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Vancouver city council unanimously approved four grants Wednesday for the embattled non-profit community-service provider Atira, following a pause on all city funding for the organization.
City staff were seeking council’s approval for the grants to the Atira Women’s Resource Society and related non-profits, totalling $794,465.
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Vancouver has provided grant funding to Atira for several years, but paused it after the provincial government’s May release of an audit finding “mismanagement related to a conflict of interest” involving B.C. Housing’s then CEO and his wife, Atira’s then CEO.
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Most of the grant money will support an Indigenous wellness centre, and rest goes to child care, intergenerational mentorship, and social enterprise programs.
Councillors expressed appreciation for city staff answering their questions on these Atira grants, and for doing extra due diligence.
ABC Coun. Sarah Kirby-Yung said: “Frankly, Atira has lost a lot of public trust, and they’re in a position of rebuilding that.
“I appreciate the changes that have been made at Atira,” she said. “Everybody knows the spotlight is on there, and it’s not an easy place to be, I get that. But we need to make sure we are doing our due diligence as a council. I think that’s been done, so I will support.”
The day before the council meeting, Atira issued a news release outlining progress to “reset and renew the organization,” including the search for a new CEO, introduction of a code of conduct and whistleblower line, and initiating a third-party governance review.
Several councillors also expressed gratitude to Atira’s staff for doing difficult work to support some of the city’s most vulnerable residents.
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