The City of Victoria has received $750,000 in federal funding to support a new initiative aimed at preventing crime and improving safety and wellbeing among young people in the city.
The funding comes from Public Safety Canada’s Crime Prevention Action Fund and will support the Spark Program for Enhanced Youth Safety and Wellbeing, a City-led initiative focused on children, youth and young adults under the age of 30.
According to the City, the program is designed to reduce crime and violence through upstream, prevention-based efforts that target known risk factors and strengthen belonging, resilience and social connection among at-risk youth.
“Local organizations are experiencing unprecedented demand for their programs and services to support at-risk children, youth and families,” said Mayor Marianne Alto.
“This funding helps activate the prevention and intervention aspects of the City’s Community Safety and Wellbeing Plan and will help our partners strengthen belonging in our community.”
The Spark program brings together 16 local organizations and will deliver 19 projects over the next three months, including three projects led directly by the City.
Funded initiatives include youth case management, counselling, mentorship, employment supports, skills development, and increased access to arts, culture and recreation programming.
“Through the Crime Prevention Action Fund, our government is investing in programs like Spark that build resilience, reduce risk, and create pathways to brighter futures, allowing every young person to feel safe, supported, and connected to their community,” said Gary Anandasangaree, Minister of Public Safety.
Victoria MP Will Greaves said the funding will help deliver trauma-informed supports ranging from counselling and mentorship to skills-building and safe spaces for youth.
“I know that community safety starts long before a crisis, by making sure young people feel supported, connected, and seen,” Greaves said.
The City says the program aligns with its Community Safety and Wellbeing Plan and the federal fund’s objective of supporting evidence-based and promising practices that increase protective factors for vulnerable children and youth.
More information about the Spark program and participating organizations is available online.
