The provincial government is funding 280 new homes for women and children in violent situations.
The new transitional homes are spread across the province, including 40 second-stage transitional units in Kamloops, according to a government press release. In Prince George, 18 transitional house beds, 16 second-stage units and 21 townhouses for permanent, affordable housing are being funded. In both cases, the local Elizabeth Fry societies are operating the housing.
Cassandra Schwarz, executive director of the Kamloops and District Elizabeth Fry Society, says this announcement has been a long time coming and creates a huge new resource.
"We've been working on this project for many years, and hitting a lot of stalls," she says. "It's an exciting day for us."
The second-stage housing Prince George and Kamloops are getting is a transitional type of long-term housing, moving women and children from a shelter into a space they can live in for about two years before they move onto something like an affordable housing program, Schwarz says. The Kamloops society operates 100 units of affordable housing.
The funding for the housing comes from the provincial government's Women's Transition Housing Fund, with plans to fund 1,500 units over 10 years with $734 million, according to the release.
"These homes will allow women and children to heal with the supports and services they need, as they begin the process of rebuilding their lives," Premier John Horgan says in the release.
In 2012, a survey found 350 women needed a service like this, Schwarz says. The Elizabeth Fry Society was able to fund five units, and that's all the city has had since then, so adding 40 units is huge, she tells KamloopsMatters.
"We're so thrilled!"
In total, more than 275 units have been approved in cities including Nanaimo, Kitimat, Smithers and Kelowna.
