04 May Government Invests in Community Projects to Prevent Domestic Violence
In a move to provide more resources for preventing domestic violence, as well as to support victims of domestic violence, the Nova Scotian government is providing $912,000 in grants to twenty-four community organisations.
The initiative is part of a larger plan, called Standing Together, with the goal of providing a wide range of projects with the resources needed to prevent domestic violence and support victims and their families.
“Domestic violence is a complex issue that affects too many Nova Scotians,” said Kelly Regan, Minister responsible for the Advisory Council on the Status of Women, today, April 29. “What we learn from these projects, along with the deep expertise in our communities, will help build the best plan for addressing and preventing domestic violence.”
Several of the groups receiving funding are focused on addressing domestic violence in specific communities, such as African Nova Scotian and Mi’kmaw communities. Some of these initiatives also focused on preventive measures designed to improve conditions in these communities, such as supporting and engaging children and youth, men and boys, girls and young women and women with disabilities.
“We welcome the support of the province for our project, Not Just Victims of Family Violence: Our Children, Our Future,” said Shiva Nourpanah, provincial co-ordinator of the Transition House Association of Nova Scotia.
“We developed this two-year project in partnership with SeaStar Child and Youth Advocacy Centre at the IWK Health Centre. It will deliver expert, trauma-informed training on working with children who have experienced domestic and family violence to the staff of our member organizations, and put standardized, consistent practices in place across the province.”
Out of 24 grant recipients, 11 received Standing Together Shift grants. These grants are focused on providing resources for testing and exploring brand new ideas, and can include up to $75,000 in funding.
Additionally, 13 of the projects received Standing Together Prevention grants. These projects are designed to raise awareness about domestic violence and how communities are affected by it, while simultaneously informing those communities of actions they can take to prevent violence from continuing. Standing Together Prevention grants can provide up to $10,000 in funding towards initiatives like these.
An independent review committee selected which recipients received grants, while Research Nova Scotia administered the process.
For a list of projects receiving grants, please see the Standing Together web page.