Shelter Movers Expands Services for Gender-Based Violence Survivors Thanks to $78,800 OTF Grant from Ontario Government

Brockville – On Tuesday, local MPP Steve Clark met with the team at Shelter Movers as they prepared to launch a new rural volunteer program aimed at strengthening access to safety for survivors of gender-based violence across rural Eastern Ontario.

The program was made possible thanks to a $78,800 Seed grant from the provincial government’s Ontario Trillium Foundation (OTF).

“This $78,800 investment by the Ontario Trillium Foundation is vital to helping Shelter Movers build its volunteer capacity to help survivors of gender-based violence get to safety more quickly,” said Steve Clark, MPP for Leeds-Grenville-Thousand Islands and Rideau Lakes. “Supporting survivors in rural Eastern Ontario requires a team of people who can respond locally when needed. This project will build that community-based network across the region, ensuring isolation and transportation are never barriers to helping a survivor leave a dangerous situation.”

Thanks to this support from OTF and the Ontario Government, the initiative will recruit, train and engage volunteers directly within their rural communities, building local teams of movers, drivers and volunteer leaders who can help survivors and their families move away from violence and toward safety. This is helping Shelter Movers create a more sustainable rural service model—one built around local knowledge, local partnerships and neighbours helping neighbours.

For survivors living in rural communities, leaving abuse can come with significant additional barriers, including geographic isolation, limited transportation, fewer local services, and greater distances between supports. By building volunteer capacity closer to where survivors live, Shelter Movers is strengthening access to free, trauma-informed moving and storage services across Leeds & Grenville.

Just as importantly, this work allows us to listen to and learn from local communities, deepen partnerships, and better understand the unique needs of rural survivors—ensuring our services are responsive, informed, and rooted in the communities we serve.

“This program is about bringing our service closer to the people who need it,” said Heather Brisebois, Chapter Director, Shelter Movers. “We know that safety should never depend on your postal code. By training and empowering volunteers within rural communities, we are building local capacity while ensuring survivors know their community is ready to stand beside them when they are ready to leave.”

The program will focus on community-based volunteer recruitment, in-person training, local engagement and partnerships with organizations and services already working within rural Eastern Ontario. Building these local volunteer networks will also reduce the need to rely solely on Ottawa-based volunteers travelling significant distances to complete rural moves.

One volunteer. One community. One move can help change the direction of a survivor’s life.

Residents across rural Eastern Ontario are encouraged to learn more about volunteering with Shelter Movers and how they can help individuals and families move toward a safer future.

Shelter Movers is a national, volunteer-powered charitable organization providing moving and storage services at no cost to individuals and families fleeing abuse. Working alongside referral agencies, community organizations, businesses and safety partners, Shelter Movers helps survivors move their belongings safely and with dignity as they transition to a life free from violence.

The Ontario Trillium Foundation (OTF) is an agency of the Ontario government with a mission to build healthy and vibrant communities across the province. In 2025-26, OTF invested nearly $107M into 746 community projects. Projects aim to enhance economic well-being, foster more active lifestyles, support child and youth development, provide spaces for people to come together and connect, and create a more sustainable environment. Visit otf.ca to learn more