Abbotsford Community Services (ACS) is receiving $120,000 in proceeds from the Civil Forfeiture Office (CFO) to help prevent violence against women and protect high-risk youth.
The funding is from the more than $5 million that the provincial government is investing from CFO proceeds to take further action on recommendations made from the Missing Women of Commission Inquiry (MWCI).
This includes supporting the prevention of violence against women and youth crime-prevention initiatives.
Of the local funding, $100,000 will be used by the ACS to enhance the domestic violence unit (DVU) in Abbotsford.
Funds will go to the provision of frontline victim services, training for DVU members and community partners, and clinical supervision and self care for victim service workers.
In addition, the funding will help build awareness about domestic violence within the Abbotsford school district.
The other $20,000 will enable ACS to recruit, train and screen 25 positive adults of various ethnic backgrounds from Abbotsford to volunteer with youth at high risk of gang or criminal involvement.
B.C. is one of two provinces that pioneered the use of civil forfeiture in Canada to deter unlawful activity by taking away instruments and proceeds of it.
The CFO is self-funding and proceeds of forfeited property are used to compensate victims and support local crime prevention and remediation efforts through the use of grants.
Since its inception in 2006, the CFO as now given back $16 million to community crime prevention organizations, victims of fraud and police departments.