Funding seeks to fill shelter worker shortage

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This article was published 13/06/2022 (1356 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

New funding to train shelter workers will be a boon for the sector amid labour shortages, says YWCA Brandon executive director Heather Symbalisty.

On Monday, the provincial government announced $450,000 in funding to develop a micro-credentialing program at Red River College to train shelter workers.

The Manitoba Status of Women Secretariat at the provincial cabinet level is partnering with the Manitoba Association of Women’s Shelters to run a one-year pilot program with 30 available seats for students.

Symbalisty expressed hope this would address a shortage of qualified workers the Westman Women’s Shelter has experienced for a few years now, only made worse during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The shelter, which is operated by the YWCA, can accommodate up to 24 women and children at once. In addition to emergency accommodations for those fleeing domestic violence, the shelter offers counselling, assistance with legal and medical issues and a 24-hour crisis line.

“You have to have staff that are quite open to learning different things and in a very high-stress work environment,” Symbalisty said. “We’re looking for some part-time staff to offset some of the shifts that we have, especially ones that are in the evening and overnight. Those are shifts that are challenging for us to fill. Because unfortunately, domestic violence doesn’t stop during the day.”

Prior to the announcement, Symbalisty said the YWCA was brainstorming ways to improve the working experience for staff and provide them with additional training.

“It’s so specialized a sector that we want to make sure we give them all the tools possible for good experiences in the workplace.”

Going forward, she said adding seats for a similar program locally at Assiniboine Community College would be welcome.

As has been mentioned as a concern for the nursing and health-care sectors, Symbalisty said that retaining workers has been a worry for shelters because of a high rate of burnout.

At Brandon’s Samaritan House Ministries, which operates a transitional house for women and children alongside a safe and warm shelter, executive director Barb McNish said a lack of credentials hasn’t been a problem when recruiting new staff.

“It’s part-time [work] because our shelter operates in the evenings and in the mornings and not all day long,” McNish said. “We post it as casual work because not everyone can work those shifts. When we post an ad, we’re very clear about what we need.”

In the release issued by the province on the funding announcement, Spruce Woods MLA and deputy premier Cliff Cullen said that Manitoba and Canada as a whole saw the success of offering micro-credentials to alleviate workforce shortages.

“The [family violence] shelters have struggled for years to attract and retain qualified long-term applicants,” Manitoba Association of Women’s Shelters Deena Brook said in the same release. “The micro-credential program will address this gap and help all shelters to provide consistent frontline services and support to Manitobans in need of refuge.”

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