Heather Latter
District residents who have been victims of crime will now have local resources right at their finger tips, with a new brochure available across the district from the Rainy River District Victim Services Program.
Funded by the Department of Justice Canada, Peggy Loyie of Victim Services here, said they wanted to create a collective resource for local people.
“All the resources listed inside are within the Rainy River District,” she explained.
“Because we’ve found in the past that we put in 1-888 numbers, sometimes they don’t know where we are geographically in relation to the rest of the province,” added Loyie.
“So we wanted to make it so that these resources are just available in the Rainy River District,” she reiterated. “So then if you are calling someone they know where you are and they can assist.”
The directory lists a variety of organizations—from the Northwestern Community Legal Clinic and Riverside Community Counseling to the Weechi-it-te-win Family Services Inc. and Police—as well as the programs available there, the address, and contact information.
On the other side of the folder, Victim Services has provided plenty of safety information.
“There is safety planning where they might be partner violence going on, as well as safety planning for teens, safety planning for older persons, and Internet technology safety,” Loyie noted, citing there is even a pamphlet on building a safer home environment.
“There are checklists and tips, so we hope people find it helpful,” she added.
She indicated the brochures are being distributed throughout the district and will be available in a number of locations, such as both the Treaty Three Police and OPP detachments, the hospitals, legal clinics, Rainy River District Social Services Administration Board, Riverside Counselling, and Canadian Mental Health Association.
“They will be available in a number of community and social services throughout the district,” Loyie said, noting she wants people to get the help they need.
“Referrals are a huge part of what we do, referring people to programs where they are going to get direction or what they can do, as opposed to feeling they are faced with what isn’t available,” she expressed.
“And often people aren’t aware of all of the services we have, so that’s why we put them in the one piece here,” added Loyie.
For instance, the directory shows that Gizhewaadiziwin Health Access Centre provides a mental health program, a translator program, and has a traditional healing coordinator, while the Victim Witness Assistance Program provides emotional support and a liaison between Crown Attorney and Police.
“We talk a lot about what we don’t have when we compare ourselves to other areas, but we do have a lot of good resources within our district as well,” Loyie voiced. “We need to focus on that and make the most of what we do have.”
Trudy McCormick of the Northwestern Community Legal Clinic in Fort Frances, where the brochures were first distributed last week, was pleased with the new resource.
“It’s good for us, too, to have a refresher of what the other services are out there that people can access,” she expressed. “Because we ourselves, as service providers, aren’t always aware of what the other services are, so it’s really helpful to have this from Victim Services.
“We get focused on what we do, so it’s a good refresher,” added McCormick. “People don’t realize all the things we do and they can see in there the breadth of services we offer.”
