Government of Canada Supports Initiatives to Prevent and Address Family Violence in the Greater Toronto Area

Project will support families who have experienced, are experiencing, or are at-risk of experiencing violence.

October 19, 2022 | Toronto, Ontario | Public Health Agency of Canada

Family violence and gender-based violence are serious public health issues that are strongly linked to mental health concerns and can have long-lasting consequences for survivors and for those around them. These issues touch families in all parts of Canada, and include many different forms of physical and emotional abuse and neglect. The Government of Canada is committed to supporting all survivors of family and gender-based violence and safeguarding the health and safety of those at risk.

Today, the Honourable Carolyn Bennett, Minister of Mental Health and Addictions and Associate Minister of Health announced more than $3.5 million in funding over four years to support four initiatives from the Greater Toronto Area. These projects will support the mental and physical well-being of persons experiencing, or who may be at risk of experiencing, family and gender-based violence.

Access Alliance will receive $799,088 to implement and evaluate the Hubs of Expressive Arts for Life (HEAL) initiative, an arts-based family violence prevention program to reach newcomer populations. The Hubs will provide safe, supportive, healing, and resilience-promoting spaces and communities to those who are experiencing, or are at high risk of experiencing, family violence.

The Canadian Mothercraft Society will receive $878,010 to scale-up and continue testing the effectiveness of its group intervention for mothers and children experiencing violence in relationships in 15 communities across Canada. The goal is to help mothers experiencing family violence learn about its impacts on their parenting and their children's development, while building mothers' self-esteem and improving their positive parenting and healthy relationship skills.

The Toronto Young Women’s Christian Association (YWCA) will receive $451,962 to implement and evaluate two 11-week expressive-arts based programs (Here to Help and Warrior's Journey) with children ages 4-16 years and their mothers who have experienced intimate partner violence. Caregivers and their children will be provided with more tools for self-expression and empowerment to better manage their emotions, strengthen their resilience and develop new ways to cope with the impact of their exposure to domestic violence, while reducing the risk of re-traumatization.

The Women’s Centre for Social Justice will receive $1,391,644 to implement and evaluate a program to improve the health and wellbeing of women survivors of intimate partner violence (IPV) who have suffered a traumatic brain injury (TBI). Given the unique target population, this project aims to create a model for evidence-based IPV-TBI services for those affected across Canada, regardless of their identity or geographical location.

Today’s funding comes at a critical time as the COVID-19 pandemic continues to negatively impact children and families at risk of violence due to disrupted services and additional emotional stressors affecting caregivers such as parental stress, depression, and substance use.

This investment is an important step in the right direction, and will help build evidence on what health promotion interventions and supports work in Canadian communities.. The federal government will continue working to prevent family and gender-based violence, support survivors, and break the cycle of violence in families and communities from coast to coast to coast.