Hundreds of millions more in federal funding is coming to help fight gender-based violence, but there is growing pressure to make sure the money actually reaches survivors.

Angela Marie MacDougall, executive director of Battered Women’s Support Services (BWSS), tells CityNews the measure of success won’t be the size of the investment.

“It will be whether frontline organizations have the capacity to respond when survivors need help.”

MacDougall says demand for BWSS has surged, with the organization now receiving roughly 1,200 requests from new survivors every month, mostly through its crisis line.

“In the last year, we’ve had between a 70 and 80 per cent increase in requests for services.”

The jump has led to wait times for counselling and other services.

“We have a three-week wait list for any survivor that wants to access our services,” she said.

On Thursday, the federal government announced it is investing $607.4 million over four years to continue the National Action Plan to End Gender-based Violence and renewed funding for provincial and territorial crisis lines.

MacDougall says the new funding must be directed toward hiring more frontline staff, expanding counselling, and strengthening specialized intimate partner violence services.

“What hasn’t happened for decades is recognition of the increase in demand for frontline intimate-partner-violence response.”

“Most victims and survivors don’t access police. They’re accessing community organizations.”

Under the last phase of the program, B.C. received roughly $18 million annually. While the provincial share of the new funding is not yet clear, a funding formula similar to the previous agreement is expected.

Jennifer Blatherwick, B.C.’s parliamentary secretary for gender equity, says the province has tried to ensure funding reaches organizations providing services directly to survivors.

“More than half the funding goes to Indigenous-led organizations, and about 49 per cent goes directly to community organizations,” Blatherwick said.

She adds the next phase of funding should continue expanding counselling, transition homes, and domestic violence intervention programs, particularly in rural and remote communities.

“This is a longstanding historical epidemic … and tackling it requires an enormous amount of effort and investment.”

The province says it already invests more than $60 million annually in 475 victim services and violence-against-women programs across B.C.