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Grants help combat crime and violence
Two East Kootenay-based organizations that work to safeguard vulnerable young people from gang involvement and protect victims of domestic, sexual and other forms of violence will benefit from government grants totalling $24,943 to support at-risk youth.
This is part of a nearly $7.2-million province-wide investment— the largest-ever one-time grants investment in community crime prevention in B.C. — combining $5.5 million in provincial Civil Forfeiture Office (CFO) proceeds and $1.69 million from criminal forfeiture proceeds.
East Kootenay recipients:
Ktunaxa/Kinbasket Child and Family Services Society: $19,943 for its Healing the Young Spirit program. This project will focus on engaging at-risk youth in pro-social activities through structured recreation activities, as well as re-engagement with culture and traditional knowledge through Aboriginal Elders’ Lenses and Positive Choice Workshops. Recreational activities will be facilitated once per week, cultural activities once per week and positive choices workshops twice a month.
Fernie Women’s Resource Centre: $5,000 for Workshops around Healthy Relationships and Sexuality. This funding will provide four workshops for front line victim service and violence against women service providers in Fernie on healthy relationships and healthy sexuality with the aim to reduce the incidence of domestic and sexual violence. The training will assist workers with safety planning, particularly with youth.
“The Civil Forfeiture Office takes away the tools and proceeds of crime and puts them back into community programs that promote positive awareness and crime prevention,” Kootenay East MLA Bill Bennett said. “These grants will support the great work carried out by these great organizations for people in the East Kootenay.”
In all, more than 250 projects and programs throughout the province will receive a one-time grant. Nearly $2 million is dedicated to gang and youth crime prevention, and more than $3.5 million will go to community services that address violence against women and girls. The remainder will support training and education for frontline victims service workers, police training and special equipment, and restorative justice.
This year a new stream of civil forfeiture grants is dedicated to programs focused on sexual assault, including responses to sexual assault on post-secondary campuses. This builds on our Vision for a Violence Free BC, the province’s long-term strategy to end all forms of violence against women.
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