Lethbridge elder abuse network's funding cut; program set to end

LETHBRIDGE -

With its provincial funding cut, Lethbridge's only elder abuse program will come to an end.

"This is going to impact at least everyone that was on my caseload, but it has the potential to impact every senior ever in Lethbridge," said Amy Cook, case manager for the Lethbridge Elder Abuse Response Network (LEARN), which operates through the Lethbridge Senior Citizens Organization (LSCO).

LEARN has been operating in Lethbridge as the only case management resource for seniors at risk of abuse for the past 12 years.

"I am kind of the buffer," Cook said.

"I take the brunt of the justice system. I take the brunt of the family members they're trying to get away from and I hold all of that so they don't have to.

"But now, they not only will have to hold that, they'll have to continue to experience that."

A letter to the LSCO dated Feb. 26, 2024, from the Ministry of Public Safety and Emergency Services says, "Due to the significant volume of applications received, and the high demand for Specialized Criminal Justice Navigation (SCJN) funding, not all requests received were able to be funded."

The letter went on to say, "This decision regarding your funding application was a result of the strong competition and alignment of the application with grant criteria, and not the respective need or value of your program in your community."

Rob Miyashiro, the LSCO's executive director, says the Ministry of Seniors, Community and Social Services funds the Alberta Abuse Awareness Council, which the LSCO can apply to, but that money wouldn't be available for another six months.

"Someone was supposed to be placed yesterday in one of the safe suites (through the Green Acres Foundation), so what happens with that person?" he said.

"They'll have to keep living in the place that they're living, experiencing the abuse that they're experiencing without the hope of supports for months, only if we get this new funding."

Miyashiro says the council currently implements the LEARN model in communities across the province.

"We're doing the best practice in Lethbridge right now and because government departments won't talk to each other because they all have better ideas for each other, they're choosing to put seniors in Lethbridge at risk," he said.

In the last quarter of 2023, Cook had 25 new files started, which increased the active caseload to 48.

The program was receiving $110,000 in funding annually.

With the funding cut, Cook believes more cases will go unreported.

"Elder abuse is not a criminal offence unless it's physical assault, sexual assault or theft, so there's nowhere to send these people and that's going to be the hardest part," she said.

While staff have until the end of March to close the open cases, Miyashiro hopes it won't be the end of the LEARN program.

"I am optimistic that we can get some funding, but I don't know what that looks like," he said.

"Alberta's government is committed to keeping seniors and elders safe. Through Budget 2024, Alberta's government will invest $9.7 million over the next three years in elder abuse prevention and supports including through Safe Spaces, Unison, Sage and the Alberta Elder Abuse Awareness Council to support community response networks," said government spokesperson Arthur Green in an emailed statement.

"The Community-Based Victims of Crime grant is being replaced by the new Specialized Criminal Justice Navigator (SCJN) Grant, which was announced in September 2023. This new grant was designed specifically to help Albertans navigate the immediate aftermath of a crime and the ongoing complexities of the criminal justice system by funding frontline staff.

"In 2023, Alberta's government provided $3.2 million in sustainable funding to the Alberta Elder Abuse Awareness Council to support communities to hire elder abuse case managers to support seniors experiencing abuse. Organizations such as Lethbridge Elder Abuse Response Network may work with the Alberta Elder Abuse Awareness Council to explore new grant opportunities."