As part of a $7.5 million investment in local initiatives aimed at preventing crime, advancing healing and enhancing public safety, the B.C. government is providing grants to 17 Greater Victoria organizations through the Civil Forfeiture Office grant program.
"Community safety is one of our top priorities and a key part of that is ensuring organizations working in our communities have the resources they need to effect change," said Public Safety Minister Garry Begg in a news release. "Whether it's helping youth, preventing gender-based violence or supporting Indigenous healing, these investments are empowering communities to implement community-based initiatives that enhance safety."
In total, the funding will support 166 community-led projects throughout B.C., which fall under "key priority areas" like child and youth advocacy centres, crime prevention, domestic-violence prevention and intervention programming, gender-based violence, Indigenous healing, and restorative justice.
"Civil forfeiture grants have allowed the BC Network of Child and Youth Advocacy Centres (CYACs) to develop and run projects that enhance multi-disciplinary responses to Indigenous children and youth who have experienced sexual assault or other abuse," said Brooke McLardy, executive director of the BC Network of Child and Youth Advocacy Centres, in the release. "CYACs break down barriers to service, and by embedding carefully thought-out decolonizing practices, centres are more accessible and safer for those most impacted by trauma and gender-based violence."
The biggest grant coming to the region is $140,000 for the Child Abuse Prevention and Counselling Society of Greater Victoria.
Receiving $40,000 grants are:
- The Boys and Girls Club Services of Greater Victoria's Sooke-based Youth Connect Drop-In program
- The John Howard Society of Victoria's KidStart Mentoring Program
- The Island Sexual Health Society's YLEAD Youth Lived Experience Ambassador of Development program
- The Peers Victoria Resources Society's Violence Prevention and Response Program
- UVic's Healthy Relationships Skills in 2SLGBTQ+ Male Youth program
- The Vancouver Island Counselling Centre for Immigrants and Refugees' Empowering Transitions for Survivors of Gender-Based Violence project
- The Victoria Immigrant and Refugee Centre Society's Culturally Safe Solutions for Gender-Based Violence project
- Ahousaht First Nation's Urban Healing Through Cultural Initiatives project
- The First Nations Educational Foundation's Foundations for Youth Self Esteem project with Pauquachin First Nation
- The Oasis Society for the Spiritual Health of Victoria's Pathway to Healing program
- Our Place Society's Indigenous Culture and Healing Project
- The Saanich Peninsula Outreach Team Society's Saltwater People Healing Program
- The Victoria Sexual Assault Centre's Indigenous Response Network
- The Support Network for Indigenous Women's Empowering BIPOC LGBTQIA Communities Against Gender-Based Violence project
- The Peers Victoria Resources Society's Violence Prevention and Response Program
Additionally, the Pacific Centre Family Services Association will be receiving $80,000 for the Family Violence Prevention services in Colwood, and the Healthy Relationships project.
“There are so many wonderful people working in our community to lead programs that support people of all ages and needs to learn, grow, and heal,” said Darlene Rotchford, MLA for Esquimalt-Colwood. “With these grants, funds are taken out of systems causing harm to support systems creating change.”
The Warm Hearts Pet Safe Havens Association will also be receiving $37,496 to pilot a functional assessment tracker to assess and train dogs in transition houses.
“People sometimes need support to break cycles of violence, harm, and trauma,” noted Nina Krieger, MLA for Victoria-Swan Lake. “This funding will help our local organizations that are doing the work to break these cycles and create a better future for our community members.”
