Province gives $400,000 boost to North End Women’s Centre transitional housing program

A local program to support women in long-term recovery from substance use and trauma is receiving a financial boost from the province.

The Manitoba Government is giving $400,000 to help the North End Women’s Centre maintain an eight-bed transitional housing program.

The program supports women who have exited the sex trade, and who are survivors of sexual exploitation and gender-based violence in their healing journey.

Federal government funding was slated to end soon, which concerned the centre’s executive director Cynthia Drebot, but the province is now stepping in.

“The challenge of thinking you may not be able to continue doing supportive transitional housing for women and gender-diverse folks is quite the load,” Drebot said.

“A healing journey can only be done when basic needs and basic rights are in place, and the ability to be present in that journey comes when you have a place to live.”

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The program has helped people like Stephanie Sanderson who came into the program as someone who had been addicted to drugs for five years.

“Getting sober was hard, but the North End Women’s Centre gave me a home where I felt safe and where I support,” said Sanderson. “The programming was phenomenal and the support was amazing.”

After living there for a year, she is now 21 months sober, has full custody of her kids back and has a full-time job.