Get help if you are experiencing violence
Are you or someone you know experiencing violence? There is help. Learn about the resources available to you, including helplines and shelters.
Are you in danger?
Call 911 or your local police immediately.
Provincial crisis and help lines
Provincial crisis lines are free and confidential 24-hour helplines that offer:
- someone to talk to
- crisis counselling
- emotional support
- safety planning
- legal information
- other assistance
You can get help by calling a provincial crisis line no matter where you’re located in the province.
Assaulted women’s helpline
Get 24/7 crisis counselling and referrals to shelters, legal advice and other help.
Support is available in over 200 different languages, including 17 Indigenous languages.
Learn more about the assaulted women’s helpline.
Ontario
Greater Toronto Area (GTA)
Toronto:
Mobile (On Fido, Rogers, Bell and Telus networks)
#SAFE (
Victim Support Line
The multilingual Victim Support Line provides services to victims of crime across Ontario, in most languages spoken in the province.
Victims of crime and their families have access to a wide range of services, including counselling, financial assistance and other supports
24/7
Greater Toronto Area:
Or, chat online Monday to Friday from 7 a.m. to 9 p.m. Eastern Time
Fem’aide
Get 24/7 anonymous crisis counselling and referral services for Francophone and French speaking women.
Talk4Healing
Get 24/7, culturally sensitive crisis counselling, advice and support for Indigenous Women and their families living in urban, rural and remote communities, both on and off reserve.
Support is available in English, Ojibway, Oji-Cree and Cree.
Learn more about Talk4Healing.
Thunder Bay Crisis Line: 807-346-4357 (807-346-HELP)
Text or call the Talk 4Healing helpline toll- free at
You can also speak to trained counsellors 24/7 via Talk4Healing’s online chat, offered in 14 different languages.
Support services for male survivors of sexual abuse
Get 24/7 multilingual support service for male survivors of sexual abuse, both recent and historical.
Toll-free: Male survivors of sexual abuse can access specialized services, including:
- a 24/7 crisis and referral hotline
- individual and group counselling
- peer support
- telephone and online counselling
- referrals to other appropriate community support services to meet other long-term needs that clients may have
Male survivors of sexual abuse can call
Find a service provider near you.
Ontario 211 helpline
For help getting connected to community, social, health-related and government services in your local area, contact 211 by phone or online.
Learn more about the Ontario 211 helpline.
The Ontario 211 phone line is free and is answered 24 hours a day all year round. You can talk to people in more than 150 languages.
Live chat service available Monday to Friday from 7 a.m. to 9 p.m. ET
Legal Aid Ontario
Legal Aid Ontario (LAO) provides legal help in English and French for low‑income Ontarians regarding:
- family law
- refugee and immigration law
- criminal law
- mental health law
- clinic law
If you have experienced domestic violence and need help with a family law matter, please call LAO’s contact centre immediately:
Toll-free: 1-800-668-8258 - GTA:
416-979-1446 - Bell Relay:
1-800-855-0511
Emergency shelters and women’s shelters
Emergency shelters provide security for women and their children fleeing violence and abuse by offering protection, hope and support.
To find support in your local area, call:
- one of the provincial crisis lines
- Ontario 211
Tel: 211 Toll-free: 1-877-330-3213 Toll-free TTY: 1-888-340-1001 - Live chat service available Monday to Friday from 7 a.m. to 9 p.m. ET
Sexual assault centres
Find a sexual assault centre in your community.
Sexual assault centres provide supports to survivors of sexual assault. Women who have experienced sexual assault may access a range of services through these centres, including, a 24-hour crisis line, counselling, peer support, advocacy and accompaniment to hospitals, court and other services.
Domestic violence treatment centres
Get hospital-based emergency care for people who have recently experienced sexual and/or domestic violence. Care can include access to specialized medical care and counselling.
Visit the Ontario Network of Sexual Assault and Domestic Violence Treatment Centres website to find help in your region.
Mental health and addictions treatment services
Find mental health and addictions services in your community.
You can get free and confidential support for:
- depression
- anxiety
- addiction
- gambling
- other mental illnesses
The Government of Ontario invests in several Indigenous-specific mental health and addictions treatment and healing centres, for more information please contact ihws@ontario.ca.
Affordable housing
Learn about programs to help you find a safe and affordable place to call home, including help for survivors of domestic violence and human trafficking.
Victim services
For additional information about services for victims of crime, visit the online Victim Services Directory or chat online Monday to Friday from 7 a.m. – 9 p.m. Eastern Time.
Family Court Support Worker program
Family court support workers provide direct support to victims of domestic violence who are involved in the family court process.
A family court support worker will:
- provide information about the family court process
- help victims prepare for family court proceedings
- refer victims to other specialized services and supports in the community
- help with safety planning, such as getting to and from court safely
- accompany the victim to court proceedings, where appropriate
Visit the victim service directory to find a family court support worker in your community.
