B.C. increases funsing for addictions support program developed for women, girls

The province is providing an additional 200,000 to Westminster House Society to support several of their programs, including treatment and recovery for youth, trauma-informed gender-specific treatment and wraparound supports for girls and young women aged 14 to 21. This funding is in addition to nearly $70,000 government provided to the organization over the past two years. The funding supports music therapy, trauma counselling and dialectical behaviour therapy for youth with multiple and severe psychosocial disorders. The society's been working for five years to develop a gender-specific program geared toward youth girls and the challenges they face exiting the world of substance abuse, which this takes specialized workers and counsellors trained in the field of adolescents. Many of its clients come into the facility with trauma, mental health challenges, poor health and poor immunity.