Angela Bower & James Paracy, (CITY NEWS) — The City of Burnaby has announced a new housing project with childcare spaces for women and children leaving violent situations.
Cindy Beedie Place will soon feature 56 units of permanent housing and 37 new childcare spaces.
The project is a partnership between BC Housing, the Cindy Beedie Foundation, the City of Burnaby, and the Metro Vancouver YWCA. Both the building and the childcare facility will be operated by the YWCA.
Beedie Foundation Executive Director Cindy Beedie says this project fulfills a vision she’s had for years.
“Together we hope to give mothers in need the chance to change the trajectory of their lives by empowering them with affordable housing and child care. We also hope this project inspires leaders in other cities to build similar projects in their own communities,” she said.
Burnaby North MLA Janet Routledge says ground has officially broke on development for the new project. She says the project will help many mothers and children in the area once its doors open.
“Breaking the cycle of poverty, making sure that women are safe — so many times there are women who are facing domestic violence, and who in the end decide not to leave because they think they can afford to raise their children,” she said.
“What is important about the childcare centre being on site is women escaping violence need to be sure that their children are safe.”
Routledge says this project is very personal to her because of her time volunteering at a home for women escaping violence.
“I sometimes did the night shifts and talked to women on the phone in the middle night … as they were trying to figure out what they were going to do,” she said.
“It’s really important that we have housing that is safe for mothers and safe for their children … this kind of violence can result in intergenerational trauma.”
The B.C. government has provided over $40 million in funding for the project, and it comes as part of a $19 billion provincial housing investment.
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