Message From The Executive Director

Since its inception in 1992, Bethesda House has evolved from a small shelter for abused women and their children to a well-known and respected agency providing a comprehensive system of professional supports to diverse individuals dealing with all types of abuse and gender-based violence including, but not limited to, domestic violence, sexual assault, human trafficking, familial abuse, cultural violence and elder abuse.

We are located in Durham Region (Ontario) where 25% of all calls for violent crime to our local police are domestic related.  Durham Regional Police Services receive an average of 21 domestic-related calls per day (*As of July 2018).  We know that only about 1 in five women report their abuse to the police therefore a possible, additional, 84 incidents are happening across the Region daily.  These statistics do not include human-trafficking numbers or the incidence of abuse and violence in the LGBTQ community, and reflect only the tip of the iceberg in terms of gender-based violence in the Region.  It is for this reason that we do not just provide supports to survivors, but also work toward prevention of gender-based violence with adults, youth and children through education and awareness strategies in schools and the community in general.

One of our primary goals is to eliminate as many barriers as possible for individuals accessing our services, and to this end we are very proud to be one of the first programs in the province to bring pets into the shelter with their owners.

We act on the belief that men are our partners in dealing with and eradicating the problem of abuse and violence in our community.  And we believe that children deserve to grow up experiencing and understanding healthy, respectful personal relationships.

In addition, we believe that the majority of people in Durham agree with us.  We could not do what we do without their support.  Thank you to everyone who has helped us help our clients over the years.