Province funding 20 new homes in Burnaby for women and children fleeing violence

Province funding 20 new homes in Burnaby for women and children fleeing violence

The B.C. government is funding 20 new affordable rental homes in Burnaby built specifically for women and their children who are leaving violent relationships.

The project will be delivered through the Dixon Transition Society, which is proposing to include support services like counselling, resume building, interview skills and workshops around building healthy relationships.

It is one of 12 projects to build 280 new homes in communities around the province.

The project will be funded through the Building BC: Women's Transition Fund, a $734-million investment over 10 years to build 1,500 transition housing and long-term housing spaces for women and children leaving violence.

Location to be decided

"Dixon Transition Society has been providing transitional housing and comprehensive support services for women and children fleeing domestic violence for over 45 years," said Pany Aghili, the society's executive director, in a release from the province.

Aghili said the inititiative will provide women and their children with safe housing and the "opportunity to rebuild their lives."

There is currently no construction schedule, as the project must find a location and go through BC Housing's development and approval process.

Two other transition home projects have been approved in the Lower Mainland, in Chilliwack and Vancouver.