An Indigenous family violence program is at risk of shutting down after its funding renewal was denied by the government of Alberta.
The Aboriginal Counseling Services of Alberta is now looking to the community for help as they try to make up more than $135,000.
The program is the Circle of Safety. It’s a family violence program that runs for men, women and children aged 6 to 16.
It brings them together for 16 weeks for a mix of discussions, activities and counselling sessions.
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“It’s just harder for our organization because we’re a small organization. It really impacts, it’s probably like 15, 20 per cent of our budget, so we notice those impacts,” said executive director Keleigh Larson.
The organization says the funding was renewed for the men’s program, but not the women’s and children’s portion.
“These women, a lot of them are trying to go through recovery, they’re trying to get homes, they’re trying to get their kids back. When you help a family, you help a community because once you strengthen a community, then it just helps everybody,” said Madelaine Calliou, a counsellor and facilitator with the organization.
The Ministry of Children and Family Services told Global News, “to respond effectively to the evolving needs of people impacted by violence and abuse, Alberta’s government refreshed funding for family violence prevention programs. We received more than 200 applications and the funding requests exceeded available resources.”
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