Strengthening Toronto's response to violence against women: advancing an academic-community partnership to plan and mobilize an evidence-informed agenda

The COVID-19 pandemic has worsened social problems in Canadian cities, including violence against women, with significant negative consequences for women's health. Organizations that support women experiencing violence have had to rapidly adapt their programming to address these emergency conditions. As a team of academics, violence against women service providers, advocates, and women with lived experience of violence, we conducted a study in Toronto that produced important findings around how services can be improved to better respond to the changing and diverse needs of women facing violence. We aim to now share our findings with key stakeholders throughout the city and plan next steps for research and policy that strengthen Toronto's response to violence against women during and beyond the COVID-19 pandemic. In particular, this project has three objectives. First, we will strengthen and expand our existing intersectoral partnership in Toronto, including with funders of violence against women organizations, city housing and shelter representatives, private landlords, public health professionals, newcomer support services, and social assistance programs. Second, we will create snapshots of our Toronto study findings (such as infographics, policy briefs, and presentations) to facilitate engagement with these intersectoral actors and set a research and policy agenda for violence against women in Toronto. Finally, we will plan the next steps for our partnership, including policy recommendations, implementation of best practices, and evaluating interventions to prevent and respond to violence against women. Our goal is to improve the supports available to women experiencing violence in Toronto.