Earlier this month, we received a $75,000 grant for our No One Leaves Alone (NOLA) community reintegration program. The grant was awarded by the provincial government through the Civil Forfeiture Crime Prevention and Remediation grant program.
The funding recognizes our efforts to help to make BC communities safer, and highlights the NOLA program’s model of providing practical support and mentorship to newly released parolees. By building the capacity and independence of program participants, NOLA contributes to safe, crime-free reintegration into society.
“We are honoured to receive this grant,” said Raymond Robyn, Executive Director at M2/W2. “It will help bring potentially life-changing mentorship and support to more people transitioning from prison.”
Relaunched as a pilot program in April 2021, NOLA operated for the previous three years as a research project, partially funded by the federal government. During these three years, the project worked with 53 participants and involved over 80 volunteers.
In NOLA, each participant is connected with a volunteer-led circle. By providing practical support in five key areas—housing, health, employment, education, and relationships, the circle assists the participant as they reintegrate into society.
NOLA was among 221 projects receiving one-time grants through the Crime Prevention and Remediation grant program for 2020-21. All said, the grants totalled $8.6 million for this year.
The Civil Forfeiture Office uses the proceeds of crime to fund programs that support crime prevention, restorative justice, Indigenous healing, and more.
Click here to see a list of all grant recipients
Click here to read the provincial government’s press release
A version of this story appears in The Abbotsford News