Ontario's sexual assault support centres say they are stretched thin and need more funding

Ontario's sexual assault support centres say they are stretched thin and don't have enough money to support the increased demand forservices.

Survivors of sexual violence are reaching out more than ever, butcore fundingfrom the province has notkept up with the increased demand.

"Many of these centres are funded at a 1990s level, but they're seeing service demands that are more reflective of reduced stigma and more people wanting to talk about sexual violence today,"said Nicole Pietsch, a writer and advocate with the Ontario Coalition of Rape Crisis Centres.

The coalitionis a network made up of 31 sexual assault support centres from across Ontario.

A survey the coalition conducted earlier this year found that during the COVID-19 pandemic, 81 per centof Ontario sexual assault support centres saw an increase in calls tocrisis line supports such asphone, text lines and crisis chats.

Highest wait listin centre's33 years

Sara Casselman, executive director of the the Sexual Assault Support Centre of Waterloo Region, said her centre was already dealing with a much higher demand thanit could handle pre-pandemic.

Since the pandemic, her support centre has seen a 58 per cent increase in the demand forindividual counselling services. It has more than260 people on a wait list for counselling and other one-on-one supports.

"We've seen crisis on crisis to the point that today, 33 years into our history, we have the highest waiting list that we have by far ever had,"Casselman told CBC Kitchener-Waterloo.

She and Pietsch said long wait lists candeter survivors from reaching out in the first place. Sometimes sexual violence survivors don't come back after being told of the wait.

Piestch saidit'seven worse in rural and northern centres, where survivors face even bigger barriers to access.

More core funding needed, advocates say

Most sexual assault support centres are not-for-profit and rely on core funding from the province, donations from community members or grants from local organizations.

Pietsch said progress has been made to introduce action plans and policy changes such assexual violence prevention on post-secondary campuses. Those initiatives often come with funding,but theyusually have a time limitand lack substantial increases forfront-line organizations that work with survivors on a daily basis.

Casselmansaid the funding her centre receives from the Ontario government is less than$440,000 annually; its annual budget is $2 million.

That provincial funding covers the basics, she said, such ascounselling, group supports, public education and the centre's support line.

"We're not even seeing basic increases for inflation from the government, let alone to the increase in demand. Something has to shift," she said.

The previous provincial Liberal government promised sexual assault support centresa 30 per cent increase in their fundingto help address the demand.That money never arrived afterthe Progressive Conservatives wereelected in 2018.

"Basically that funding would have helped us hire twofull time counsellors," Casselmansaid, adding otherfunding that was supposed to come from the government would have gone to hire a court support worker.

Not receiving that funding in 2018 put many centres behind,Pietsch said. It was money that could have supported centres during the pandemic when many expanded their services to virtual and in-person.

Calls to action

In the 2022 Ontario Coalition of Rape Crisis Centres's budget submissionto Ontario Finance MinisterPeter Bethlenfalvy, Pietsch advocatedfor an increase in funding tosexual assault support centres.

That document called on the province forstable, core funding that meets existing service demands, as well as money toinvestin community-basedprevention programs.

"The underfunding of sexual support centres ... has been something we have been advocating about, the need for increased resources, for as long as I have been working in rape crisis centres and I have been in this field since the early 2000s," Pietsch said.

CBC Kitchener-Waterloo asked the provincial Liberal and Progressive Conservative parties for comment on theircommitment to sexual assault support centres. Neither party replied by deadline.

Support is available for anyone who has been sexually assaulted. You can access crisis lines and local support services through this Government of Canada website or the Ending Violence Association of Canada database. If you're in immediate danger or fear for your safety or that of others around you, please call 911.

TheOntario Coalition of Rape Crisis Centres websitealso has alist of support centres acrossOntario.