The non-profit that runs Sanctuary House and the Sanctuary pre-teen centre in Trail will receive $10,000 from the city toward its operating costs this year.
“We are depleted right now,” Generation to Generation Society treasurer Barbara Gibson told city council last week. “We have some money in the bank, but we’re paying property taxes of $7,000. So we’re going to be really, really cut fine after that.”
The organization is closed for a few weeks for a flooring project. Gibson said they have enough to pay for that, but there won’t be much left afterward.
Generation to Generation relies on donations and grants, but Gibson said it’s hard to find grants to cover operating costs. The organization has a total annual budget of $87,500, so the $10,000 grant from the city represents over 11 per cent.
The city has given financial aid to the organization in a variety of ways over the last 16 years. According to a memo that accompanied the application, from 2010-18, the city provided $7,500 per year as part of a three-year funding agreement that was renewed three times.
In 2019, Generation to Generation applied to renew the agreement, but council chose to give a $10,000 cash grant instead. In 2020 and 2021, the society received a full property tax exemption, and in 2022 the city provided a cash grant of $6,000 instead of the tax exemption. The organization has not received grant funding or tax exemptions from the city since then.
City council approved the $10,000 grant for 2026 without discussion.
