Healing after a crime or sudden loss takes time.
Ongoing Support and Case Management
Victim Services Toronto (VST) Case Workers provide steady, compassionate care, helping survivors navigate systems that can overwhelm even the strongest among us.
This work takes skill. Case Workers move fluidly through hospitals, shelters, police stations, immigration offices, courts, and schools — because no survivor faces just one system.
They meet people where they are, emotionally and physically, and stay involved, offering consistency through setbacks and support for the long, nonlinear work of rebuilding.
Programs
Case Management
VST’s Case Managers deliver personalized, longer-term support to individuals recovering from crime or traumatic events.
Every survivor’s path is different. VST builds a circle of care around each person, drawing on a strong and growing network of community agencies, healthcare providers, and social services.
For survivors of human trafficking, we offer specialized case management that reflects the heightened risks and complex realities of their experiences.
This support is comprehensive, trauma-informed, culturally relevant and survivor-centred, providing safety, stability, and next steps at each survivor’s pace.
Trauma Dog
No words. No judgment. Just a singular, steady presence.
Penny, VST’s trained red fox Labrador, helps survivors find the strength and safety to speak, to emerge from the chaos of trauma, and to feel comfort when hope feels out of reach.
In court, one young survivor of sexual assault dropped to the floor beside the witness stand to stroke Penny before stepping onto the podium to face her assailant and deliver her victim impact statement — a moment she later said she couldn’t have faced without Penny’s grounding presence.
In the hospital, a man recovering from a coma sat up and fed Penny treats — the first time he’d been responsive since being beaten in a violent attack.
Penny doesn’t just offer comfort — she reaches survivors in ways no other form of care can.
“I have worked with this family for almost two years and have seen the pain and suffering the family has experienced each time Cheryl has attempted to take her own life. I have never seen her more at ease - and truthfully more chatty - than she is when Penny is around. Your work has made an immeasurable difference for her and allows her to look back on a difficult court experience with some positivity, knowing that you and Penny were there.”
Exit Route
Exit Route embeds VST Social Work Professionals, called Neighbourhood Advocates, directly into the police divisions and units where exploitation and violence are most likely to occur. It’s a decentralized support model where Neighbourhood Advocates can connect directly with victims, right in their communities.
Neighbourhood Advocates work alongside police to support the immediate emotional and practical needs of victims—needs that fall outside the scope of law enforcement.
In 2024, Neighbourhood Advocates were embedded in five local police divisions and four specialized units: Human Trafficking, Domestic Violence, Internet Child Exploitation, Emergency Task Force and Homicide/Missing Persons.