2026-2027 Services delivered: Victim Crisis Assistance Ontario Exit Route

Component: Victim Services

Legislation: Ministry of Community and Social Services Act

Service description

The Province provides funding to the Recipient for the delivery of Exit Route.

The Recipient will deliver Exit Route using trained staff, who will provide specialized victim/survivor-centered, trauma-informed and culturally responsive support to victims/survivors of human trafficking and intimate partner violence.

People served

The Program serves victims/survivors of human trafficking and intimate partner violence.

Program/service features

The Recipient is responsible for the delivery of services/activities to victims/survivors living in the catchment area (City of Toronto). Exit Route services that overlap with the VCAO Program will be delivered in accordance with the most up-to-date version of the VCAO Program Standards and the most up-to-date version of the VQRP+ Standards.

Delivery of Exit Route services to victims/survivors of human trafficking and under the age of 18 will be coordinated with the Toronto Children at Risk of Exploitation (CARE) Unit.

Specific service provided

In addition to the services offered through the VCAO Program, the following services will be offered:

• System Navigation – The Recipient will assist victims/survivors of human trafficking and intimate partner violence to navigate various services and practical supports to address their needs. This navigation will include facilitated linkages to community agencies instead of just straight referrals
• Counselling Support - The Recipient will immediately connect victims/survivors of human trafficking and intimate partner violence to a qualified counsellor within the Recipient's organization to provide them with crisis intervention counselling and emotional support
• Enhanced Follow-up - The Recipient will proactively follow-up with victims/survivors of human trafficking and intimate partner violence a minimum of two times, to ensure that connections are working with other supports and to continue to support them with any ongoing needs, including assisting them to transition to longer-term services within their community

Program goals

The goals of Exit Route are to:

• Enhance access to support services and reduce service barriers for victims/survivors of human trafficking and intimate partner violence through the provision of system navigation services
• Increase collaboration among policing and other justice and community partners to improve supports for victims/survivors of human trafficking and intimate partner violence
• Reduce the likelihood of further harm and increase the likelihood of victims/survivors leaving their trafficker(s) or abusive partner by providing wraparound supports to victims/survivors of human trafficking and intimate partner violence

Ministry expectations

Community liaison/development

The Recipient will have victim services workers embedded into select Toronto Police Services Units and Divisions, including the Human Trafficking Enforcement Unit, so that on scene assistance can be provided to an increased number of victims/survivors of human trafficking and intimate partner violence, or in the immediate aftermath at the local police station.

The Recipient will focus on building more collaborative relationships in their community, particularly with organizations that serve Indigenous and racialized communities. For victims/survivors of human trafficking and intimate partner violence from Indigenous and racialized communities, the Recipient will work with organizations serving these communities to implement alternative ways, other than through the police or at police stations, for community members to access service.

The Recipient will network with existing community and court-based services, as well as the Toronto CARE Unit when appropriate, providing support to victims/survivors of human trafficking and intimate partner violence to strengthen those relationships and to ensure that the organizations are working collaboratively, without service duplication, to provide wraparound supports to these victims/survivors.

Reporting requirements

Service data on ministry funded expenditures will be reported on at an Interim and Final stage. Report back due dates and targets are outlined in the Recipients agreement with the ministry.

Service data will be reported through the Transfer Payment Ontario and supplemental reports to the ministry.