Simcoe County will soon be home to a first-of-its-kind initiative aimed at addressing the link between violence and mental health. Waypoint Centre for Mental Health Care is leading the creation of Canada’s first Mental Health Anti-Violence Hub, with the goal of improving support for survivors of intimate partner violence. “Mental health needs are quite a big gap when it comes to experiences of intimate partner violence,” said Elnaz Moghimi, one of the research scientists helping launch the project. The hub will focus on connecting survivors to support services, while also training health care providers, developing public education campaigns, and building gender-based violence content into existing programs, like Ontario Structured Psychotherapy. Huronia Transition Homes will bring its front-line experience to the project, helping women from across the region who are escaping gender-based violence. “Our biggest fear as a partner agency in this, as you never want to have a project that is just going to be just research and training, we want to see. And this is why we’re at the table,” said Huronia Transition Homes Executive Director Haily MacDonald. “We want to see on-the-ground action.” McDonald said the need in this region is particularly urgent. “North Simcoe has a greater rate of poverty overall in the province. We are one of those higher level areas. And all of that concentrates and really adds to the prevalence of gender based violence,” she said. The hub will also include an online tool to connect victims with hospital and community services, along with programs that give survivors the chance to support others facing similar situations. “Our hope is that in addition to provide mental health services and care that’s very targeted, that we start to really inspire and empower individuals who have been affected to be able to speak and fight that stigma together,” said Moghimi. The province is investing $2.3 million in the two-year pilot project. If successful, researchers hope to expand the model to other parts of Ontario and eventually across Canada.
