$200K to Enhance Victim Support Services
April 6, 2022Funding will strengthen local prevention efforts and help keep the community safe
NORTH BAY – Vic Fedeli, MPP for Nipissing is pleased to announce that the Ontario government is providing the North Bay Police Service with $200,000 for their Nipissing Enhanced Victim Support Project. In partnership with Victim Services of Nipissing District, this project would assist with hiring a Victim Support Outreach Coordinator, creating a trauma informed victim statement room and funding the trauma support K9 program.
“Intimate partner violence and human trafficking are heinous crimes that can have devastating impacts. That is why our government is protecting those at risk and supporting survivors,” said Vic Fedeli, MPP for Nipissing. “With this new investment, the North Bay Police can help more survivors and at-risk individuals in our area get the supports they need where and when they need them most.”
“I am very encouraged by this investment. These much needed funds will provide a meaningful improvement to the supports we can provide to victims of crime. As police we see daily the impact criminality has on victims. We will always work with our partners in government and Victims Services organizations to help victims achieve the justice and healing they deserve,” said Chief Scott Tod, North Bay Police.
“In order to minimize the impact of trauma experienced by victims it is important that police and victim services work collaboratively to provide wrap around support. The Victim Support Grant has improved each organization’s capacity to support victims from a trauma informed approach with the goal of enhancing victim resiliency, Said Kathleen Jodouin, Executive Director of Victim Services of Nipissing District.
The North Bay Police are one of 37 police services working in collaboration with local organizations and community partners across the province to receive this funding, which is being provided with support from the federal government. Of the 37 projects funded, 17 will focus on addressing the needs of Indigenous survivors or strengthening relationships with Indigenous organizations and communities.
Funding from the VSG program will be used to assist a variety of projects and initiatives across the province, including:
- Establishing comprehensive wrap-around resources, supports and services for survivors and at-risk individuals through enhanced police and community partner collaboration
- Supporting specialized intervention programs for suspected or confirmed instances of intimate partner violence or human trafficking
- Providing specialized training to law enforcement (frontline officers, speciality unit officers and civilian members), support personnel and community members
- Increasing technology and equipment to enhance police investigation capacity, improve evidence collection, as well as provide survivors with the option to complete interviews remotely
- Providing survivors with a safe and friendly environment such as “soft interview rooms” in police stations or private sleeping quarters when finding refuge in a shelter
- Creating environments that are culturally safe, respectful and responsive to provide survivors, witnesses and their families/support systems with a private, safe and comfortable place to participate in spiritual/cultural healing and customs
- Launching culturally responsive education and awareness campaigns to inform at-risk groups about the signs of intimate partner violence or human trafficking
To qualify for this grant, police services are required to work in collaboration with a community agency or Indigenous community with expertise in supporting survivors through a different sector such as justice, housing, education, health/mental health, community and social services, and children and youth services.
As part of Ontario’s Guns, Gangs and Violence Reduction Strategy, this grant supports the overall investment to combat gun violence and gang-related activities, including human trafficking. Since 2018, Ontario, with the help of the federal government, has allocated approximately $187 million through the strategy.
The VSG program also complements the province’s $307-million Anti-Human Trafficking Strategy 2020-2025 and Combating Human Trafficking Act, 2021, which aims to support survivors and hold offenders accountable.
Quick Facts
- The current two-year grant cycle under the VSG program is supported in part by the federal government’s Initiative to Take Action Against Gun and Gang Violence, which includes a total investment of more than $65 million over five years for Ontario’s Guns, Gangs and Violence Reduction Strategy.
- Current funding is for project costs incurred in 2021-22 and 2022-23 fiscal years. The maximum funding for each project is $200,000 (i.e., $100,000 per funding year).
- All municipal and First Nation police services, as well as the Ontario Provincial Police were eligible to apply for funding through the VSG program
Additional Resources