The Danielle Duchesneau Fund and How to Access
The Danielle Duchesneau Fund is available through Kingston Interval House (KIH) for women who have been or are victims of violence.
Priority is given to women needing funds for safety issues or to pursue legal resources that are not available from other sources.
The Danielle Duchesneau Fund provides up to $300 to women who require assistance with various safety measures required to leave an abusive relationship. Some examples of the types of things the fund covers include:
- Purchasing security cameras and having them installed
- Service of court documents
- Limited legal consultation (after using the free 2-hour legal form)
- Getting locks changed
- Relocation costs
- Emergency transportation.
If you need help or would like to access the Danielle Duchesneau Fund, please contact us at:
Address
Kingston Interval House
P.O. Box 21042
Kingston, ON K7L 5P5
Phone Number
Crisis Line:
(613) 546-1777 or 1 (800) 267-9445
Office:
(613) 546-1833
Creation
On July 14, 1997, two days after Danielle was murdered by her former boyfriend, her parents were at the Funeral Home to make the funeral arrangements. They were accompanied by their Parish Priest who suggested that in lieu of flowers, they request that donations be sent to the local women’s shelter, Kingston Interval House (KIH). This was the beginning of the Danielle Duchesneau Fund.
A few months later, Danielle’s parents met with the Executive Director of KIH at that time and Pamela Cross, a Canadian feminist lawyer and women’s advocate. The Duchesneau’s were informed that the amount of the donations received in memory of Danielle was substantial and that there was an opportunity to do something special with the funds. This is when the idea of creating a fund that would aid women in abusive relationships came to fruition. The fund would be aimed at helping women escape from the violence by getting to accessing a safe space and helping them to break free from the chains of abuse. The seed was planted, and the Danielle Duchesneau Fund was established.
It is the Duchesneau Family’s hope that there will soon be a day where violence against women no longer exists, and there will be no need for a Danielle Duchesneau Fund or a Kingston Interval House. Sadly, we are not there yet. Women in crisis are in desperate need of help.