The vision of SAIF is that “Society will be abuse free”. The objectives of SAIF are to provide education, assistance and support to those individuals who experience family violence in our community.
Clients are referred by the RCMP Victim Services, former client referrals, our website, walk-ins or other contacts in the community. Counseling is provided on a one-on-one basis and as the client completes this level of counseling, additional services are provided in a group setting. These services are provided free to clients, and last year we provided over 400 hours of individual and group counseling.
This year our Counseling programs have been the busiest we have seen in many years. The safety and risk assessments that we complete with our clients are showing an increase in the potential for extreme violence and even homicide. We are greatly concerned for the safety of the families we work with this year.
We currently provide 31 hours of Individual Counseling per week. We also provide 24 hours of group counseling on a quarterly basis. Our weekly cost of the Counseling program is around $2,500. The money provided by the REALTORS® Community Foundation allowed us to provide 2 weeks of Counseling to individuals experiencing family violence.
Our Counseling programs are so busy that we now have a 3 week wait to get an appointment with one of our counselors, and a waiting list for those clients not in immediate crisis. This is greatly distressing to us as we would like to help all our families immediately.
Again, let me thank you and the REALTORS® Community Foundation for your support of our Counseling Program this year. We are privileged to live in a country where community minded citizens can band together to support those members in crisis. Please let me know if you require any further information.
Warmest regards,
Doreen Slessor
Project Coordinator
Stop Abuse in Families Society
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