By early summer Prince George should have its own high risk domestic violence unit - a team to help families struggling under the threat of aggression.
Prince George and District Elizabeth Fry Society was successful in a grant application to the province's civil and criminal forfeiture programs.
The $100,000, announced Wednesday, is only enough to keep the unit alive for a year but Fry executive director Kathi Heim said she expects it'll make a difference.
"There are several domestic violence units throughout B.C now and we really felt that it was important that Prince George also have a high-risk domestic violence unit," Heim said.
The team will include a RCMP officer, a community based victim service worker and an embedded MCFD Child Protection Worker. It's yet to be finalized, but Heim hopes to have the office at the RCMP station.
Prince George RCMP has had a domestic violence unit, and an officer dedicated to those files, since 2012.
"(The new unit) is to continue the work of that officer but from a team perspective," and with the goal "to provide enhanced services to the victims of domestic violence."
Having a home base at the RCMP offices is a good fit, Heim said.
"One of (victims') first avenues is often to call the police for assistance."
But more important is those on the team have a nuanced understanding around how to deal with victims of domestic violence.
"It's really integral to providing a real well-rounded support system to that individual or to the family because there may be children there too. We want to make sure that we go in with all the support that we can possibly offer and make sure that family is aware of all the choices and supports that can be available to them if they so choose."
In February 2015, premier Christy Clark released a "Violence Free B.C." strategy and said the province would hand out $3 million in civil forfeiture funds this year to pay for a new domestic violence unit in Surrey, local support services and an awareness campaign.
That awareness campaign - #SaySomething - was unveiled Tuesday in an effort to address sexual assault.
In 2014 there were an estimated 70,000 sexual assault incidents in B.C. but only five per cent of them were reported to police, according to the campaign website. And in 2013, more than 12,300 instances of intimate-partner violence were reported to police, while 113 women died as a result of domestic violence in the past decade, according to provincial data.
"Domestic violence unfortunately is alive and well in all communities and it doesn't matter if it's Prince George or a small community," Heim said.
"So through the good work that we can do by developing more resources and supported systems," like the domestic violence units "we can better respond to the individuals that are requiring assistance and help in order to end violence that may be happening in their life.
"It's only going to mean better services for Prince George for those that are experiencing violence."
The society received a further $25,000 to coordinate services for women in the sex trade and women and youth at risk of exploitation in the Prince George area.
-- with files from Mark Nielsen
