ACWS 2023 Data Release

The Alberta Council of Women’s Shelters (ACWS) is the provincial network organization of domestic violence and elder abuse shelters in Alberta. We bring 40 years of experience and knowledge to serve our 41 members operating over 50 shelters across the province for those facing domestic violence and abuse. Every year, ACWS compiles and analyzes the data provided by shelters from the previous fiscal year. This data provides important insights into the experiences of domestic violence and abuse survivors as well as the frontline agencies that support them.

While the data reveals disturbing trends, there has been incredible work done by domestic violence shelters to respond and we have tried to share those stories here.

This year’s data release, On the Front Lines: Striving to End Domestic Violence and Abuse Together, is bigger than ever.
Not only do we share the aggregated data from domestic violence shelters across Alberta, we share the human stories behind the numbers. While the numbers reveal sobering facts, we share the innovations and successes that give us hope.

View a map of Alberta which outlines the support shelters have provided by region and Treaty.

View the Map

Since ACWS began collecting data 30 years ago, domestic violence shelters have served over 2 million vulnerable Albertans.

• In the past year alone, shelters provided 58,065 services to vulnerable Albertans.
• In 2022–2023, shelters answered 59,215 calls for help.
• Shelters do not only provide a roof over survivors’ heads, they support survivors in their healing journey, and in many ways, this has been a year of successes