Provincial government budget cuts mean it’s getting harder to provide services that respond to violence against women and children.

The Shuswap Area Family Emergency (SAFE) Society – and other B.C. agencies with similar programs – is appealing to the provincial government to recognize the importance of providing the local Children Who Witness Abuse program with adequate funding.

“The cuts from the Children Who Witness Abuse program in Salmon Arm have a great impact on the future of healthy, contributing adults who potentially may become residents who are taxpayers, homeowners and business owners across the province and Canada,” states Jane Shirley, executive director of the SAFE Society.

Although the society’s contract is not up until March 2010, the government has made an immediate two per cent cut to programs that focus on stopping violence against women and children. The recent provincial budget takes away $1.2 million sector-wide in B.C.

“Because it (the local budget for the program) is such a small amount of money to begin with, (two per cent or about $3,000) is a big amount especially when we have so many families… It impacts the needs of the children, our greatest commodity. If we don’t have healthy children, they frequently don’t turn into healthy adults,” Shirley said.

Outreach funds have also been cut.

“We try to cover Sicamous, Malakwa and up to Enderby. It affects how far our people can travel to see people in their own communities or own homes if it’s safe.”

Shirley said the society is trying to carry on with business as usual, and is fortunate to be in the Shuswap as there are so many caring people. Other than the women’s shelter, the Children Who Witness Abuse program is the one the society must fundraise for the most.

“It’s more educational and tool-building, not so much crisis-oriented. It’s preventive, so they’ve cut the preventive piece. And children don’t have a choice, so they suffer in silence. Children Who Witness Abuse is an advocate for children and it gives them a voice.”

The local program had 617 individual sessions and three in-school groups in 2008/2009, as well as holding dating groups and working collaboratively with other agencies. The society fundraises to send the program into local schools and also offers an off-site office so that parents, guardians and caregivers in the Shuswap can receive support.

October is the SAFE Society’s Dollar Drive month, which includes mail-outs and putting out food boxes for the women’s shelter. Food donations for the shelter are down.

“Our cupboards are a lot barer than they used to be. We used to be overrun with tomato soup or pasta; now you can really notice a difference.”

Overall, Shirley says the trend of service cuts is a downward spiral.

“The more programs that get cut, the more families are in distress, so they need more and more support when there is less and less.”

Shuswap MLA George Abbott was unavailable for comment because he is attending the Union of BC Municipalities convention.