Manitoba's crisis line phones may not be ringing off the hook, but alarm bells are.

Despite being ready to serve, Deena Brock, Manitoba Association of Women's Shelters Inc.'s (MAWS) provincial co-ordinator says beds at emergency family shelters remain empty and their call volumes are lower than in previous years.

"It got very quiet for a while, and it was very concerning to us for a number of reasons," Brock says.

Early into the pandemic, shelters saw a stark drop in demand in April and later on. It has not picked up much since then.

Brock says this is concerning. She says she knows there are people in need who do not know where to go, something she is hoping to change.

"That is the biggest fear. That somebody out there needs support, needs help, and isn't getting it or doesn't know where to turn to get it."

She says many people calling MAWS feel like they are being a bother, but Brock says that is never the case.

"I do occasionally hear people say 'well gee, I didn't even know there was a shelter. I didn't even know there were services out there," Brock says, noting that is it hard to get the message out there there are services for people who need them or wondering about what is available.

Oftentimes people will learn of new services they did not know were available to them. The thing making Brock scratch her head is trying to understand why people are not reaching out.

Late Wednesday evening, the coordinator was given a head's up that the province was putting a system into place for the shelters called Homeless Individuals and Families Information System (HIFIS).

"I think that will make things easier not just for the callers, but for the shelter staff."

Brock says the system will let workers identify where vacant beds might be instead of the caller having to hang up and hunt for shelters. When capacity changes minute by minute, the time between calls is crucial.

"In this day and age, we really should be able to provide them with the information, make it a one-stop-shop so to speak. They can make that one phone call to a shelter and get whatever it is they need."

Already in use at homeless shelters, the tool gives workers a database to find space in shelters for people calling. Brock says the women's shelters will be in their own "cluster," separate from homeless shelters. 

“This information system, currently being used in the homeless-serving sector in many jurisdictions across Canada, will enable family violence agencies to share data in a timely manner so they can identify available family-violence shelter beds and ensure timely access to vital supports for victims,” Sport, Culture and Heritage Minister Cathy Cox, the minister responsible for the status of women, said in a statement.

The system is not yet in place for domestic violence shelters.

End Homelessness's CEO Lucille Bruce says the system will be critical for families fleeing abuse.

MAWS can be reached online at maws.mb.ca. Their crisis phone number is 1-877-977-0007.

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