The Kawartha Community Foundation has announced a new initiative that will see $180,000 in funding for six local non-profit organizations to support residents who need help navigating the justice system.
“Together for Justice” is a community-driven initiative designed to strengthen access to justice and address systemic barriers across Kawartha Lakes by investing directly in local organizations and community-led solutions.
Led by the Kawartha Community Foundation (formerly Community Foundation of Kawartha Lakes), the initiative is funded by Community Foundations of Canada along with The Law Foundation of Ontario, which awards millions of dollars each year to grants, class actions, and Legal Aid Ontario to advance access to justice across the province.
According to the Kawartha Community Foundation, the Together for Justice initiative focuses on early intervention, prevention, and navigation to help people access legal support before their challenges escalate.
Funded activities include legal education and rights awareness, justice navigation and access supports, restorative and diversion-based approaches, and practical supports that reduce barriers to accessing justice related to poverty, geography, trauma, age, youth involvement, and newcomer status.
Together for Justice is also aligned with the work of the Kawartha Lakes Human Services and Justice Coordinating Committee, which brings together partners from justice, health, housing, and social services to improve coordination, reduce service gaps, and better support individuals with complex needs who are either involved with the justice system or at risk of becoming involved.
The six organizations receiving funding from the Together for Justice initiative are:
- A Place Called Home (APCH) in Lindsay, which will provide transportation support to legal, court, and justice-related services for people facing housing instability and vulnerability.
- Community Care City of Kawartha Lakes, which will provide senior-focused justice education and cyber-fraud prevention to reduce exploitation and support early intervention.
- Kawartha Lakes & Haliburton Integrated Immigrant Services Association, in collaboration with the New Canadians Centre in Peterborough, which will provide newcomer rights workshops and strengthened collaboration among service providers and employers to improve access to justice.
- John Howard Society of the Kawarthas, which will providing educational support as well as technology and a safe spaces to access justice-related services.
- Kawartha Haliburton Victim Services, which will providing mobile justice outreach, legal education, and navigation supports, especially for residents in remote and rural communities.
- BGC Kawarthas, which will support the Youth Justice Committee Program to enhance accountability, diversion, and positive outcomes for youth. The program is an alternative to formal court proceedings, where youth and their parents/guardians meet with a committee of community volunteers and the victim to negotiate meaningful ways for outh to repair the harm caused.
In addition to receiving funding from the Together for Justice initiative, the participating organizations will participate in facilitated community roundtables to share learning, identify service gaps, and strengthen coordination across justice, social, and community service sectors.
