From the Executive Director

It gives me great pleasure to welcome you to Victim Services Toronto’s website. Whether you are looking for information for a family member, a friend, an acquaintance or yourself, you have come to the right place to find out about Victim Services Toronto. By perusing the site you will learn about the organization’s programs and services, how to develop a safety plan, ways you can get involved and support victims’ issues, as well as links to other services and victims’ organizations.

It is my hope for this address and throughout our website that along with finding information you seek, you also gain a sense of who we are – in the heart of the organization. One of the most impressive things I can tell you about the people working on the front-lines with victims is that the vast majority have been with Victim Services Toronto for ten years or more. Frequently I am asked how and why staff members stay so long, when each and every work day is filled with intense emotional trauma.

Crisis Counselors tell me – how – they are able to stay for years on end. They are constantly challenged and engaged by the wide-range of complex presenting issues each and every day. And – why – they stay, is because the work is remarkably rewarding. Our Crisis Counsellors say that helping victims find solutions to extremely complex problems and comforting people during their most vulnerable and often panic-stricken states is unbelievably meaningful and worthwhile.

Not only are our staff members incredibly empathetic, compassionate and passionate about their work, they are also highly skilled, professional and extensively trained in trauma management and crisis counseling. All of our staff are college or university educated, with most having achieved either a Bachelors or Masters Degree in Social Work.

Another major part, and core to who we are in the heart of the organization, is our volunteers. Hovering around 150 strong, our volunteers are the life blood of the organization, providing immeasurable contributions to the victims we serve, the organization and the community at large. Our volunteers are dedicated, generous and capable individuals, who complete an eleven week training course before they begin to donate tens of thousands of hours of service each year.

Thank you for your interest in Victim Services Toronto. We hope that you will consider lending your support to the agency’s vital programs and services. Whether volunteering or through financial support, your assistance can make a tremendous difference and positively affects the lives of victims.

Bonnie Levine
Executive Director
Victim Services Toronto