Survivors of gender-based violence in Manitoba are getting new housing supports from the provincial and federal governments.
The funding, a combined total of $27.5 million over five years, comes in the form of an injection of cash to the Canada Housing Benefit.
Manitoba is the first province to co-design a program for survivors under the housing benefit that doesn’t require income testing in the first year, recognizing that many people trying to leave violent situations can also experience financial abuse or other barriers to getting into affordable housing.
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“We are grateful for this partnership with the federal government to give our relatives the financial support they need when escaping gender-based violence,” Manitoba Housing Minister Bernadette Smith said in a statement Tuesday.
“For too long, women, children and 2SLGBTQI+ people experiencing domestic violence have faced limited options that have kept them in dangerous housing situations. This benefit will also help to answer calls to action from the Truth and Reconciliation Commission and the calls for justice from the final report of the National Inquiry into Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls in a meaningful way.”
The funding benefit is expected to support more than 2,600 Manitoba households, with the benefit amount to be determined based on family size, as well as average rental prices in the region.
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