Vesta Social Innovation Technologies

Purpose

This 24-month project aims to scale Vesta Community, a survivor-centered practice, to reduce barriers to reporting gender-based violence (GBV) across Canada. It will expand services to reach marginalized populations, including immigrant, refugee, and non-status women, while addressing gaps such as limited culturally responsive services, barriers to reporting, and a lack of accessible, trauma-informed pathways to justice and support. The project will strengthen frontline capacity through community engagement, training, and collaborative research and data gathering to better understand survivors’ needs and systemic barriers. A secure, culturally responsive platform: the Navigator Program, with enhanced privacy features will be developed to protect survivor information and provide them with trusted guides to help access services. Additionally, outreach and awareness-building activities will reduce stigma and raise awareness of available supports. Evaluation and measurement will ensure the framework’s ongoing improvement and scalability. By the project’s end, survivors will have greater access to responsive, trauma-informed services, and the GBV sector will be better equipped to support them. Findings will be shared nationally to promote replication and systemic change.