The John Howard Society of Windsor-Essex is launching a new program to support victims of gender-based violence thanks to a grant from the provincial government.
The Supportive Approach to Finding Empowerment (S.A.F.E.) program will offer support and resources to anyone 16 years and older who is at risk of or experiencing gender-based violence. The tools will include safety planning, healthy relationship education, and financial literacy.
"Financial abuse and dependency can create a huge barrier for those who are leaving an abusive relationship," said Stephanie Keyes, Executive Director of the John Howard Society of Windsor-Essex.
"There's so many complex reasons that an individual might not leave. On average it can take around seven attempts for someone to leave an abusive relationship and there are so many reasons why they don't leave. It could be fear for their safety or their children's safety, psychological factors including the impact that domestic violence has on them over time, it can make them very confused and impact their sense of self worth. There's financial factors like being financially dependent on an abuser," said Keyes.
The society received $345,000 as part of Ontario’s Action Plan to End Gender-Based Violence.
“Ending gender-based violence starts with prevention and early intervention,” said Andrew Dowie, MPP for Windsor–Tecumseh. “The S.A.F.E. program reflects our government's commitment to supporting initiatives that stop violence before it starts. By offering tools like safety planning, healthy relationship education, and financial literacy, this program will help break the cycle of abuse. I’m proud to see this investment come to our community and am confident it will make a real difference in the lives of people across Windsor and Essex County.”
The program will be launched in the fall of this year.