PUTTING FUNDS TO GOOD USE

Crystal meth is a large and growing problem in the Chilliwack area and
the province is handing out cash to deal with the issue.

First Nations, local government and a local school district have
received some of the $2 million in grants from the provincial
government to help tackle the problem of crystal meth at the local
level.

The City of Chilliwack received a $10,000 grant for a research project
to determine best practices in communities.

School district 78 (Fraser Cascade) with support from Kent and
Harrison Hot Springs received $20,000 for harm reduction, resources,
prevention, public awareness and education programming.

The Sto:lo Tribal Council received $20,000 for educational activities
with cultural components, and the Sto:lo Nation Health Services
Society received $20,000 for a youth drop-in centre and peer outreach
program.

School district 78 also received another $13,600 for education for
students not covered in the Sto:lo programming.

Locally the money received by the Sto:lo Nation has been used to set
up a drop-in centre, which opened in July.

Breanna Thomsen is the project leader for the crystal meth outreach
at Sto:lo Nation. She said the money is appreciated, and the program
is already helping out with prevention for kids in the 12 to 18 year
old range.

"It was slow at the beginning but no we're getting about 15 kids a day
in the drop-in centre," she said.

Even more effective is the outreach they are now able to do to give
kids the information they need to help prevent them from using meth,
according to Thomsen.

Now that the drop-in centre is up and running with this money, the
Sto: lo Nation will be looking for funding options to make sure it can
continue when this grant money runs out.