The VIP project is an initiative undertaken by the BC/Yukon Society of Transition Houses to develop a comprehensive provincial strategy for linking school districts and individual schools with Children Who Witness Abuse (CWWA) programs and the resources these programs can offer.

Amongst the many barriers faced by a woman in removing herself from a violent situation, economics plays a prominent role. Worries of financial obligations and costs of living cause many women to remain in abusive relationships.

The BC/Yukon Society of Transition Houses (BCYSTH) has created a Loan Fund to be administered provincially to benefit all Transition Houses across British Columbia and Yukon in assisting women with a forgivable loan. Based on data from other sources, such a fund would be repaid by most women when they are financially able to do so. The goal of this fund is to enable all women an equal opportunity for a fresh and healthy start to a new life.

The fund is not available yet, however the work is underway with a consultant on how best to set up the loans to women.

BC/Yukon Society of Transition Houses and the BC Association of Specialized Victims Services and Counseling Programs have been working in partnership for the past two years to revise the Legal Services Society's Legal Services for Battered Woman's Manual.

BC/Yukon Society of Transition Houses in partnership with BCASVSCP has received funding from Legal Services Society to present the manual in a one day workshop in 8 communities around the province from February to May 2004, for frontline workers in Transition Houses, Safe Homes, Second Stage, and CWWA programs, as well as Stopping the Violence, and Specialized Victims Assistance Counseling programs.

A Tool Kit for Transition Houses: providing support to women leaving abusive relationships with concern for their pets

The BC/Yukon Society of Transition Houses began to look at the issue of the link between family violence and animal abuse at the 1999 Creating A Legacy of Hope International Conference on Children Exposed to Domestic Violence. A workshop on the link brought our attention to research that had been done indicating that a high percentage of women do not leave abusive relationships sooner out of fear for the safety of their pets.

Results of a survey of transition houses conducted by BCYSTH indicated that the majority of transition houses felt that this was a major issue for their residents when making the decision to leave an abusive relationship. Also, many transition houses stated that, although this was a major issue, few had developed their own programs and policies around companion animals.

In response to these findings, BCYSTH produced a Tool Kit that provides transition houses with information on how to develop their own programs for companion animals. With the options enclosed in the kit, it is our hope that every transition house will be able to find a solution that will be feasible to implement and will meet the needs of women and their animals.

Order Toolkit Here

For documents relating to past projects, please visit the Resources & Publications section.

Safety Information