Abbotsford/Surrey/Victoria – Guns, gangs and violence. It’s nothing new, and Victoria struggles to deal with it.
To assist communities facing increased gun and gang violence throughout British Columbia, six programs aimed at enhancing efforts to prevent, disrupt and combat this violence will receive sustained funding through the Gun and Gang Violence Action Fund from Public Safety Canada.
This funding will build upon one of government’s first announcements, providing the Surrey Wrap program with ongoing, annual funding of $500,000 to deliver anti-gang programming to youth in Surrey. The number of youth and families served by Surrey Wrap, at last count, had grown from 131 to 168, for a capacity increase of 28%.
B.C.’s first allocation of $5.3 million in funding over two years, from the Gun and Gang Violence Action Fund, will support community-specific initiatives aimed at preventing and intervening in local gang activity in specific areas struggling with gun and gang crime.
This reliable funding will ensure B.C.’s programs are able to provide sustainable program delivery that will emphasize community engagement, targeted training and the development of gun and gang violence prevention tools for Indigenous communities.
The Surrey Board of Trade was happy with this annoucement:
“Reliable funding produces sustainable results,” said Anita Huberman, CEO, Surrey Board of Trade. “We have an obligation to ensure our youth become productive members of our economy, and funding such as this will help make it so.”
“Businesses care about public safety – it is an integral part of a thriving economy,” said Huberman. “The Surrey Board of Trade and its members understand that keeping youth out of gangs relies on a collaboration between the business community, public institutions, not-for-profit organizations and families. Business owners need to work closely with the City of Surrey and the Surrey RCMP to deter and report any signs of criminal activity.”
This funding will build upon one of government’s first announcements, providing the Surrey Wrap program with ongoing, annual funding of $500,000 to deliver anti-gang programming to youth in Surrey. The number of youth and families served by Surrey Wrap, at last count, had grown from 131 to 168, for a capacity increase of 28%.
Other funding announcements were made for Abbotsford and the Cariboo-Chilcotin communities.
“Gun and gang violence are borderless – all BC communities must work together.”
Six gang-related prevention and intervention programs, based in Abbotsford, the Cariboo-Chilcotin region and the Capital Regional District, will receive the following funding:
* $977,966 to the Abbotsford Community Services Society’s Abbotsford In It Together: Supporting Youth Involved in Gang Activity program.
* $225,000 to the Abbotsford Community Services Society’s Enhancing Gang Prevention and Intervention Programming with South Asian Youth.
* $207,795 to the Cariboo-Chilcotin Child Development Centre Association’s Future Forward program.
* $173,361 to the Cariboo Family Enrichment Centre Society’s Youth and Family Navigator program.
* $450,00 to the Pacific Centre Family Services Association’s Crime Reduction and Exploitation Diversion program.
* $580,000 to the BC School Superintendents Association’s Support for High Risk, Vulnerable Youth in BC Communities program.
