About Us

Victim Services of Leeds & Grenville (formerly VCARS) is a community-based program working in partnership with police, fire and EMS, child protection (CAS), Victim Witness Assistance Program and the local women’s shelter. We are a 24 / 7 agency that provides immediate, confidential short-term crisis intervention services, practical assistance, information, referrals and emotional support to persons affected by crime, tragedy and / or disaster.

Volunteers and staff provide assistance to individuals, families, friends, witnesses and/ or groups at the request of emergency services personnel, community services and self-referrals in order to meet an individual's unique needs; to help lessen the trauma of the experience and to help people cope with the longer term impact of what has occurred.

Crisis assistance is provided by staff and by team leaders/volunteers who are carefully selected, screened and specially trained to work in their community. Victim Services of Leeds & Grenville are committed to treating individuals with courtesy, compassion, dignity and respect.

Victim Services of Leeds & Grenville is a non-profit organization funded by the Ministry of Children, Community and Social Services, and part of the Victim Crisis Assistance Ontario program (VCAO). While there are several Victim Service Organizations in Ontario working under the same set of standards, we are all unique to the locations that we serve. 

Victim Services of Leeds & Grenville (VCARS) launched in the spring of 2005. In the beginning there were only 8 of us trained to provide on-scene assistance to victims of crime, tragedy and disaster. By the summer of 2005 we were up and running, providing assistance on weekends only. In the spring of 2006 we increased to about 20 volunteers; we began providing 24 /7 coverage shortly thereafter and haven’t looked back since!

Currently, our team consists of a Board of Directors, an Executive Director, an Emergency Services Manager, a Pager/Data Administrator, a Youth Outreach Worker, two After-Hours Emergency Response Supervisors, an Elder Abuse Coordinator and a large group of wonderful, committed Team Leaders & Volunteers. We are proud of our role in the community and hope to support Leeds & Grenville for many years to come.

VSLG is grateful of the support from a wide range of community and Government agencies and programs. VSLG has partnerships with:

North Grenville Community who provide for a North Grenville Community Coordinator

United Counites of Leeds & Grenville who support our After Hours Homelessness Prevention Line & Anti-Human Trafficking Program

Gananoque Police Services who provide for a VSLG Staff to support the Gananoque area

The Ministry of Children, Community and Social Services also provide funding for our Mobile Sexual Assault Support Program. This provides us with 2 Sexual Assault Support Counsellors and a Peer Support Worker who are Supervised by the Assault, Response & Care Centre.

MCCSS also partnered with VSLG for an Anti-Human Trafficking Grant Program which supports Public Education, Peer Support and Youth Outreach.

We are grateful for the supports from our community the fundraising efforts and donations we have and do receive. These funds remain in the Leeds & Grenville community and help us to continue to support the most vulnerable individuals. 

For more information about volunteering, please check out our Volunteer page.