40 Alberta crime victims programs to get $9M

The province is spending more than $9 million to fund programs that help victims of crime.

Over the next three years, Premier Dave Hancock says Alberta will spend $9.1 million on 41 different community and police-based programs. The hope is that the money will help the programs break the cycle of abuse and make sure organizations can help victims in need.

"It will give them hope and it will give them strength," said Hancock on Friday afternoon. "It will help to heal broken hearts and it will help to heal injured minds."

Some of the groups receiving money include Sheldon Kennedy's Child Advocacy Centre in Calgary, a Lethbridge agency that fights elder abuse and an Edmonton group that works against human trafficking.

Another Calgary organization, HomeFront, will receive $450,000 in grants.

HomeFront works with law enforcement, judiciary and families in crisis to provide support for domestic violence offenders.

"We've sent more than 9,000 offenders to domestic violence treatment programs in this community," said HomeFront's executive director, Kevin McNichol. "We know that those people who complete that program, less than six per cent of them will re-offend."

The decision to fund the programs has been in place since the last budget was released.

However, today's announcement specified the allocation of the funding and announced that three new organizations will receive money.

Those organizations are the Sheldon Kennedy Child Advocacy Centre, the St. Paul and District Crisis Association - Columbus House of Hope and the Stop Abuse in Families Society.