Community Outreach Program
Kingston Interval House’s Community Outreach Program serves Kingston and Frontenac County by providing support for women who wish to establish violence free lives in the community. Indigenous and French Language outreach programs are available as well as child and youth specific programming.
Our outreach program is delivered in many ways – telephone, coming into our offices, going out to the community and in group sessions. Support, Advocacy, and referral services are all provided through our outreach program.
Community Outreach Program FAQ
The Women’s Community Counselor provides services to women in the community who wish to establish violence-free lives. She works to help women identify the community supports they need and to connect them with these supports. Provides one to one counselling for women planning to leave or who have left an abusive situation, transitional plans, safety plans for both the woman and her children in the community, at home, at work, or at school and court support: this includes both family and criminal court, as well as advocacy with other community agencies.
The FLS program offers support and advocacy, transitional plans and connecting women with community resources, so that women can re-establish their independence, and live free of violence.
Kingston Interval House continues to offer both counselling and transitional services in French to meet the needs of our Francophone community. The French Language Services (FLS) program assists with safety planning, accessing financial assistance, and securing permanent housing. We also offer support to women navigating the justice system by providing legal resources and referrals, and by accompanying women to lawyers’ appointments and court.
Groups continue to be offered to women in our program to help build their self-esteem and to become more empowered.
The Women’s Francophone Community Counsellor offers services in French for residents of the shelter. Please note that although KIH aims to offer all of its services in French, the residential advisor is not present 24 hours a day.
24-hour support line Fem’aide- KIH crisis line services are not available in French at all times. However, with the help of a partnership with the Fem’aide support line, you have access to 24-hour support.
Flexible and culturally relevant services for Indigenous women who have experienced violence.
- Support for women who wish to establish violence free lives in their community.
- Assistance in identifying and accessing other community supports.
- Support in finding and maintaining safe and affordable housing.
- Work in areas of healthy relationships, effects of violence and types of abuse, Traditional Teachings, Healing Ceremonies, Women’s Circles, Safety Planning, Individual Counselling, Group Support, Holistic Health & Wellness, Parenting Support, Court & Legal Support
The Indigenous Outreach Counsellor at KIH collaborates with community partners and clients including: the City of Kingston, HIV/AIDS Regional Services, Metis Nation of Ontario, Four Directions, Sexual Assault Centre, Kingston Indigenous Language Nest, Ollin, Turning Bear, Riel Cultural Consulting, Skeleton Park Arts Festival, Kingston and Frontenac Public Library, Calliope Collective and Kingston Utilities.
The Indigenous and Rural Outreach Program provides group and one-on-one counselling services.
KIH collaborates with other community organizations that provide services for Indigenous women, such as “Four Directions” where KIH cohosts Full Moon Ceremonies.
- Service users have been able to attend this ceremony every month to connect with Grandmother Moon and give thanks for the water, which is a very spiritual connectedness to all life.
KIH also provides culturally specific services to the “Women’s Group” in Sharbot Lake through the Land O’Lakes Community Services.
Soon, KIH will be providing groups at Robin’s Hope for clients of the agency. These groups empower and bring awareness about violence against Indigenous women and girls, as well as teaching about the historical trauma we have faced.
Provides support and resources to children, youth, and parents affected by abuse in our community.
- Services include individual counselling for children and youth ages 4-18 years old, both in the shelter as well as schools.
- Our Children’s Outreach Counselor offers individual counselling and groups in the City of Kingston and communities in Frontenac County.
- Participants need to be living in a safe situation, away from the abuser.
Strong partnerships with our community schools continue to be built by the Child and Youth Community Counsellor.
- Healthy Relationships, Dating Violence, and Family Changes are topics that have been addressed through group work and individual counselling.
- KIH partnerships with schools and community agencies continue to grow, especially throughout surrounding rural areas.
The Child Witness group series is provided for children and youth who have been exposed to abuse.
- Groups have included healthy relationship and self-esteem groups for young women, as well as support groups for moms with children who have witnessed abuse.
- Some of the topics that have been covered in groups include: Identifying feelings, safe ways to express anger, where do we see violence, different types of abuse, sharing our stories, it’s not always happy at my house, good touches and bad touches, setting boundaries, safety planning, media and gender stereotypes, child development, how violence affects our children, and effective communication skills.
The Training and Education Program provides educational presentations and workshops to individuals in community organizations, workplaces, and school settings. Events and educational presentations allow an opportunity for community members to engage in education and dialogue surrounding issues that affect women, children, and youth. The Training and Education Coordinator is available for speaking engagements and presentations in the community, to provide an understanding of issues related to gender-based violence as well as KIH services. Whenever possible, we will promote and attend third party fundraising events that are held to benefit Kingston Interval House.
- KIH is proud to be a part of community events such as: Kingston Pride, the Kingston Multicultural Festival and National Indigenous People’s Day.
- KIH continues to work on a number of collaborative projects, partnering with the Sexual Assault Centre, the Women’s Program at HARS (HIV/AIDS Regional Services), and student groups from Queen’s University for events including: Take Back the Night, Sisters in Spirit Vigil, Katarokwi Indigenous Day of Wellness, National Day of Remembrance and Action on Violence Against Women and International Women’s Week.
- These events provided opportunity for community members to engage in education and dialogue surrounding issues that affect women, children, and youth.
- KIH has provided educational presentations for individuals in community organizations, workplaces, and school settings.
- KIH is involved in community events such as: Kingston Pride, The Women’s Art Festival, St. Lawrence College’s Community Connections Event and National Indigenous People’s Day.
- KIH collaborates and partners with other agencies on projects and events in the community including: International Women’s Week, Take Back the Night, Sisters in Spirit, Katarokwi Indigenous Day of Wellness, National Day of Remembrance and Action on Violence Against Women.