London Abused Women’s Centre launches new strategic plan focused on survivor needs

London Abused Women’s Centre has announced a new strategic plan to better support survivors. CTV’s Lauren Stallone explains.

The London Abused Women’s Centre (LAWC) is rolling out a new strategic plan designed to strengthen its ability to support survivors and respond to increasingly urgent community needs.

“Our theme for the strategic plan is about shifting power, and so we want to make it of the utmost importance to listen to women with lived experience,” said Executive Director Jennifer Dunn.

The plan outlines several key pillars that will guide LAWC’s work for years to come.

“One is really focused on meeting women where they’re at and providing that survivor-centred support,” she explained. “We also need to make sure that our staff are equipped to be able to provide the support that’s necessary.”

Dunn says the plan comes at a critical time, as demand for services continues to rise and feminist-centred advocacy becomes increasingly vital.

“We have seen numerous femicides here in the City of London alone,” she said. “Between 2023 and 2024 there were four femicides in London, Ontario, and we need to pay attention to that.”

She also points to the recent Hockey Canada case, emphasizing the need for long-term systemic and cultural change within the community.

“Just because they were found not guilty doesn’t mean that nothing happened, and we need to pay attention to that,” she said. “We need to be talking to men and young boys about what that means.”

Dunn says the organization is grateful for government support, which helped make the strategic plan possible.

“We ended up being successful with a grant that we applied for through WAGE, which is a federal ministry for capacity building,” she said.