The provincial government and Calgary-based energy giant TransCanada Corp. will be helping people stay connected in Prince George.
The province contributed $25,000 and TransCanada added $10,000 more to help keep the Metis Housing Society's Community Voice Mail program operating, program coordinator Kay Robinson said.
"It means we have some solid ground to stand on. it allows the program to go on," Robinson said.
Prince George was the second city in Canada, after Vancouver, to offer a Community Voice Mail program. The program offers people who aren't able to afford a cellular or home phone contract a phone number where people can call them and leave them a voice message.
Clients can then access the messages from any phone.
"We have 107 people using it right now," Robinson said. "It's available to anybody who needs a phone."
The program was launched this spring and provides a key link for people to stay in touch with family, apply for jobs and be contacted by potential employers, handle legal matters and arrange doctors appointments.
The Metis Housing Society has partnered with local agencies like Active Support Against Poverty and the Association Advocating for Women and Children to link clients to the service.
The program has helped people rebound from difficult periods in their lives, Robinson said.
"If you don't have a phone number, you have no real way of advancing yourself," Metis Housing Society executive director Leo Hebert told the Citizen in an interview earlier this year. "It's hard to even try. It is such a fundamental obstacle, and we are working to remove that for a lot of people."
TransCanada provided the money as a one-time grant through its community outreach program along the proposed route of the Coast GasLink Pipeline.
"At TransCanada we strive to demonstrate our commitment to being a good neighbour and a dependable and trusted community partner," Jaimie Harding said in a written statement. Harding is the community relations lead for the Coastal GasLink Pipeline.
"We make a point of listening to our neighbours and we support organizations and initiatives that bring communities together, develop leadership and support families. We are proud to be partnering with the Metis Housing Society, and helping to empower our community by supporting Community Voice Mail."
For more information about the program, contact Robinson by email at cvm@pgmhs.com or call 250-564-9794.
