Crooks are doing their part to help vulnerable women in Burnaby this year.
Five local organizations dedicated to combating sexual exploitation and violence against women will share a total of $125,000 in grants, thanks to assets seized from criminals by B.C.’s Civil Forfeiture Office.
Through the Crime Prevention and Remediation grant program, the Civil Forfeiture Office aims to undermine the profit motive behind crime by taking away the tools and proceeds of crime and putting them back into programs that support community crime prevention and safety.
Minister of Public Safety and Solicitor General Mike Farnworth announced this year’s grants at an event in Surrey Friday.
Just over $6 million in one-time grants will be distributed this year to more than 170 organizations and projects.
“Many of these organizations are working with our most vulnerable citizens, helping them to rebuild and heal after years of violence or working to prevent youth from engaging in a life of crime,” Farnworth said.
In Burnaby, Vancouver & Lower Mainland Multicultural Family Support Services Society will get $30,000 for workshops aimed at educating immigrant and refugee women about the impact of domestic and sexual violence on their health and lives and that of their children.
Dixon Transition Society will get $30,000 to fund an Indigenous community liaison who will bring an Indigenous lens to Dixon Transition Society’s programs and build partnerships with Indigenous service providers to support women and children accessing Dixon programs.
The Salvation Army will get $30,000 for a project that helps women and children fleeing domestic violence settle into new homes after their stay in a transition house by providing items like beds and mattresses, linens and towels, pots and pans, dishes and other items.
Asian Women for Equality Society will get $25,000 to fund workshops and legal clinics for service providers and vulnerable women in the sex trade to increase their awareness and under-standing of criminal records and pardon applications to reduce barriers to employment, education and participation in community activities.
And Cameray Child & Family Services will get $10,000 to fund two, seven-week support groups for girls who have experienced sexual assault. The groups are aimed at creating a safe space for girls to create social connections with other girls who have gone through similar experiences.
“The recipients of this year’s grants work with some of Burnaby’s most vulnerable,” Burnaby North MLA Janet Routledge said in a press release. “The healing and restorative nature of these projects will address the root issues of crime and help make Burn-aby a safer place for all of us.”
Since 2006, the Crime Prevention and Remediation grant program has distributed more than $39 million to organizations throughout B.C.
