Shelter + A Domestic Violence Response Network in Newfoundland and Labrador

Abstract

Access to long term affordable housing and community support is a critical component of providing care for domestic violence survivors. In Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada, many of the industries that have historically sustained rural life are diminishing and leaving these economies behind. Canada is experiencing rising incidences of domestic violence in affected rural communities like those found in the Maritimes. With little geographic access to urban resources, survivors of family and intimate partner violence can become trapped in a cycle of repeated aggression and violence. This thesis explores issues of domestic and intimate partner violence as affected by rural and environmental stressors. Through research and design analysis, it proposes a domestic violence shelter network to respond to these unique conditions. The center of this network is in Newfoundland and Labrador’s capital, St. John’s. Understanding domestic violence as a systemic issue that needs to be addressed on multiple levels drives this thesis.