Safe Harbour Program Spreads throughout BC

From an announcement from The Centre today:

Safe Harbour Launched in the Davie Village & Area

"Safe Harbour invites storefront businesses and organizations to serve as sanctuaries for anyone who experiences discrimination or harassment and briefly needs a safe place to go. On a broader level, Safe Harbour is about making a commitment to celebrating diversity in our neighbourhoods and treating everyone with respect - including seniors, youth, families, cultural communities, people living with disabilities, and lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, bisexual people.

There are about currently 21 communities involved in this project throughout the province. The Centre has entered a partnership with the Affiliation of Multicultural Societies and Service Agencies of BC (AMSSA) to organize the Safe Harbour Program for the Davie Village and area. While initially focusing on the Davie Village, we hope to expand to other areas of the West End in coming months.

Know that Safe Harbour sites welcome you, and if feeling threatened or harassed, our doors are open to provide a safe place for you."

From the Safe Harbour website:

"The Safe Harbour Program began in Nanaimo in 2004. ... Today, dozens of locations in Nanaimo proudly display the Safe Harbour window decal, and Nanaimo's Action for Diversity Team has received national recognition from the Canadian Race Relations Foundation for developing the Safe Harbour Program.

In 2006, with support from the B.C. Anti-Racism and Multiculturalism Program, Ministry of the Attorney General, the Affiliation of Multicultural Societies and Service Agencies of BC (AMSSA) refined the Safe Harbour model and resources for use in communities throughout the province."

To see Safe Harbour locations and participants: http://www.amssa.org/safeharbour/communities/organizations.cfm

Visit the Safe Harbour website at http://www.safeharbour.ca/
Visit the AMSSA website at http://www.amssa.org/
Visit The Centre website at http://www.lgtbcentrevancouver.com/