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Women and children fleeing violence in the B.C. Interior will soon have more safe places to regroup, recover and rebuild.
Mayor Colin Basran was part of an announcement today regarding a provincial commitment to create around 40 units of new second-stage and permanent affordable housing.
The housing is for women and their children in the B.C. Interior who are leaving violent relationships.
“Family violence has devastating and lifelong impacts on women, children and their communities,” said Mitzi Dean, parliamentary secretary for gender equality. “Our government is working hard to make sure women and children have the homes and support they need to be able to leave violent situations.”
“These new transition homes in Kelowna and the Interior will make our communities safer and help women and their families rebuild their lives in safety and security, free from violence.”
It’ll be funded through the Building BC: Women’s Transition Fund, which is currently building 280 new homes through 12 projects in communities around the province.
Today, Basran said how important it is to have this kind of transitional housing in Kelowna, allowing women and children a safe and inclusive community to start a new chapter in their lives.
Day-to-day operations and tenant selection will be managed by the Kelowna Women’s Shelter, who will also offer ongoing counselling, support and preventative education programs for free.
“We’ve seen a steady increase in the number of women and children staying in our women’s transition house longer than the traditional 30-day limit due to a lack of safe, affordable housing options for them in the community,” said Karen Mason, executive director, Kelowna Women’s Shelter.
“This project will not only create much needed housing in Kelowna, but also give us the opportunity to provide a broader safety net of support to the families in our care.”
Final project details are subject to change, but proposed support services include access to health services, counselling, resume building, interview skills and various workshops.
The province also announce similar transition home projects in Kamloops and Invermere today.
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