Harper Government Invests in Community Projects across Canada to Support Victims of Violence

 Five new community-based projects across Canada to support victims of family violence.

July 27, 2015 – Toronto, ON

Today, the Honourable Rona Ambrose, Minister of Health announced that the Government of Canada is investing in five new community-based projects across Canada to support victims of family violence.

Family violence is a public health issue. Long-term exposure to violence can lead to substance abuse, mental illness, suicidal behaviours, and chronic illnesses such as heart disease.  In 2011, family violence accounted for approximately 25% of all violent crimes reported to police. This figure does not represent the full scale of the problem given that many incidents go unreported.

In February the Minister launched a Call for Proposals for organizations to submit applications to advance community-based projects that support the health of victims of domestic violence and child abuse and those at risk of these forms of violence.  Today’s announcement represents a total investment of more than $7.3 million over 5 years. The funding for these projects flows from the Government’s 10-year, $100 million investment for family violence announced in February 2015.

The projects are:

• Safe and Understood: Helping children who experience domestic violence:  This project, to be led by the Child Development Institute in Toronto, will deliver and test two programs (Mothers in Mind and Caring Dads) that promote the social, emotional, and developmental health of young children who have been exposed to family violence.
• Reaching out with Yoga: Trauma-informed Yoga for Women and Children in Shelters: This project, to be led by the British Columbia Society of Transition Houses in partnership with Yoga Outreach, will deliver and test trauma-informed yoga programs in 24 women’s shelters and transition houses across BC.  The program will promote physical and mental health to women and children who have experienced family violence. Trauma-informed practice is based on an understanding of the impact of violence on people’s lives, and focuses on respect and empowerment.
• Mentoring Healthy Futures: Peer and Community Support for Sexually Exploited Youth: This project, to be led by Covenant House Toronto, will deliver and test a peer support program for youth in Toronto who have experienced sexual exploitation and homelessness.
• Building Connections: A Group Intervention for Mothers and Children Experiencing Violence in Relationships: This project, to be led by Mothercraft, will deliver and test a program to help mothers experiencing family violence to learn about healthy relationships and the impacts of violence on their parenting and on their children’s development, while building self-esteem and positive parenting strategies. This project will reach Canadians across the country, including Aboriginal mothers and children through Aboriginal Head Start in Urban and Northern Communities sites across Canada.
• “Knowledge Hub: Maximizing Impact by Connecting Research and Practice in Trauma-Informed Health Promotion“: This project, to be led by the Centre for Research and Education on Violence Against Women, will connect and enhance the work of all the community-based projects funded though the Public Health Agency of Canada investment to support victims of violence from a health perspective.

In addition to these community-based projects, the Minister announced that the Government is investing $100,000 in the creation of a global information system on violence prevention being developed by the World Health Organization (WHO). This system will pull together information on violence and its prevention at the international level to provide a global picture of the extent, nature and effects of interpersonal violence.