Transition houses

Transition houses, safe homes, and second-stage houses provide temporary housing in a safe, secure environment for women and their children leaving abusive relationships. Their addresses are not widely publicized to try to keep them safer.

Women and their children usually stay in a transition house for less than a month. Safe homes provide temporary accommodation in communities where transition houses do not exist. The safe home may be a rental apartment, private home or hotel unit.

Second-stage houses help women who have left abusive relationships make long-term plans for independent living. Women and their children usually stay in second-stage houses for 9–12 months.

BC Housing provides contact lists for transition houses, safe homes, and second-stage houses (you need be registered to see the second-stage housing list).

BC Housing and BC Society of Transition Houses websites both contain a lot of good information about transition houses.