North-Central women’s shelters receive vital funding

LAC LA BICHE, ALBERTA, August 10, 2017 — The Government of Canada and Alberta are investing $1.6 million in three women’s shelters in north-central Alberta, for maintenance, repairs and new construction of shelters and transitional housing to support women and children fleeing family violence.

The funding includes:

• More than $1 million to the St. Paul and District Crisis Association to make critical upgrades and add capacity to the women’s shelter and transitional housing units.
• $500,000 to Lac La Biche’s Hope Haven Society to add transitional housing units.
• Almost $30,000 to the Wellspring Family Resource and Crisis Centre in Whitecourt for renovations.

The Honourable Amarjeet Sohi, Minister of Infrastructure and Communities, on behalf of the Honourable Jean-Yves Duclos, Minister of Families, Children and Social Development and Minister Responsible for Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation (CMHC), along with the Honourable Irfan Sabir, Minister of Community and Social Services, made the announcement today.

Quick facts:

• The money is a portion of the $6.15 million provided to Alberta by the federal government to support the construction and renovation of off-reserve shelters and transitional housing for families fleeing family violence, through the Investment in Affordable Housing Agreement.
• The Alberta government provides more than $49 million annually to support women’s shelters. This includes providing operational funding for 710 beds in 30 women’s emergency shelters, as well as programming in 11 second stage shelters and fee-for-service agreements with five First Nations on-reserve shelters.

Quotes:

“Our Government is dedicated to helping those in need, which is why we are proud to invest in these important initiatives. These new and updated units are more than just safe places to live, the vital support services women and children will receive there come at an absolutely crucial time, and have the potential to become the groundwork for a better life in the future.”
— Amarjeet Sohi, Minister of Infrastructure and Communities

“We know that the lack of proper housing and support may perpetuate violence and make it difficult to break away from abusive relationships. This funding will give crucial supports to women and children fleeing violence. It will not only ensure they have a safe place to stay, but also a supportive community to help them recover and regain their independence.”
— Irfan Sabir, Minister of Community and Social Services

“We know that many of the women and children who leave our shelter return to their abusive partners because of a lack of affordable housing options, lack of financial stability and because of fear. This shelter expansion, which includes a second-stage apartment model, will help to address those issues. With the expansion, we will not only increase our space, we will increase our programming, allowing us to help more people for longer lengths of time.”
— Noreen Cotton, Executive Director, St. Paul and District Crisis Association

Associated links:

• CMHC has been helping Canadians meet their housing needs for more than 70 years. As Canada’s authority on housing, CMHC contributes to the stability of the housing market and financial system, provide support for Canadians in housing need, and offer unbiased housing research and advice to Canadian governments, consumers and the housing industry. Prudent risk management, strong corporate governance and transparency are cornerstones of our operations. For more information, please call 1-800-668-2642.

Media contacts:

Kate Toogood
Press Secretary, Community and Social Services
780-918-1616
kate.toogood@gov.ab.ca

Gabriel Teo
Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation
604-737-4137
gteo@cmhc-schl.gc.ca

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