Caution: This story contains details that some readers can find a disturbing.
She remembers being dragged by her hair through broken glass that cover the floor of her apartment. I was finding something to hold on, but there was nothing to grab.
He was one of the worst attacks he suffered at the hands of his partner.
“He was throwing me as a rag doll because it is much bigger than me,” he said in a recent interview with CBC News. “And I remember seeing many broken things in the house.”
The woman, whose CBC News identity is protecting because she fears for her safety, survived a case of intimate couple violence that, according to her, could have ended in her death.
Although judicial records show that their ex has been accused of a series of crimes, including multiple assault positions, their struggle to stand up has not been easy.
When the relationship ended, he sought housing support specifically designed by the New Scotland government to help survivors of gender violence. But it was repeatedly denied, and it took six months and the defense of multiple organizations and the office of its MLA so that the woman’s application was finally accepted.
In a province that has declared the violence of the intimate couple an epidemic and has seen eight people killed since October whose deaths are related to their male partners, the woman wants support to be faster for people fleeing domestic violence.
Susan Leblanc, the MLA for Dartmouth North, advocated that the woman on her month trip is accepted in the program. She says that this case illustrates a major problem.
“The fact that these barriers exist for people, anyone who generally tries to navigate provincial systems, but especially for people who live with gender violence and seek a way out,” said Leblanc, a member of the PND of the opposition.
‘You are just a number’
In the summer of 2024, the woman still lived in the same apartment, which she was in poor condition and insecure.
She was out of work, diagnosed with PTSD and underwent the trauma therapy she had suffered in the relationship. He said that after his partner’s arrest, victims’ services had told him that a police risk assessment questionnaire had revealed that he had a high risk of being killed by him.
But women’s bills accumulated and needed financial help to find a new place to live where her ex could not find her.
He began working with the Halifax Bryony House domestic violence, the Welcome Housing Housing Support Organization and the Leblanc office. It was referred to the survivors of the province of the Housing Benefit of Gender Violence, which provides up to $ 1,400 in monthly housing support for at least a year.
CBC News reviewed multiple emails in which the Leblanc office continued with respect to women’s request, and employees of the Department of Municipal Affairs and Housing of the province explained why the woman did not qualify.
The reasons included that it still resided in the same apartment since it had not yet found a new place to live and that it was already receiving a different rental supplement of about $ 600, approximately half of the amount of the gender -based violence subsidy.
“In his particular case, he did not have enough money to pay the rent and, therefore, was looking at an eviction,” Leblanc said. “But it could be any situation in which people basically do not leave a violent situation due to the waiting time … which is very dangerous.”
Leblanc said that for several months, through “a series of emails and telephone calls and defense,” the situation was resolved. The woman began to receive the support of gender violence dedicated in January and now lives in a new apartment.
“I think the way the system is built is that you definitely need people to advocate you,” said the woman. “And otherwise, you are only a number.”
‘Concerned’ housing department for the history of women
An interview application for Colton Leblanc, the minister in charge of the house was rejected.
A spokesman said in an email that the Growth and Development Department, which now encompasses the house, was “concerned with knowing about the difficulties experienced by the individual referred to.”
“While we strive to provide timely access to support, we recognize that in this case, the process took more than it should,” wrote spokeswoman Amy Wagg.
Wagg said it has been approved by a average application for average, and the average monthly payment is $ 1,110.
According to the department, since the program was launched last July, 245 people have received the benefit, 74 applications remain in Progreso and 47 have not been approved “due to inelegability, incomplete documentation or who already receive support through other housing programs.”
In March, Susan Leblanc mentioned the woman’s experience in the house of the Assembly.
Prime Minister Tim Houston responded by saying: “We will undoubtedly withdraw it and make sure that the program meets the needs to which it is designed. And this would certainly sound as an example in which there could be a failure.”
When asked what changes have been made in force since this case was put in light, Wagg mentioned the changes that have been implemented at several times since the program was introduced, including providing “more flexibility to accommodate individual and unique circumstances”, establish regular communication with agencies and defenders of references, and introduce a dedicated case administrator for the program to guarantee the coherence in the approach.
