Support for victims of gender-based violence boosted by provincial grant for Oshawa-based service hub

A central hub providing wrap around support to women and their children experiencing gender-based violence has earned a two-year grant from the Province worth $141,000.

Safety Network Durham will use the Resilient Communities Fund grant from the Trillium Foundation to form a network of experts from its 30-plus partner agencies who are responding to violence against women in the community, facilitating access to housing, financial, legal, counselling and other crucial supports.

Oshawa MPP Jennifer French and Whitby MPP Lorne Coe met with the Safety Network Durham team at their Oshawa offices Friday to hear more about the project, which will  increase victim safety and reduce re-victimization, ensuring that it has the coordinated response to violence that women and children deserve.

French singled out Catholic Family Services of Durham, a lead partner on the project, for the “support and advocacy” for women in Durham Region. “Their programs support those who have been affected by many challenges such as gender-based violence, trauma, family conflict, mental health issues, grief, just to mention a few of the amazing supports.”

“Our community depends on this vital work … and this investment will go far in ensuring its increased accessibility and effectiveness.”

Safety Network Durham’s hub model means women only have to tell their story once and it opens access to all the 30 partner agencies, which reduces barriers women and their children may be facing when trying to access support to leave the abuse.

“Seeing women actually sigh in relief when we tell them they won’t have to repeat their story over and over again, just to get the support they need, is why we know this model works,” said Riley Spigarelli, Manager of Safety Network Durham.

Safety Network Durham was established in 2005 to help survivors of gender-based violence access support using a straightforward approach that starts with just one confidential conversation with a caring community coordinator.

Coe said the investments from the provincial government will help build a “stronger, more accessible network” of support for survivors of intimate partner violence and ensure that everyone “has access to the care and support they need, when and where they need it.”