Photo courtesy @pathssask on Facebook.

The federal government is earmarking nearly $600,000 over the next four years to help Indigenous women in Saskatchewan who want to escape family violence.

The Public Health Agency says the funds will go towards a project called “Creative Solutions to Easing Victimization’s Effects,” to be administered by the Provincial Association of Transition Houses and Services of Saskatchewan (PATHS).

The program is designed to offer culturally relevant and art-based intervention for women recovering from the trauma of abusive relationships.

Transition houses in Regina, Moose Jaw, and Prince Albert will administer the program specifically for Indigenous women living off-reserve in Regina, Moose Jaw and Prince Albert.

The funding was announced on Thursday in Regina by Minister Ralph Goodale, on behalf of the Health Minister.

It’s meant to address the issue of family violence, which the federal government says is responsible for a quarter of violent crimes reported to police.

Saskatchewan specifically has the highest rate of domestic violence in the country. The province also leads the nation in the number of murders by intimate partners.