Pubdate: Mon, 29 Jan 2007
Source: Victoria Times-Colonist (CN BC)
Copyright: 2007 Times Colonist
Contact:  http://www.canada.com/victoriatimescolonist/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/481
Author: Jeff Bell

SOCIETY GOES THE EXTRA MILE TO HELP IN FIGHTING ADDICTION

The Victoria Hope Society is making a difference for people with addictions.

The non-profit group, formed in 2003 as a successor to the former 
Dallas Society, is calling for applications to its annual community 
grants program -- designed to fund projects that deal with addictions 
like substance abuse and gambling. Addiction programs were at the 
heart of the Dallas Society's mandate before its services were 
amalgamated with Vancouver Island Health Authority programs.

Katherine Cook, the Victoria Hope Society grants administrator, said 
last year's funding recipients were an impressive bunch.

"There were two to do with youth and others to do with women and 
addictions. We're open to the whole gamut, and the purpose of the 
funding is really to stimulate innovative activity at the grassroots 
community level."

The money for the grants program, now in its second year, comes from 
donations and investments accumulated by the Dallas Society during 
its 30-year history. Grants range from $5,000 to $25,000 and are 
spread over six to 12 months.

"The members of the board of Victoria Hope Society are former board 
members for the Dallas Society," Cook said. "They had assets left so 
they re-incorporated as the Victoria Hope Society to use those funds 
for the benefit of issues to do with addiction prevention."

Cook said the grants are provided to acknowledge important work 
across the region.

"There's a lot of good work being done on a smaller scale," she said. 
"It's encouraging. There's so much discouraging news at the moment 
about addictions and mental health and homelessness and that whole 
cluster of issues, and it's really encouraging for people to realize 
all the creative work that's happening in Victoria, as well.

"We're hoping that we'll interest people we may not know about in the 
community who are also doing very creative work to apply and be 
supported by the Victoria Hope Society."

Here are the four projects funded by the society last year:

- - Volunteer Victoria -- Youth Volunteer Connections brings 
marginalized or at-risk youth together to take on volunteer tasks in 
a supportive setting to keep them away from substance abuse and other 
behaviours.

- - The Victoria Women's Sexual Assault Centre -- The Seeking Safety 
project addresses the related issues of substance abuse and 
post-traumatic stress from sexual violence. The project provides 
counselling services to women and has been "very effective," said the 
centre's Tracy Lubick. She said funding that came from VIHA, also 
allowed for two counsellors to be involved.

"The Women's Sexual Assault Centre is really very innovative in terms 
of a problem that hadn't been dealt with," Cook said. "Based on 
research, they've come up with a very effective way of treating it."

Lubick said the project had been piloted and showed great promise, 
but funding had to be obtained.

"The Victoria Hope Society has been very supportive," she said.

- - The Prostitute Education and Empowerment Society started a pair of 
weekly drop-ins for women on the street, held at Streetlink and Sandy 
Merriman House. The sessions were created as an interim step between 
the streets and more involved programs for sex workers seeking to 
improve their lives.

- - YM/YWCA -- Bridging the Gap. The Y program combined with 
Theatreworks Victoria to develop Meth: Iron Fist. The interactive 
theatre productions feature stop-action, where the youth actors pause 
and ask audience members to come up on the stage and take on a role.

"The play has been written by kids who have had some involvement with 
crystal meth," Grant said.

Projects have to start by Sept. 1 of this year to be considered for 
2007 grants.

The deadline for applications is Feb. 28. For complete details on the 
application process, send an e-mail to  
or call 598-6619.
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MAP posted-by: Beth Wehrman