ABSTRACT
This chapter presents narratives from twenty women who resided in emergency violence against women (VAW) shelters from across Canada documenting the nature of the abuse from which they sought shelter, their supports prior to going to shelter, their experiences while in shelter. In thinking about their time in the emergency VAW shelters, the majority of the comments were positive, although one woman had nothing good to say about her shelter residency, with the staff as her primary concern. Many of the comments simply endorsed the fact that their shelter stay was valuable and assisted them in a number of ways. Twelve of the twenty former residents shared concerns or made suggestions that could have improved their shelter stays. One of the primary reasons for interviewing the twenty women was to discover how they were faring several months after having resided in the shelter. The women were asked whether any individual, including a new partner, was abusing them since the shelter.
