Cobourg Police Service has received a $100,000 grant from the Ontario government to expand a collaboration with Cornerstone Family Violence Prevention Centre, an accredited violence against women agency in Cobourg that provides shelter, counselling, housing support, and prevention services in Northumberland County.
In 2017, Cobourg police and Cornerstone launched the Violence Against Women Response Enhancement Project as a one-year pilot project that brought experts in gender-based violence into the police service alongside officers, allowing victims of gender-based violence to receive direct and expert support from a counsellor while pairing victim advocacy with criminal investigation.
Since then, the program has continued to evolve with best practices and has adjusted to trends and community needs. In 2021, Cobourg police worked with Cornerstone to provide a safer space for victims during a sexual assault interview. Victims were provided with the option to have a support person from Cornerstone present during their interview for enhanced support, potentially reducing re-traumatization through the interview process.
With the $100,000 grant, Cobourg police and Cornerstone will be rebranding the Violence Against Women Response Enhancement Project as the Intimate Partner Abuse Response Strategy program and expanding the program’s geographical reach, establishing a full-time position, adding services for sexual assault victims, increasing training for officers on intimate partner abuse, and developing best-practice documentation for police, social service programs, and domestic violence and sexual assault prevention centres.
“With the funding, we are excited to expand this program to support victims and survivors,” says Cornerstone executive director Nancy Johnston in a media release. “The grant will allow us to create an innovative framework that can be applied by other interested police services over a larger geographical area, furthering our shared work of supporting our local and larger communities in creating a violence-free future.”
The $100,000 grant is part of the Ontario government’s $4 million Victim Support Grant Program to help support victims and survivors of intimate partner violence, domestic violence, human trafficking. and child exploitation. The Cobourg Police Service is one of 45 municipal and First Nations police departments and OPP detachments that received funding through this program in September for 2023-2024.
“Our partnership with Cornerstone is vital to supporting victims and survivors of intimate partner violence,” says Chief Paul VandeGraaf of Cobourg Police Service. “The support from the province through this grant money (increases) our ability to come together to stand against the intimate partner violence epidemic by focusing on collaborative solutions, increasing the number of people connected to Cornerstone services, enhancing training for officers to ensure the readiness of our team at Cobourg Police Service and in Port Hope to support the community.”
“We continue to foster a positive working relationship with Cobourg Police Service and we are truly appreciative of the Victim Support Grant program that will provide the opportunity to continue our partnership with Cobourg Police Service and enhance our ongoing collaboration with them and Port Hope Police Service,” Johnston says.
“Partnerships and collaboration can help us succeed in creating safe and resilient communities,” says Chief Tim Farquharson of Port Hope Police Service. “Cornerstone continues to support those impacted by gender-based violence and we are pleased to be a partner. Strengthening families, youth and individuals through programs and services always results in a stronger community. We are grateful for the province’s investment in Northumberland County through this grant. We will continue to work towards sustainable funding for the long term to support the safety, health, and wellness of our community.”
