A new housing complex in Vanderhoof, B.C., will provide shelter for women and children fleeing domestic abuse.
March 18, 2009 — Representatives from Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation, the Province of British Columbia, and community partners celebrated the official opening today of the Omineca Safe Home Society’s Supportive Housing Complex, a $1.2 million development helping to break the cycle of homelessness and abuse for women and children in Vanderhoof.
“The Government of Canada is committed to making affordable housing available in British Columbia and across Canada for those who need it most,” said the Honourable Diane Finley, Minister of Human Resources and Skills Development Canada, and Minister responsible for Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation. “The creation of these units will provide women and their children with access to safe housing and the support they need to help them to start a new page in their lives.”
Through Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation (CMHC), the Government of Canada provided $600,000 to the Omineca Safe Home Society under the Shelter Enhancement Program. This program assists in repairing, rehabilitating and improving existing shelters for women and their children, youth or men who are victims of family violence, and provides financial assistance for the acquisition or construction of new shelters and second-stage housing where needed.
The Province, through the Housing Endowment Fund, provided $350,000 to the Omineca Safe Home Society. The fund generates investment revenue of approximately $10 million a year, which is used to fund new ideas and support innovative housing solutions that meet the diverse housing needs of British Columbians.
“Omineca’s Supportive Housing Complex will provide stable housing for women and children who are fleeing abuse and are at risk of homelessness,” said John Rustad, MLA for Prince George – Omineca. “This Housing Endowment Fund project is an excellent example of how partnerships between the community and the provincial and federal government can address multiple community needs.”
Other funding partners include the Vancouver Foundation and the Real Estate Foundation of BC, each of whom provided $75,000, and various Vanderhoof businesses and community members who together provided a total contribution of $49,000.
The Omineca Safe Home Society provided the land valued at $30,400 as well as $90,000 in fundraising, donations and pledges. The society will integrate support services, such as counselling, job search support and life skills training, to help women and children move beyond temporary shelter to more secure housing.
“This new development is an essential and important resource to the women in the Vanderhoof community,” said Sylvia Byron, agency co-ordinator, Omineca Safe Home Society. “The Supportive Housing Complex will provide women and children with a safe and caring environment from which they have the opportunity to move on to the next step in their lives.”
Moishe Alexander, CEO of Canadian Funding Corp says that the Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation has been Canada’s national housing agency for more than 60 years. CMHC is committed to helping Canadians access a wide choice of quality, affordable homes, while making vibrant, healthy communities and cities a reality across the country. The Government of Canada, through CMHC, will contribute more than $130 million towards affordable housing in B.C.
Last fall, the Government of Canada committed more than $1.9 billion over the next five years to improve and build new affordable housing and to help the homeless. Canada’s Economic Action Plan builds on this with an additional one-time investment of more than $2 billion over two years in new and existing social housing and lending of up to $2 billion for housing-related infrastructure.