Manitoba program helping sexual assault survivors loses federal funding

A Manitoba organization helping sexual assault survivors is scrambling after federal funding for one of its programs was stopped.
On April 3, Ottawa’s justice department notified Pinawa’s Survivor’s Hope Crisis Centre (SHCC) in an email, that funding for its recovery and healing program ended March 31.
“It was a devastating blow,” said Coral Kendel, the centre’s executive director.
She said this means the program is about $75,000 down, adding at this rate it will barely last past May, sustained by savings and community donations.
“We’re the only such program in the entire Interlake Eastern Region who provides supportive services to survivors of sexualized violence, and those indirectly impacted,” she said. “We deliver hundreds of counselling sessions each year, for folks 13 (years old) plus all over the region.”
Ottawa said the cash injections were a part of a three-year funding commitment that was set to end on March 31 this year. But, Kendel said the cut-off was still unexpected.
“Based on our relationship (with the department), and based on communication that we had with them back in December when they reached out — saying they’re looking to continue funding for their sexual assault centres — we were anticipating that it would be continued, and the government would see that as a priority.”
A federal spokesperson said the email was to “gauge their interest in potentially continuing the project. That email made it clear that not all funding requests were guaranteed to be approved.”
The spokesperson said comment could not be made on decisions about funding for specific projects, but there are a “a number reasons funding may not be allocated, including resource limitations.”
Kendel said the community has gathered to try and help SHCC with donations through a go-fund me page started by a survivor. Private donations and foundation donors have also had a part to play, she said.
Overall, support has come out to around $10,000, Kendel said. But, “we need something sustainable,” she said, adding the centre can’t do this every year if it survives that long.