Thursday, March 28, 2024

Province issues $5 million fund for support of women and children affected by violence

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Programs supporting women and children victims of violence are about to get a huge boost.

Earlier this week, B.C.’s provincial government announced a one-time funding of $5 million for community organizations across the province.

The move was made after assessing the needs of these organizations in order to reduce wait times and meet crisis control needs such as counselling and outreach.

A break-down of what the funds will be used for

  • One-time grants up to a total of $4 million are earmarked for programs across B.C. that address the needs of victims of domestic abuse and sexualized violence.
  • $800,000 will go to people like inter-agency case assessment teams of police officers, victim service workers, and transition house service providers, who provide safety for victims of high-risk domestic abuse cases.
  • $200,000 will be used to help better fund education and prevention programs across the province. The two programs sharing these funds are Be More Than a Bystander and Violence is Preventable.

 A step in the right direction

The announcement of the investment was made during the international 16 days of activism against gender-based violence (Nov. 25-Dec. 10), and marks a fulfillment of the provincial government’s promise to increase funding for the support of women who experience domestic violence, sexual assault and other crimes.

“Violence against women hurts everyone and has long-term effects on families and our communities,” said Premier John Horgan.

“For too long, community organizations helping women affected by violence have not had the resources and support they need, with gaps in service and growing waitlists for counselling and crisis programs.”

“People in crisis should not have to wait for help. Our government is enhancing supports for women and children affected by violence.”

Click here to find out more about victim services in British Columbia.

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Brishti Basu
Former Senior Staff Writer and Content Manager at Victoria Buzz.

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