The Parish of St. Albans will be getting a new commercial refrigerator, thanks to a city grant.
While city staff recommended giving about $15,600 to the charity – that serves meals and provides other services to about 12,600 Richmond clients per year - city council decided to give them the full requested $22,000 so they could buy the fridge.
At Monday’s committee meeting, where city council was reviewing the grants, other agencies also got their recommended funds topped up, including three mental health non-profits.
But when Coun. Alexa Loo suggested raising funds for one particular organization, the mayor questioned why one was being singled out when all groups need more money.
Coun. Alexa Loo asked the rest of city council to support a motion to give the Richmond Women’s Resource Centre about $2,400 more than recommended, raising the grant from about $26,500 to $29,000.
“We talk about COVID and how it's impacted people, it’s impacted people's mental health, and we know it’s impacted women disproportionately to men over this time,” Loo said.
With women trying to get back into the workforce while dealing with kids at home, she said giving more to the organization would help a lot of women in Richmond, she added.
But Mayor Malcolm Brodie pointed out all groups need more money, and wondered why this one would receive more than recommended.
“My question is couldn’t the same be said of every organization here,” Brodie said, pointing out there were specific justifications for bumping up grants for certain groups, for example, mental health reasons and parity between organizations serving girls and boys.
“But don’t they all they need more money?” he added.
Loo, however, responded saying many women are getting community support through this organization and not necessarily through mental-health organizations.
In the end, city council agreed to bump up the grant for the women’s resource centre as well as several others - the Canadian Mental Health Association, the Community Mental Wellness Association, Richmond Mental Health Consumer and Friends Society, Big Sisters as well as the Kehila Society.
The largest city social service grants are going to Richmond Addictions Services Society (RASS), which is receiving, $227,000, CHIMO, which is receiving $50,000 and Richmond Cares, Richmond Gives, whose grant is $43,000. Pathways Clubhouse is receiving a grant of $35,000.
The total budget for social service grants – called Health, Social and Safety Grants – is about $627,000.
