Funding for victims of crime in Manitoba is getting a 50 percent increase, the provincial government announced. In a press release, Justice Minister Matt Wiebe said they would be boosting the funding directed to Manitoba Justice Victims Services from the Criminal Property Forfeiture Fund.
“We need to do everything we can to support Manitobans who are victims of crime,” said Wiebe. “These resources will support programs running throughout the province and ensure that we can make compassionate, community-based care available to those who need it in the aftermath of a crime.”
The Criminal Property Forfeiture Fund uses the proceeds of the sale of seized criminal property. Money from this fund goes to initiatives such as Heartwood Healing Centre, which provides individual and group therapy to Manitobans 16 and over, who have experienced childhood sexual abuse, and Candace House, which provides wrap-around support in a comforting home-like day refuge for victims, survivors, and families who have lost a loved one to violent crime, among others.
The minister added the province provides over $20 million to agencies through the gender-based violence program focused on prevention and supporting survivors. This includes a $420,000 increase to shelters for women fleeing intimate partner violence in this year’s budget.
This year, the fund is providing a $750,000 to Manitoba Justice Victim Services, an increase from the usual $500,000.
