Support after sexual assault, violence and harassment is available for you.
This list is available for people looking to help loved ones find resources, or if you yourself are in need of it. Here are a few Toronto-based organizations that provide survivors with opportunities to receive counselling and legal services. These services are confidential, and most are either free or low-cost.
Toronto Rape Crisis Centre (TRCC)
TRCC supports survivors of sexual violence through confidential, survivor-centred services. It offers a 24/7 crisis line, web and text chat, counselling, peer support groups, legal support and referrals to community resources. The organization also offers workshops and training to spread awareness and create social change across the city.
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For the crisis line, call: 416-597-8808. Available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, including all holidays.
For the web and text chat, it’s available Wednesday to Friday from 6 p.m. to midnight; just text: 416-597-8808
The Sexual Assault/Domestic Violence Care Centre (SA/DVCC) – Women’s Hospital
SA/DVCC is a comprehensive and acute service assisting all gender identities over the age of 16 who are victims/survivors of sexual assault and domestic/intimate partner violence.
Their team is available 24/7 without an appointment. Patients can be seen at Women’s College Hospital at 76 Grenville St. and access SA/DVCC services up to 30 days following a sexual assault or if you’re experiencing/have experienced recent domestic/intitmate partner violence.
To call SA/DVCC, dial 416-323-6040
The Assaulted Women’s Helpline (AWHL)
AWHL offers 24/7 confidential crisis support to women who have experienced abuse or violence across Ontario. The helpline helps survivors navigate abusive situations and access resources. They offer crisis lines, counselling, information and safety planning and are available in over 200 languages. They also offer workshops and training. AWHL will also try to give at least three names of therapists for short-term to long-term counselling to women who call their crisis line.
To reach the crisis line:
For the Greater Toronto Area: 416-863-0511
Toll-free: 1-866-863-0511
Toll-free TTY: 1-866-863-7868
Barbra Schlifer Commemorative Clinic
The Barbra Schlifer Commemorative Clinic focuses on offering legal, counselling and interpretation services to marginalized and racialized women and gender diverse people who have survived violence and abuse.
To visit the clinic: It’s available for visits from 9:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. at 489 College St.
To receive services: Integrated Intake is usually used as the first point of contact with the clinic. You can call them at 416-323-9149, then press option one or fill out their form on the clinic’s website.
Catholic Family Services of Toronto Phoenix Program, Violence Against Women Services
Catholic Family Services offers various support services to women who have or are facing sexual abuse and/or domestic violence. Some services they provide include individual counselling, couples counselling and transitional housing and support. They also offer women’s abuse groups with varying focuses, from being exposed to intimate partner abuse, responding to trauma, drop-ins and more.
If you’d like to learn more about and take part in the groups, you can fill out their form here.
Their Toronto office is at 1155 Yonge St., Suite 200, near Summerhill Station.
You can call 416-921-1163 or email info@cfstoronto.com for more information.
Scarborough Centre for Healthy Communities
Scarborough Centre for Healthy Communities has a Sexual Assault and Domestic Violence Care Centre that offers free one-on-one counselling to people who have experienced sexual assault, childhood sexual assault and partner abuse. They have an all-female team of counsellors, and clients work with the same counsellor throughout all sessions.
Contact the SADV program if you have any questions. You can email them at intake@schcontario.ca or give them a call at 416-847-4134.
Scarborough Health Network
The Scarborough Health Network’s Sexual Assault and Domestic Violence Care Centre (SA/DVCC) offers support 24 hours a day to all gender identities who are 12 years of age and older and have been sexually assaulted or experienced intimate partner violence. They offer 24-hour emergency care, forensic care like documentation and evidence collection, access to follow-up services like referrals and safety planning and more.
Services are available to people who enter the emergency department.
General Hospital emergency: 416-438-2911
Birchmount Hospital emergency: 416-495-2400
Centenary Hospital Emergency: 416-284-8131
For more information, contact the Sexual Assault/Domestic Violence Care Centre at 416-495-2555.
Post-secondary institutions also usually have support services located on their campus if you are a student in Toronto and are looking for services close by.
The Ontario Coalition of Rape Crisis Centres recently posted about post-secondary institutions having a role to play in sexual violence prevention in schools after the Cornell University student rape allegations came out this fall.
OCRCC wrote, “Canadian post-secondary institutions must act to prevent incidents like this in the future. OCRCC and community-based sexual assault centers are ready to help.”
Here are a few institutions you can contact for support and information if you’re a student there:
- University of Toronto’s Sexual Violence Prevention & Support Centre
- Toronto Metropolitan University’s Consent Comes First
- Centennial College
- George Brown Polytechnic
- Toronto Film School
- York University’s The Centre for Sexual Violence Response, Support & Education
- Ontario College of Art and Design (OCAD)’s Sexual & Gender-Based Violence Support
- University of Guelph-Humber’s Sexual and Gender-Based Violence Support and Education
- Seneca College
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