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Violence Against Women

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Violence Against Women

COSTI Family and Mental Health Services Centre offers confidential and culturally competent one-on-one supportive and crisis counselling and a support group for women experiencing abuse. The Centre also offers one-on-one counselling to children who have witnessed or experienced abuse.

Services Available

  • One-on-one supportive and crisis counselling to women and children
  • Safety planning
  • Referrals to community supports and resources
  • Legal aid clinics with lawyers
  • Referrals to shelters and housing programs
  • Educational and support groups for women experiencing abuse
  • Telephone counselling
  • Transitional support worker

COSTI provides individual, crisis and group counselling for women experiencing abuse.

If you require services in French please contact: Oasis Centre des femmes C.P. 46085 College Park Toronto, ON M5G 2P6. Support Line 24 hours/24 - 7 days/7 Toll Free +1. 877.femaide (336.2433) TTY 1.866.860.7082 or visit the website at Oasis Centre des femmes.

Who is Eligible

Services are available to women and children residing in the Greater Toronto Area and York Region.

Program Intake

Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday 8:30 am to 4:30 pm and Wednesday 8:30 am to 9:00 pm.
Services are also available at COSTI's Vaughan Centre. Please call 416.244.0480 to book an appointment in Vaughan.

   

This Program is Located at:

Family and Mental Health Services
Sheridan Mall, 1700 Wilson Avenue, Suite 105
Toronto, ON M3L 1B2
Phone: 416.244.7714 | famcounselling@costi.org
>
Vaughan Centre
3100 Rutherford Road, Suite 102
Vaughan, ON L4K 0G6
Phone: 905.669.5627 | vaughanemployment@costi.org
>

Fees are on a sliding scale and no one is turned away due to an inability to pay.

COSTI's Violence Against Women program is funded by the Ministry of Children, Community and Social Services.

Related Resources

View Workshop Calendars

Books on Domestic Violence, Trauma and Sexual Assault

To further assist family members on the subject of Domestic Violence and other concerns, the following books may be useful.

  • Your Surviving Spirit: A spiritual workbook with trauma, by Dusty Miller.
  • A Woman Like You: The face of domestic violence. (1997) Seal Press.
  • Surviving Domestic Violence: Voices of women who broke free. (1999) Elaine Weiss.
  • Learning to Leave: A woman's guide. (1993) Richard Peacock, Lynette Triera.
  • Dangerous Relationships: How to stop domestic violence before it stops you. (1997) Noelle Nelson.
  • Breaking Free from Partner Abuse: Voices of Battered Women Caught in the Cycles of Domestic Violence. (1999) Mary Marecek.
  • Breaking the Cycle: A parenting guide for single mothers of children who have witnessed domestic violence. (1997) Angela Henderson, Janet Eriksen, Margot Davisson & Sarah Odgen.
  • I Can’t Get Over It: A handbook for trauma survivors. (1992) Matsakis R.
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When You Need Support – Numbers to Call

If you are currently experiencing or have experienced abuse in an intimate relationship, support is available.

Does Your Partner Ever:
  • Scare you in any way?

  • Call you names?

  • Repeatedly make you late for or miss work?

  • Force you to have sex?

  • Not allow you to visit your friends or family?

  • Threaten to take away or hurt your children?

  • Check-up on you while you’re at work?

  • Hit, slap, push or hurt you?
If you answered yes to any of these questions, or if you are worried about someone close to you who may be experiencing abuse, COSTI, or any one of the organizations listed below can help.

The Assaulted Women’s Help Line: 416.863.0511

Women’s Habitat of Etobicoke Shelter: 416.252.5829

Yellow Brick House: 905.727.1944

Barbra Schlifer Commemorative Clinic: 416.323.9762

Multilingual Community Interpreter Services: 416.426.7051

The first thing to remember, for all emergency situations that require an immediate response, call the police emergency number — 9-1-1.147