Transition houses, women's centres get funding

The province is providing $500,000 to transition houses and women's centres allowing the 18 facilities to continue providing quality services and programs to benefit women and their children.

"Increasing the funding is the right decision to make and will help keep services and programming available to women and their children who need support in every region," said Community Services Minister Denise Peterson-Rafuse. "We promised to increase funding for these important programs and today we are keeping our commitment."

The eight women's centres will receive a funding increase of $27,778 to continue providing services to women and girls across the province. It is the first increase in 10 years.

Women's centres provide individual counselling to women in crisis situations as well as programs that support the well being of girls, female adolescents and women.

"We are encouraged by this addition to our budgets," said Myrene Keating-Owen, chairperson of Women's Centres Connect. "These additional funds will help us to sustain the programs and services we provide to women and adolescent girls in rural Nova Scotia."

Seven of the nine transition homes and Naomi Society, a outreach-second stage housing organization, will receive a funding increase of $21,197 to continue quality programs and services for abused women and their children.

The Transition House Association of Nova Scotia and outreach organizations provide crisis and transitional services for women and their children who experience violence and abuse. There are nine transition houses and one outreach-second stage housing facility funded by the Department of Community Services. This is their first operational funding increase in over a decade.

"We thank government for honouring their commitment to increase funding for transition houses and outreach organizations," said Rhonda Fraser, executive director of Chrysalis House and a member of the Transition House Association of Nova Scotia. "A vibrant not-for-profit sector is necessary to build a sustainable future for our families and our communities."

Bryony House will receive an increase of $75,000. This increase reflects the size of the operation as well as the larger population they serve.

Cape Breton Transition House will receive an increase of $33,197. The increase represents the $21,197, plus an additional $12,000, to address it's specific staffing needs.

"These facilities provide an important lifeline to women and their children who experience violence," said Peterson-Rafuse. "We took the task of funding allocation very seriously."