A team that works to prevent sexual assault in downtown Vancouver has suspended operations due to lack of funding.
Good Night Out Vancouver is a four-person non-profit, who spends their Friday and Saturday nights down in the Granville Entertainment District, helping late-night partiers get home safe.
Organizer Stacey Forrester says they specifically watch out for women.
“Street team operates from midnight ’til 3:30 a.m., and they help people who are over intoxicated or lost their friends,” Forrester explained.
The group is partially funded by the City of Vancouver and the Vancouver Business Association.
But Forrester says they still had to come up with $18,000, and at a time when they’re needed most, she said, they couldn’t come up with the money.
“In May and June, the numbers start to rise,” Forrester said. “We go from helping about 140 people a month to 160-170.”
In July of last year, they helped 340 people.
Forrester says the group has halted operations for now, but has applied for a grant to get them back on the streets.
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