April 10, 2015 – Toronto, ON – Department of Justice.
Today, Justice Minister Peter MacKay and Parliamentary Secretary Bob Dechert announced funding of $300,000 for Victim Services Toronto.
The funding will be used to support the Family Access Services Toronto (F.A.S.T. Access) project, which will be led by Victim Services Toronto and the Toronto Police Service and be delivered in partnership with local community organizations. The project is the second phase of a pilot project, the Scarborough Family Justice Initiative, which was completed on October 31, 2014. The Scarborough Family Justice Initiative provided a coordinated response to victims of family violence by offering a case coordinator who helped ensure that victims received timely access to information about the criminal justice process and to social services offered by local organizations.
This new project will improve on this model by having the case coordinator work as part of a mobile multi-disciplinary team that is able to respond to victims in locations that are most suitable, safe, accessible and comfortable for them. By introducing a mobile team, the project will help remove challenges and barriers often faced by victims, including challenges related to travelling long distances to access important services. The project will provide services to those living in the Toronto neighbourhood of Rexdale.
“Victim Services Toronto, project steering committee members and partners are very grateful to the Department of Justice Canada for their two-year financial commitment of Family Access Services Toronto (F.A.S.T.). F.A.S.T. is a mobile, collaborative and coordinated response that bridges justice and social service sectors serving victims of domestic violence and their children in Rexdale, Toronto. Building on the efficacy of the Scarborough Family Justice Initiative, a two-year pilot project funded by the Department of Justice Canada, F.A.S.T.'s overarching goal is to reduce violence against women and create system efficiencies.”
Bobbie McMurrich
Victim Services Toronto, Director of Programs
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