Safe House Ground Breaking Ceremony – Carrier Sekani Family Services

Press Release

BURNS LAKE, BC, May 28, 2018  – Carrier Sekani Family Services and Lake Babine Nation are happy to announce a ground breaking ceremony took place at Woyenne Reserve on May 25, 2018.

Carrier Sekani Family Services (CSFS), in partnership with Lake Babine Nation (LBN), is undertaking a project to build and operate a Safe House for women and children who need protection from family violence. The Safe House will be located in the very vulnerable setting along the Highway of Tears (Highway 16) in Burns Lake, British Columbia. The facility will provide shelter to women who need a safe environment and protection from family violence and related risk exposure. The Safe House will comprise seven (7) units that will house up to twenty-three (23) occupants, subject to regulations and funding. The Safe House site location will be on Lake Babine Nation’s Woyenne Indian Reserve (IR) in the centre of Burns Lake along Highway 16.

CSFS and LBN have been working on the preplanning for over three years with assistance from Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation (CMHC) and Indigenous Services Canada.

Quote:

“This investment is another example of our Government’s commitment to ensuring victims of domestic violence are able to access safe and stable housing. Indigenous people face some of the most complex and challenging housing issues in Canada and our approach is based on principles of self-determination, reconciliation, respect and cooperation—we want to ensure Indigenous communities have the tools they need to create, control and manage their own housing.” — Jean-Yves Duclos, Minister of Families, Children and Social Development and Minister Responsible for Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation

Quick facts:

• The Government of Canada, through CMHC, provided an investment of approximately $1.89 million for the 23-bed facility through the Shelter Enhancement Program (SEP).
• SEP provides funding for the repair, improvement or construction of emergency shelter space and transitional housing for victims of family violence in Indigenous communities.
• The Government of Canada is currently rolling out its National Housing Strategy (NHS)—an ambitious 10-year, $40 billion plan that will create 100,000 new housing units and lift 530,000 families out of housing need as well as repair and renew more than 300,000 housing units and reduce chronic homelessness by 50 percent.
• The NHS is built on strong partnerships between the federal, provincial and territorial governments, and continuous engagement with others, including municipalities, Indigenous governments and organizations, and the social and private sectors to make a meaningful difference in the lives of Canadians

For further information: Carrier Sekani Family Services, Marlaena Mann, 250-562-3591, Marlaena@csfs.org; Lake Babine Nation, Bernard Patrick, 250-692-4700, Bernard.Patrick@lakebabine.com; Émilie Gauduchon, Press Secretary, Office of Minister Duclos, 819-654-5546, Emilie.Gauduchon@hrsdc-rhdcc.gc.ca; Leonard Catling, CMHC, 604-787-1787, lcatling@cmhc-schl.gc.ca

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