Resources

Brave Beginnings is not a crisis service.

If you are in immediate danger, please call 911.

For other needs, please see below for a list of helpful resources available to survivors of abuse in the Greater Toronto Area.

Crisis Support & Shelters

  • National Domestic Violence Hotline – 1-800-799-7233
  • Sheltersafe.ca  – a resource for connecting women with the nearest shelter
  • Assaulted Women’s Helpline – Call toll-free 1-866-863-0511; service offered in 154 languages and referrals to legal services and shelters
  • Toronto Rape Crisis Centre – support services for survivors of sexual violence and harassment

Community & Social Services

  • Affordable Therapy Network – Directory of low-cost, sliding scale psychotherapists
  • Connex Ontario – Directory of mental health and addictions services, by region
  • YWCA – National Charitable organization offering services to women 
  • Women’s Health in Women’s Hands – Provides racialized women-identifying communities in Toronto with culturally safe, relevant, and responsive primary healthcare.
  • Family Services of Peel – Provides one-to-one counselling, therapy groups, education, and support services to women who have experienced domestic abuse
  • Chantel’s Place – Mississauga Hospital-secure hospital wing, which provides injury assessment and treatment and which offers emotional support and counselling, medical, and legal information
  • Catholic Family Services of Peel – Provides group counselling and crisis support: (905) 897-1644
  • Central Health Line – Comprehensive database of health providers in York
  • eMentalHealth – Provides a definition on abuse and domestic abuse
  • Women’s Centre of York Region – Services for post-crisis women to become economically independent
  • DRIVEN – Domestic abuse and sexual abuse counselling, legal consultations with family lawyers, access to language interpreters, and more
  • Catholic Family Services of Durham-in-depth counselling programs for women who have been abused
  • Domestic Assault Review Team – Map to help people find service agencies in the area
  • The Halton Women’s Centre – Counselling, support groups, employment resources, and legal support
  • Shelter Movers – provides no-cost moving and storage services to survivors of abuse and their families. 
  • Courage in Action – Courage in Action is a national charity providing mentoring, education and bursaries for women so they can build courageous lives. Our support helps our members live free from violence, poverty and trauma and create a sustainable path forward.
  • NISA Foundation – Muslim women-led organization providing various services, including counselling to survivors of domestic violence

Education

  • Abused and Brain Injured – Information for survivors and service providers on Domestic-violence-caused Traumatic Brain Injury 
  • The Learning Network from the Centre for Research and Education on Violence Against Women and Children   
  • Peel Committee Against Woman Abuse (PCAWA) – A hub for a number of support agencies and provides service referrals
  • WomenAct – Research, education, and advocacy organization hosting free webinars for survivors and service providers  
  • Our IPV Story  -– A collaborative platform advancing intimate partner violence (IPV) research and advocacy through lived experiences, innovative resources, and community-driven solutions
  • AVA Training – transforming community health and social services to promote health and wellness of girls, women, and gender-diverse people at risk/affected by violence and adversity over the life-cycle