Western Canada's first transition house for men and children opens in Calgary: CCMF

A shelter for men and children opened in southwest Calgary by the Canadian Centre for Men and Families (CCMF). (Teri Fikowski/CTV News)

A space for men and children escaping domestic violence opening in Calgary Tuesday is the first in western Canada, according to the Canadian Centre for Men and Families (CCMF).

The non-descript, interim housing facility is in the southwest community of Parkhill. The 11-unit building is currently using four units with plans to expand.

“In Alberta, as in most of Canada, fathers and children face barriers to accessing support services during times of crisis,” said Bill Fitzsimmons, CCMF Alberta executive director.

“Fathers who suffer violence in the home often have no safe place where they can escape to with their children.”

The facility has the capacity to house around 35 people, a combination of men and their children, with a minimum of a 31-day stay.

In addition to housing and a safe environment, the CCMF offers clients entering the facility the resources they need to rebuild their lives, including therapy, legal support, parenting programs and trauma recovery peer groups.

“Men often have a need to get out of a dangerous situation, they don’t want to leave their children behind, and the dilemma is there’s not many spaces they can go to,” Fitzsimmons said.

“So, this space is designed to accommodate men and their children together rather than what is often the case, men have to separate from their children.”

According to the CCMF, one-in-six cases of domestic violence are against men.

“We know men underreport instances of intimate partner violences because of the shame and stigma, so we think it’s important we have the services and offers the supports to those individuals,” said Fitzsimmons.

According to Statistics Canada, from 2018 to 2023 there was a larger increase in family and intimate partner violence for men and boys, though women and girls are still overrepresented among victims.

Women and girls account for 68 per cent of victims of family violence and 78 per cent of intimate partner violence.

“We’re not downplaying the risk to women,” said Fitzimmons. “We know that young men and young boys are failing significantly so our aim is to surround the women in our lives with strong men and healthy men and that’s how we’ll better protect women.”

The CCMF works with agencies across Alberta, including many organizations that serve women, to provide support to families in crisis and said the demand for services for all genders is high in Calgary.

This is CCMF’s second facility for men and children.

In 2021, it established a shelter for fathers and children in Toronto, which has housed more than 300 people to date and has a continuous wait list.

Daniel Williams was one of the first clients to stay at the shelter in Toronto with his two young girls.

“I was down on my luck and looking for somewhere and I was really desperate, I had my children at the time,” he said.

“I was able to get counselling and a lawyer to deal with my situation and as time went by, (my) situation got better and better so I ended up getting a job, getting a place and getting up on my feet again.”

Had it not been for the shelter, Williams said he would have had to separate from his children and leave them in a situation he didn’t believe was safe.

“It was a lifesaver,” he said. “It’s not about being masculine or not masculine, it’s about seeking help.”

A grand opening of the Calgary facility will take place from 6- 8 p.m. on Tuesday, and will include a virtual tour and presentation.