According to results from the most recent national victimization survey,1 approximately 10% of violent crime victims sought assistance from formal agencies with mandates to provide a wide range of support services to victims of crime. In Canada, shelters are among the types of agencies that support victims. Their main objective is to offer residential services to victims who are escaping an abusive situation. The Transition Home Survey (THS) provides an overview of shelters in Canada that offer services to abused women and their children.2 The THS also provides a profile of the persons who reside in shelters on a specific day of the year. This Juristat article focuses on the residents of shelters that assist female victims of violence and their children.3 The characteristics of women residing in shelters on April 16, 2008 are presented, as are the reasons that led them to seek such support services, and the types of shelters they sought to escape the abuse. Departures from shelters and re‑admissions are also examined.