choosing to underfund shelters and the affordable housing they need," she insisted. "It's long past time for [Premier Doug] Ford to take action and help these shelters."
Windsor is one of many communities across Ontario that has declared intimate partner violence an epidemic. The province has not.
Meanwhile, 16 Days of Activism against Gender-Based Violence starts on Saturday, the International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women. It ends on December 10, Human Rights Day.
