This release was issued under a previous government.
L-R: Colleen Lewis, regional coordinator, Central Alberta Vision for Non-Violence Coalition, Sean McIntyre, mayor of Sylvan Lake, Tara Veer, mayor of Red Deer, Barb Miller, MLA for Red Deer South, Kim Schreiner, MLA for Red Deer North and Irfan Sabir, Minister of Community and Social Services
“Every Albertan deserves to have a place to call home and live free from violence. This funding will help address homelessness and domestic violence in Red Deer, Sylvan Lake and the surrounding areas. Together, with our community partners, we are working hard to make life better for all Albertans.”
The funding includes:
- $125,000 to the City of Red Deer to increase its capacity to provide Housing First programming and services for homeless Albertans.
- $150,000 to the Town of Sylvan Lake to help implement a community action plan to address family violence.
The $125,000 is part of $2.5 million provided in Budget 2017-2018 to help communities better house and support homeless Albertans using a Housing First approach. This funding is in addition to the more than $3.5 million provided annually to the City of Red Deer for this purpose.
The government also recently invested more than $36,000 to upgrade Red Deer’s adult emergency shelter and address fire and safety risks. The money is in addition to the $596,000 provided annually to support the shelter.
“We are grateful for additional funding from the Province to provide support for housing outreach services in our community. As we continue on the path to eliminate homelessness, the Province, the City and community agencies recognize the importance of working together to respond to our economic climate and the ongoing need for housing and supports for our vulnerable citizens.”
Through the Family and Community Safety Program, the $150,000 grant is being used by the Town of Sylvan Lake to create centres in 13 central-Alberta communities to provide consistent information, resources and referral supports to those affected by family violence and bullying.
Sylvan Lake is working with Benalto, Bentley, Blackfalds, Bowden, Delburne, Eckville, Elnora, Innisfail, Lacombe, Rimbey, Rocky Mountain House and Stettler to establish a centre in each area.
The 13 communities have formed the Central Alberta Regional Vision for Non-Violence Coalition to develop and share resources.
“This grant funding has allowed our Coalition to begin steps towards addressing Family Violence in each of our communities. We will be using the same language and resources, working towards our common goals and providing seven different education and training opportunities for service providers in our Coalition. Also, we will be creating a Centre for Positive Relationships in each of the thirteen Coalition communities.”
This year, the Alberta government is investing $3.3 billion in community and social services to protect and improve the services that make a difference to Albertans.