Woman Abuse Council of Toronto (WomanACT)

Published purpose

Through this 42-month project, Woman Abuse Council of Toronto will develop and put in place a model of coordinated support for survivors of economic abuse to strengthen the GBV sector, based on the Domestic and Economic Abuse Project (DEAP) model, already successfully piloted in the UK. It will address a gap in the capacity and financial services of one urban and one rural community to help them prevent and respond to economic abuse. To do so, the project will include establishing partnerships in these two community pilot sites, developing and adapting a model based on the DEAP model to address the needs of the diverse populations in Ontario, and implementing the program in these pilot sites. An external evaluator will measure and assess the impact of the promising practice. Woman Abuse Council of Toronto will document the knowledge gained through the project and organize webinars and other outreach events with relevant communities, and advocate for system and policy change to share information on the promising practice with others so that they may replicate it or expand upon it. With the supplemental funds and extension provided in early 2026, the Woman Abuse Council of Toronto will mobilize cross‑sector learning to strengthen responses to economic abuse; and test and refine trauma‑informed financial literacy practices with IPV survivors. Through this they will further advance Gender Equality.