There’s More Support
for Survivors
There’s More Support for Survivors
Family Services of Greater Vancouver is walking with survivors, every step of the way.
With a trauma-informed, client-led approach, FSGV provides supports and counselling to victims and survivors of violence, exploitation, trafficking, and other abuses. Each year, for Victims and Survivors of Crime Week, we run an awareness campaign to highlight these programs so that people know: FSGV is here for survivors. We know that investing in survivor-centered services is critical in disrupting cycles of violence and trauma and in creating safer communities.
Healing is a journey and no one should walk it alone. Join us in making sure there’s more support for survivors, every step of the way. Please consider donating today at: fsgv.ca/donate
With Victim Services, FSGV Support Workers are there for survivors who are usually still in the thick of what it is they’re surviving: intimate partner violence, exploitation or trafficking, elder abuse, and more. Support Workers are there to make sure survivors have advocates and, as the name suggests, support. With our Trauma Counselling programs, survivors can be in any stage of healing. Sometimes people are in our programs decades after abuse, sometimes while it’s still happening, and others just after.
This is what we mean when we say we’re offering support every step of the way: we don’t just offer support while and if someone is going through the criminal justice system, we’re here while they find and build safety in their lives, while they heal, and while they reconnect with themselves and their joy.
Survivors deserve supports that are safe, where they are met with dignity and respect – without judgment and without preconceived notions of what they need. Instead, it’s vital to let them define their experiences and make their own decisions.
FSGV meets all survivors where they’re at with client-led support. From youth to seniors, we respect survivors’ autonomy. Trusting in each survivor’s ability to self-empower gives them the space to explore what their goals, needs, and next steps look like. And then we walk that path with them, every step of the way. Our Victim Support Workers are compassionate and trauma-informed and the support they provide is free. They support survivors of high-risk elder abuse, intimate partner violence, exploitation, and family violence situations. They help with:
- emotional support
- creating safety plans
- navigating the criminal justice system
- advocacy in systems like housing, healthcare, and judicial
- developing a network of support
- connecting to additional community supports, such as counselling, medical services, and more
Trauma-informed care means recognizing the ways that trauma can impact every aspect of a survivor’s life and staying firm in respecting their autonomy and rights. The youngest survivors in our trauma counselling programs are just three years old, and we support survivors of all ages through specialized programs for people in all stages of life who have experienced trauma. While this work may seem heavy, and there are times it is, the true focus is ultimately on helping survivors step back into their power and their lives. Our Trauma Counselling programs support:
- children and youth who have experienced sexual abuse
- seniors navigating loneliness, trauma, and life changes
- parents who are trying to heal trauma while pregnant and with young children
- children and youth who have witnessed or experienced violence at home
- survivors of intimate partner violence
- and survivors of sexual violence, exploitation, and human trafficking
“I am able to show youth that they are able to have relationships where their autonomy is respected and they have venues to exercise their power. It’s important to build relationships that are guided by choice.”
Support Worker
“The first thing I try to do is make connections with people and not only talk about the issue per se but also about other topics we might relate on. Their life is not summed up in the problem, but also in other things.”
Support Worker
“It’s satisfying to give women the accurate information they need, the support, and resources in order to make their own decisions.”
Support Worker
“I see women become more empowered because they’re given the choices or options that they need to move forward.”
Support Worker
When you invest in survivor-centered services, you are making your community safer and disrupting cycles of violence. You have the power to stand with survivors: your generosity makes our free, trauma-informed, client-led care possible.
and ensure there’s more support for survivors.