Crisis Centre walk-in visits increase

The number of people seeking help from the Cayman Islands Crisis Centre’s walk-in centre has more than doubled over the last year, driven by concerns over immigration, as well as domestic abuse, the risk of homelessness and abusive behaviour following separation.

The figures were reported by Chrisanne Atkinson, outreach coordinator at the centre, who was speaking during a ceremony after the Silent Witness March which took place in George Town on 15 Oct.

Atkinson told the audience the Cayman Islands Crisis Centre responded to 303 crisis calls between January and September this year, and 104 members of the community were given shelter. So far in 2026, 49 people accessed the centre’s Estella’s Place walk-in service, compared with 23 people during all of last year.

Community need

“Behind each of those statistics, in our very small community, those persons could be someone within our own homes, someone within our own families, someone that we may work with, someone we may just casually know,” Atkinson said. “These numbers highlight the importance and need for us to stand up in the community.”

She said that immigration concerns as well as domestic abuse were among the reasons people were seeking help.

“There are a lot of persons who come to our doors who are experiencing immigration-related issues, in that they are facing risk of threat to their immigration status as well as risk of deportation,” said Atkinson.

She said that they were also seeing higher levels of post-separation abuse, explaining, “Even after someone has left an abusive situation, the abuse continues … It may show up in their divorce cases, it may show up with child custody arrangements, but this number shows us that we need to ensure that we continue to provide support even after someone has left.”

The charity is seeking to build a new emergency shelter and has so far raised 25% of the $6 million total cost, with Atkinson saying they hoped to break ground soon. The current shelter can only accommodate women and children, and it is hoped the new space, located on land given by government, will also be able to house men over the age of 15. 

The Cayman Islands Crisis Centre offers safe shelter, support and advocacy for survivors of domestic abuse. The 24/7 crisis line can be reached at 943 2422. Estella’s Place walk-in centre is on the 2^nd Floor, Crown Square, Eastern Avenue, George Town.