Intertribal Life Newspaper -

Port Alberni, BC-The provincial government of British Columbia announced Oct. 25 that it will fund 280 new housing units in support of victims of violence, the first major investment in transition housing in more than two decades.

These homes will be delivered in 12 projects around the province. They are the first step in the government's new Building BC: Women's Transition Housing Fund, a $734-million investment over 10 years to build 1,500 transition housing, second-stage housing and affordable housing spaces for women and children fleeing violence.

Twenty of the housing units scheduled will be second-stage support housing in Port Alberni, which will extend the Alberni Community and Women's Resource Society's ability to support clients beyond the 30-day limit of its existing emergency shelter.

Reported cases of domestic violence in Port Alberni have risen steeply in recent years, increasing from 105 cases reported in 2015 to 335 cases reported in 2017. Statistics Canada data has indicated that the Port Alberni region has more than three times the national average of reported incidents, with 75 percent of domestic violence clients identifying as Aboriginal. Women will often stay in abusive relationships because they fear loss of income, loss of housing and loss of ways to take care of their children so one of the second-level housing units, providing a home for six to eighteen months will make a vital difference for those in dangerous relationships.

"These first projects will make a tremendous impact in the lives of women and children who need our help," said Selina Robinson, Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing, of the province-wide initiative. "For too long, a lack of investment has meant women and children looking for help at a desperate time have found themselves with nowhere to turn. This cannot continue. These homes are just the beginning of those to come over the next 10 years, as we work with non-profit partners to ensure more women and children have safe places to regroup, rebuild and reclaim their lives."

The housing will be operated by non-profit providers that specialize in housing and supports for women and children who are experiencing or are at risk of violence. The new housing will include funding for a range of services, including emotional support and safety planning. Projects will also include new affordable rental housing for women and children ready to move on to more permanent homes.

The Province, through BC Housing, selects projects based on community need, with the goal of getting work underway on 500 housing units within the next three years and 1,500 over the next decade.

Currently, the plans for the funds are to develop transitional houses, which are staffed round-the-clock and provide emergency shelter for women and children for up to 30 days; safe homes, which shelter women and children fleeing domestic violence, typically for 10 days; and second-stage housing for up to 18 months as women prepare for independent living.

Besides Port Albeni, the funds will also support projects in Burnaby, Chilliwack, Vancouver, Invermere, Kamloops, Kelowna, Kitimat, Prince George, Smithers, Nanaimo, and Langford.

"We are very excited by this new opportunity to provide second-stage housing for women and children leaving violent and abusive situations," says Makenna Rielly, executive director of the Victoria Women's Transition House Society. "This project will provide critically needed housing and supports to the families we serve . . . We are honored to be a part of an initiative that is responding to the needs of women and children in our region."