A police officer is standing there. His lips are moving, and she hears some of the words, “John”, “accident”, “sorry for your loss”. Nothing else makes sense.
All of us fear this kind of news. It’s our worst nightmare, but tragic circumstance cannot be avoided, no matter who you are or where you live. If you’re fortunate, you will never become a victim of crime, flood or fire, but we all suffer loss at some point in our lives.
Victim Services is available to help, 24 hours a day, seven days a week, providing immediate, emotional support, practical assistance and referrals to community agencies to victims of crime and tragic circumstance including domestic violence, sexual assault, stalking/harassment, elder abuse, suicide, property crime, sudden death, motor vehicle collision, fire and natural disaster.
Crisis Responders assist victims to contact family and make funeral arrangements following a sudden death, for victims of domestic violence we provide transportation to safety, food and clothing and help create safety plans and for victims of other violent crimes we assist to secure their homes and can access crime scene clean up services and much, much more. For all victims, we provide resources to assist them in their recovery as well as connect them to counselling services.
At Victim Services we know how important it is for victims to get the immediate, free, confidential support they need.
This is what victims say about Victim Services:
“The assistance and caring were excellent and much appreciated under the circumstances.”
“A very needed service. The service helped my daughter tremendously.”
“I was not aware of your organization prior to this and have nothing but praise for everyone involved”
Victim Services is a volunteer-based organization that works in partnership with local police and emergency services and, as a non-profit charitable organization, and is managed by volunteer community boards of directors.
Without volunteers we could not meet the needs of victims. If you are interested in volunteering call 1-888-577-3111 or visit victim-services.com
If you are a victim who needs assistance call our 24-hour contact line 1-866-376-9852.
Funding for this Program is provided by the Government of Ontario.
As part of Violence Prevention Grey Bruce’s 16 days of activism, we encourage everyone to learn more about the resources providing support in our communities. You can apply to volunteer with Victim Services Bruce, Grey, Perth or donate to support its work through the website www.vsbgp.com.
Preventing violence is a difficult task. We know that tragedies can spark future instability, suffering, and violence in the lives of people who experience them. We also know that many factors contribute to the violence in our communities. Sadly, it is impossible to address all of those factors immediately. Victim Services works to lessen suffering locally by supporting victims in the immediate aftermath of a crisis. As a member agency of Violence Prevention Grey Bruce, it is an important local resource collaborating to support our neighbours.