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| Backgrounder(s) & FactSheet(s): | Backgrounder |
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| Backgrounder(s) & FactSheet(s): | Backgrounder |
VICTORIA – Women and children seeking refuge from violence will soon have 24/7 access to all provincially funded transition houses, thanks to a $6-million boost over three years to the Province’s violence intervention supports, said Community Services Minister Ida Chong.
“We know that women are at
especially high risk at the point when they are leaving abusive relationships,
and this funding provides them with the assurance that transition staff will be
on-site at any time of the day or night, should they and their children need a
safe place to stay,” said Chong. “With this increase, we now spend almost $50
million each year on prevention initiatives, transition house services, safe
homes, second-stage housing, counselling, and outreach services to connect
vulnerable women with the services they may need.”
There are 60 provincially funded transition houses in B.C. Twenty-seven of them were already receiving funds to staff 24 hours a day. Some others have operated with on-call staffing, available after-hours by cell phone or pager to admit women needing assistance. This funding increase means the vast majority of transition houses are now operating 24/7 and the few remaining will be staffed at all hours by January 2008.
“It is important for a woman seeking the safety of a transition house, whether during the day or the middle of the night, to know staff are available to help her and her children,” said Mary Clifford, executive director of the BC/Yukon Society of Transition Houses. “For transition houses that have not had 24/7 support for women, this funding means they will be able to meet the emergency needs of women fleeing abuse, any time, by having on-site overnight staffing.”
For more information on programs and services to assist women fleeing abuse, go to www.cserv.gov.bc.ca.
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Ministry of Community Services 250 356-6334 |
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For more information on government services or to subscribe to the Province’s news feeds using RSS, visit the Province’s website at www.gov.bc.ca. |
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