On Friday, January 29, the Hon. Madeleine Meilleur, Minister of Community and Social Services and MPP Yasir Naqvi announced a significant new investment to improve services for women fleeing domestic violence.
Interval House in Ottawa will construct a new women's shelter to replace the existing facility, which will allow the organization to offer expanded, accessible services to support Ottawa-area women and their children fleeing domestic violence. These new supports will give women a chance to rebuild their lives with their children, free of violence.
The province is providing $3 million towards the project, which is part of a $50-million province-wide investment in nearly 1,000 infrastructure projects. These projects will improve facilities at social service agencies and create an estimated 450 jobs throughout Ontario.
This investment means that women and their children will have a safe place to rebuild their lives.
QUOTES
"Our government is proud to invest in infrastructure improvements at social service agencies to create jobs for today and build stronger communities for tomorrow. This new shelter will be a strong support for Ottawa area women."
– The Hon. Madeleine Meilleur, Minister of Community and Social Services
"This investment is not just about creating jobs in our community. It is about protecting families and giving Interval House an opportunity to create a safe haven for women and their children in Ottawa fleeing domestic violence so they can rebuild their lives."
– Yasir Naqvi, MPP Ottawa Centre
"This funding will allow us the opportunity to expand and improve upon our services for the women of the Ottawa region."
– Karen MacInnis, Executive Director of Interval House of Ottawa
QUICK FACTS
Since 2003, funding for violence against women's programs in Ontario has increased by 46 per cent.
In 2008-09, emergency shelters across the province served approximately 13,000 women and 9,000 children.