Domestic violence shelters across western Montana said they are grappling with a severe volunteer shortage, which has led at least one shelter to reduce services.
The Abbie Shelter in Kalispell offers shelter services for domestic violence survivors and operates a 24/7 helpline for people to reach out. The nonprofit has always grappled with limited volunteers and now is increasingly dealing with burnout as call volumes increase.
Executive Director Hillary Shaw said the shelter will now limit the number of shifts volunteers can take to keep them on call.
“And that just means we literally do not have enough people – the math just doesn’t add up – to staff all of those off hours shifts,” Shaw said.
Shaw expects up to eight overnight call line shifts to go unfilled per month. That’s typically when call volumes are lowest. She said that will allow the shelter to prioritize an increasing number of calls during the day.
The Abbie Shelter isn’t alone. Other shelters like Safe Harbor in Ronan say they’ve seen a drop in volunteers as well as burnout. Executive Director Brandi Clark spoke on the matter.
“It can be a little too much for people to hear what’s going on with these emergency type deals. Not many people can handle it,” Clark said.
Both Safe Harbor and the YWCA in Missoula say they are filling unfilled volunteer shifts with staff for now, but note that’s not sustainable long-term.
They said increasing call volumes also pose a threat to retaining both staff and volunteers.
