Funded by the Ministry of Community and Social Services of Ontario, the MCS Family Support Program, commonly referred to as the Violence Against Women Program, has been helping women and children who have been exposed to domestic violence and abuse for over 34 years.

The program was initiated in 1988, and over the course of 34 years, MCS has educated and empowered thousands of women and children who found safety and rebuilt their lives and is designed to provide culturally sensitive and supportive counseling to women who are victims of violence alongside of providing information/referrals regarding social, legal and community services such as MH, OW, Legal Aid, Housing, FRO, Divorce, etc.

The program works with multilingual counselors to provide intervention, culturally sensitized counseling, safety planning, advocacy, and education to women and children in need. Additionally, the program provides up-to-date information and referrals to other programs and services available within the community to support these women and their children. Family Support Counsellors worked effectively to strengthen affected women and help them implement violence prevention strategies such as safety planning. The women were educated about their rights and the resources available in the community, as well as about healthy and unhealthy relationships in the family. They were provided with resources and information on how to recognize abusive behavior, the cycle of abuse, and how to overcome stereotypes and myths about individuals witnessing or experiencing domestic violence and abuse. Women and children were empowered to adopt key tools to become more independent.

In 2022-2023, the services were offered virtually and in person. They included counseling, applying for financial assistance, subsidized housing, Legal Aid Ontario, and resolving issues with the Family Responsibility Office, Canada Revenue Agency, and IRCC.

Crisis intervention and conflict resolution, stress and anger management, building self-esteem activities, and support groups contributed to the positive outcomes of the program. Many clients come back to update MCS on their progress and to attend support group sessions. Overall, the MCS Family Support Program has supported over 309 women and children with over 700 counseling hours, finding resources and the tools that helped them remove themselves from a dangerous situation and create a safe environment for their families.