Expanding Safety: More Pathways for Families Experiencing Family Violence
Wings is pleased to share that we have submitted an application to the Government of Alberta’s redesigned Emergency Family Violence Services Grant Program to strengthen and expand access to safe housing and support for families experiencing family violence.
Through this application, Wings is seeking provincial investment to support 30 existing second-stage shelter units that we currently operate without government funding, as well as expanded Outreach and Alternative Service Delivery (ASD) that would allow us to support more families safely in the community.
Responding to a Regional Need
Across the Edmonton region, demand for family violence shelter and support continues to exceed available capacity.
During the regional 211 shelter pilot from July to November 2025, 1,296 unique callers sought shelter and 735 were unable to be accommodated due to available capacity.
Addressing this pressure requires more than simply adding one type of service. Families experiencing family violence have different needs and levels of risk, and our system needs a strong continuum of options to respond.
Emergency shelter provides critical immediate safety. Second-stage shelter provides families with more time and intensive support to rebuild their lives and move toward stable housing. Outreach and Alternative Service Delivery can create additional pathways for families who can be safely supported in the community.
Strengthening each part of this continuum can also help families move more effectively between services—freeing limited shelter capacity for those who need it most.
Building on What Works
For many years, Wings has relied on the extraordinary generosity of our donors and community to keep these 30 second-stage homes available to families without government operating funding.
Their support has helped ensure that women and children have access not only to safe, furnished housing, but also to the wrap-around services needed to recover from family violence and build sustainable futures.
And we know this longer-term approach works.
Approximately 98% of families supported by Wings do not return to their abuser, and families demonstrate meaningful improvements across areas of self-sufficiency as they move from immediate safety toward greater stability, independence and empowerment.
Provincial investment in these existing homes would provide a more sustainable foundation for this work while allowing philanthropic support to go even further.
Our donors will continue to be essential partners in Wings’ future. Their generosity can help us expand our reach, respond to emerging needs, strengthen housing and community-based supports, and continue developing innovative ways to create safety for families beyond the walls of our shelter.
Our application is designed to strengthen capacity at multiple points in the family violence service continuum.
Provincial investment in 30 existing second-stage shelter homes would strengthen longer-term shelter capacity and provide an important pathway for families who require continued safety and support beyond emergency shelter.
Expanded Outreach and Alternative Service Delivery would allow Wings to support additional families through individualized risk assessment, safety planning, case management, housing support and connections to community resources when their needs can be safely addressed outside of a shelter environment.
Together, these approaches can increase the number of families receiving support, improve pathways through the family violence service system and help preserve limited shelter spaces for families facing the greatest risk.
We are sincerely grateful to Minister Searle Turton and the Government of Alberta for this opportunity and for recognizing the importance of strengthening family violence services across our province.
“Over the past 40 years, Wings has seen what becomes possible when families have not only a safe place to live, but the time and support they need to rebuild their lives,” says Candace Smallwood, Executive Director of Wings. “This funding opportunity would allow us to build on that success—strengthening 30 existing second-stage homes while expanding Outreach and Alternative Service Delivery so we can support more families in the way that best meets their individual needs.
“These 30 homes exist today because of the extraordinary generosity of our donors and community. Their support has allowed Wings to keep these homes operating and available to families even without government operating funding. We are incredibly grateful for that partnership, and it will remain essential to our future. Government investment would allow us to build on what our donors have made possible and work together to expand our reach and respond to more families.
“We also know that shelter spaces across our region are limited. By creating more pathways to safety in the community and strengthening second-stage capacity, we can help preserve those spaces for families facing the greatest risk and who need the safety and intensive supports of a shelter environment. It is about making sure families can access the right support, at the right time.
“We are incredibly grateful to Minister Searle Turton and the Government of Alberta for this opportunity and for their continued investment in strengthening family violence services. With government, donors and community partners working together, we have an opportunity to build a stronger continuum of support and help more women and children move beyond violence toward lasting safety, stability and independence.”
As Wings celebrates 40 years of providing safe housing and support, this application represents an opportunity to build on four decades of community generosity, experience and demonstrated results—and create an even stronger foundation for the families who will need us in the years ahead.