BC provides $4.6M in funding for survivors of gender-based violence

The BC government is distributing $4.6 million to non-profits in order to better support survivors of gender-based violence, and to establish a new training program for those who deal with these matters. 

This one-time grant funding comes from a partnership between the federal and provincial governments in an effort to help gender-diverse people, women and their children who are leaving violence. 

“Home is more than four walls and a roof,” said Christine Boyle, BC Minister of Housing and Municipal Affairs. “It is a place of safety, a place of healing and a place where dignity is restored.”

“With these funds, people fleeing violence will benefit from the enhanced housing supports and training provided to non-profit providers who work with survivors every day.”

According to the Province, $4.3 million of the funding has been disbursed through BC Housing’s Women’s Transition Housing and Supports Program to be put in the hands of just under 90 non-profit providers. 

These non-profit providers operate women’s shelters and transition housing throughout BC, and some funding also went to the Aboriginal Housing Management Association (AHMA).

This money is to be used to help maintain operational capacity, support survivors during critical incidents and assist survivors’ independence. 

Some initiatives to achieve these goals include small bursaries being distributed to support survivor’s financial independence, providing new supplies and equipment for shelters, training staff in matters of gender-based violence awareness and minor capital repairs for providers. 

The remaining $300,000 of the funding has been awarded to Supporting Survivors of Abuse and Brain Injury through Research (SOAR). 

SOAR is developing a comprehensive gender-based violence response training program for shelter, housing and homelessness service providers to better serve at-risk community members. 

The program focuses specifically on the higher risks faced by Indigenous women and the connection between gender-based violence and brain injuries. 

“Given the high rates of gender-based violence among Indigenous people and the large number of survivors experiencing brain injury as a result of gender-based violence, our team was particularly pleased to contribute to this project,” said Karen Mason, co-founder and executive director of SOAR.

“We’re confident it will give those in the housing sector in British Columbia the knowledge and tools they need in their daily work.”

Those who take the program will work through modules, learning educational plans and best practices to identify and address gender-based violence. 

SOAR’s program, Supporting Survivors: Addressing Gender-Based Violence in Housing, is slated to be launched online this summer 2026.