ORCC (Ottawa Rape Crisis Centre)
About
For over 50 years, the Ottawa Rape Crisis Centre (ORCC) has been a vital source of hope, healing, and resilience for survivors of sexual and gender-based violence. Founded in 1974 as one of Canada’s first rape crisis centres, today ORCC offers more than crisis response. We support survivors through a holistic, wraparound approach — offering not just crisis response, but long-term pathways to healing and justice.
From supportive programming and therapy to advocacy and specialized services, we are dedicated to empowering survivors to rebuild their lives and navigate their path to healing. We provide essential services, including a 24/7 crisis line, 12-hour chat/text support, individual and group psychotherapy, and service navigation. Recognizing that traditional clinical approaches may not feel safe or accessible for equity-deserving and historically underserved communities, ORCC has introduced innovative non-clinical programs such as pet-assisted, art-, nature-, and movement-based healing to align with diversity, equity, and inclusion principles.Â
We believe in the transformative power of a community of care: one that centres trauma-informed therapy, group programming, alternative modalities, community outreach, education, and advocacy, to drive meaningful change.
Our commitment to equity means reaching those too often left behind — Indigenous women and girls, 2SLGBTQQIA+ survivors, racialized communities, people with disabilities, and those navigating poverty, incarceration, or immigration systems. Through accessible, survivor-centered services and an unwavering focus on equity, we help survivors navigate the barriers to safety, healing, and empowerment — while creating a community where everyone is treated with dignity and respect.
Through all of this, ORCC remains unwavering in our mission: to empower survivors, foster understanding, and advocate for a future free from violence. Through inclusive programming, trauma-informed therapy, education, and advocacy, we are building a world where survivors are heard, supported, and safe — and where violence has no place.
Our Impact
Annually ORCC supports thousands of survivors of sexual and gender-based violence in crisis through our Crisis Talk and Chat line(s) in addition to providing no cost, low-barrier counselling with registered psychotherapists and social workers who specialize in supporting survivors to over 150 individuals in need of support.
Over the past year ORCC also provided:
- over 3,000 hours of trauma-informed counselling to survivors across Ottawa.
- 6 community-based healing programs, reaching up to 90 survivors through art therapy, movement, and culturally grounded practices.
- Allocated 10% of counselling services to high-needs partners such as the University of Ottawa, BGC Ottawa, and the Canadian Armed Forces/DND.
- 120+ survivors in navigating complex systems like housing, legal aid, ODSP, and family court.
- Amplification of survivor voices at key community events including Take Back the Night, International Women’s Day, and MMIWG2S vigils.
How your gift will be used
Your donation helps survivors find safety, healing, and hope — when they need it most. With your help, we can:
Expand Life-Changing Counselling Services
- Reduce wait times by hiring more therapists.
- Sustain and grow our capacity to offer over 3,000 + hours of counselling each year.
- Expand group therapy and alternative healing programs that meet survivors where they are — including art therapy, movement, and culturally grounded practices.
Support Survivors to Navigate Life After Trauma
- Fund our service navigators, who guide survivors through complex systems like housing, legal aid, family court, income support, and immigration.
- Provide hands-on support to over 120 survivors annually, helping them access safety, stability, and justice.
Bring Healing Into the Community
- Increase programming in shelters, detention centres, and community hubs.
- Strengthen partnerships with organizations and institutions seeking our support.
- Deliver 6 alternative healing programs annually, led by diverse practitioners from the community.
- Expand outreach to reach survivors who face the greatest barriers to care.
Legal Name
Ottawa Rape Crisis Centre (ORCC)
Charity Number
119109221 RR0001
