Ottawa gives N.L. $700K in funding to boost crisis hotlines
CBC
The federal government has committed to giving $700,000 in funding over three years to Newfoundland and Labrador to bolster its gender based violence support organizations and crisis hotlines — though some details are thin.
Pam Parsons, the minister responsible for women and gender equality, said Thursday the funding will expand existing crisis hotline services and capacity within transition houses to provide non-violent crisis intervention.
Parsons said the money is going to help the End Sexual Violence N.L. group improve its video conference services between regions and also expand language options.
The group's Labrador office will be be getting equipment to facilitate mental health support over the phone for survivors of sexual violence and money will also go toward a new training model to support crisis hotline responders.
"Having a number to call to get an immediate emergency counselling and connecting people with the resources that they need as quickly as possible can make a positive difference in the lives of those reaching out for help," Parsons said.
"It can actually save a life."
According to Statistics Canada, in 2018 more than 37 per cent of women in Newfoundland and Labrador had experienced physical or sexual assault as young as 15 years old.
Federal Minister of Women, Gender Equality and Youth Marci Ien also took to the podium during Thursday's funding announcement. She said the COVID-19 pandemic has worsened the situation some Canadians are facing.
"Because of the loss of income and isolation, overcrowding, stress, stigma, anxiety, all these factors led to what experts called a shadow pandemic of gender-based violence," she said.
The organizations that work in the sector spoke about how they've seen an increase of requests for help.
Iris Kirby House executive director Malin Enström said the Iris Kirby House and O'Shaughnessy House take in about 55 per cent of women and children fleeing domestic violence in the province.
The organization also receives calls and texts from its own domestic violence phone line, she said.
"Last year we received about 12,000 phone calls to Iris Kirby House," said Enström, adding the volume has gone up since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic.
End Sexual Violence N.L. executive director Sandra McKellar said there's been a sharp rise in calls. In the last fiscal year, she said, her group had 11,156 calls related to gender-based violence or sexual violence from all over the province.
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