THUNDER BAY — An organization that provides emotional and practical assistance to victims of crime saw a huge increase in calls for help in 2022, so much so that it's reached out for help from the Thunder Bay Police Services Board.
Thunder Bay and Area Victim Services is a non-profit organization that provides confidential support, education and referral services to victims of crime and tragic circumstances.
In operation for the past two decades, it's available to people affected by homicide, assault, arson, break-ins, domestic violence, bereavement, motor vehicle collisions and various other traumatic incidents.
Last year it received about 1,100 requests for assistance, well over double the number of calls it dealt with in 2021.
To help cover the cost of the growing demand on its communications infrastructure, the organization has requested and received $10,000 from the police board.
The board approved the funding at its meeting on Tuesday.
Executive director Penny Radford said the money will ensure that staff and trained volunteers who work at the agency can continue to provide crisis services on a 24/7 basis.
Most of the money will pay for a land line, a fax machine, cell phones, cell phone plans and a subscription to an app that directs calls appropriately when they are placed to the agency.
Radford said maintaining the communications apparatus is expensive, and that the cost is increasing.
"We take crisis calls for anybody that's affected by crime. Referrals come in from police, or it can be a self-referral or from some other local agency. We never want to miss a call. That means multiple phones and multiple lines coming in."
Some victim services personnel currently use their personal phones, while others use phones that are supplied to them.
In its application to the police board, the agency noted that not only would the funding facilitate consistent crisis line responses, but would help retain volunteers who are currently using their own equipment.
"We don't want to be a burden in a volunteer's life. It's a privilege to have them," Radford said.
When required, personnel will attend the scene of an incident to provide on-location support, which may allow police officers to attend to their next call.
The organization's catchment area includes not just Thunder Bay, but also Nipigon, Red Rock and Lake Helen.
"Somebody is always on the go," Radford said. "We're going to the crime scene, we're delivering cell phones for safety, or new locks, or alarms for their windows."
Victim services used to operate out of the Thunder Bay police station but is now based in an office it rents on Victoria Avenue.
Their principal funding currently comes from the Ministry of Children, Community and Social Services.
"Our phone goes all day long," Radford said, adding that without the support of the police board she may have had to turn one of the three full-time staff positions into a part-time job.