Victim Crisis Assistance Ontario
The Victim Crisis Assistance Ontario program provides crisis intervention services to victims of crime and tragic circumstances 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
In addition to on-site crisis intervention, other services offered through the program include:
- safety planning for all eligible victims of crime
- referrals to appropriate community supports and services
- needs assessments and customized service plans
- assisting eligible victims with applications to the Victim Quick Response Program+
- enhanced support for vulnerable victims
- referrals to community agencies
Victim Quick Response Program+
The Victim Quick Response Program+ provides short-term support for essential expenses for victims, their immediate family members and witnesses in the immediate aftermath of a violent crime to help:
- reduce the impact of the crime
- enhance safety
- meet immediate practical needs
This program supports individuals who have no other financial means (e.g. private insurance) and where there is no publicly-funded program available.
Eligible applicants can access supports for critical needs, such as:
- emergency home safety expenses
- practical expenses and basic necessities
- travel and related expenses
- crime scene clean-up
- short-term counselling services
- support required for serious injuries
- basic funeral expenses for families of homicide victims
To apply for the program, you must be assessed for eligibility with a local service provider. If you are eligible, the service provider will assist you with your application to the program.
Visit the victim service directory to find the VQRP+ service provider in your community.
Victim/Witness Assistance Program
The Victim/Witness Assistance Program provides information, assistance and support to victims and witnesses of crime throughout the criminal court process in order to improve their understanding of, and participation in, the criminal court process.
Services are provided on a priority basis to the most vulnerable victims and witnesses of violent crime. Services begin once police have laid charges and continue until the court case is over.
Victim/Witness Assistance Program services include:
- information about victims’ rights and the criminal court process
- case specific information
- court preparation and orientation
- emotional support, including crisis intervention and debriefing
- needs assessment and referrals to community agencies (including discussions about safety issues and referrals to agencies for comprehensive safety planning)
- liaison with the Crown and police
Get the Victim/Witness Assistance Program brochure or visit the victim service directory to find assistance in your community.
Help for child victims and child witnesses
The Child Victim/Witness Program offers support and services to child victims and witnesses during the criminal court process.
In areas where a Child Victim/Witness Program is not available, the Victim/Witness Assistance Program can provide similar services.
Visit the victim service directory to find assistance in your community.
Independent Legal Advice
If you are a victim of sexual assault living in Ontario and would like to speak to a lawyer, you may be eligible for up to four hours of free legal advice by phone or video conversation (for example, Skype or Zoom). This service does not include legal representation in court.
This service is confidential and is available any time after a sexual assault has occurred.
Vulnerable Victims and Family Fund
The Vulnerable Victims and Family Fund helps victims of crime participate more fully in the criminal court process.
Financial and court-based supports include:
- travel to attend key court dates
- language interpretation services (does not include instances where the Language Interpreters Services Program applies)
- special accommodations for victims with disabilities, such as real-time captioning or other equipment
- Basic necessities for victims of human trafficking while at court
Victims of crime and families of homicide victims should apply through Ontario’s Victim/Witness Assistance Program. Visit the victim service directory to find assistance in your community.
Supports for Indigenous women
There are culturally appropriate programs and services for Indigenous women and children experiencing violence.
Indigenous Health Healing and Wellness Strategy Provincial Healing Lodges
Healing lodges offer residential and/or day programs using traditional Indigenous healing and contemporary therapeutic interventions to:
- reduce the impacts of, or trauma arising from, sexual assault, physical, mental and emotional abuse or family instability
- promote the spiritual, emotional, mental and physical well-being of Indigenous people and families
- foster the healing, rebuilding and strengthening of individual and family relationships
Learn more about provincial healing lodges and how you can connect with their services.
Shelters for Indigenous women and children
Find a shelter that can provide safe, short-term residences for women fleeing domestic abuse and their children. Counselling and other culturally appropriate supports are also available.
Learn more about shelters for Indigenous women and children and how to connect with their services.
Employment and job training services
Learn more about programs and services that can help you gain new skills, experience and opportunities that will support your economic independence.
Learn about programs for women’s economic security and empowerment.
Women’s economic security program
Women’s economic security programs:
- provide training for women with low incomes and for women who have experienced violence
- equips women with the skills to start small businesses or get jobs in the skilled trades or information technology
- might provide food, transportation and access to childcare
There are also programs that invest in women’s futures and build Indigenous women’s leadership.
Employment Ontario
Employment Ontario can help you get training, build skills or find a job. Learn more about Employment Ontario.
Hide your internet activity
The internet is a great resource for finding information that can help you make decisions about your personal situation. However, it’s important to understand that the record of your internet activities does not disappear when you close your browser. If you are concerned that someone may be monitoring you, it is helpful to know how to hide your Internet activities.
- If possible, visit websites from a place other than your home and use a mobile device or a computer that’s not your own, such as a public library, school, internet cafe or your workplace.
- If possible, use the privacy mode feature of your internet browser. This feature automatically prevents your browser from saving and storing your browser history.
- Delete cookies and clear your browser history (cache). Cookies are a way for websites to track their visitors and their actions. They do this by storing small bits of information on your computer. Sometimes this means that the site will “remember” you when you visit again. For example, if you enter your name when you go to a website, it may display your name when you visit again.
How to delete cookies from your computer if you are using: