SARA's transition houses are safe, confidential and supportive temporary housing for women - alone or with children. Women and their children can stay for up to 30 days with food and basic necessities provided.
SARA's transition houses are staffed by professional social services workers who can provide emotional support, advocacy, and referrals to local resources.
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Services Offered
Counselling and Support * Stopping the Violence Counselling (STV) - Stopping the Violence counselling is for any woman who has experienced violence, abuse, and/or trauma in her life.
* Women's Support Groups - Groups provide psycho-education and support to women who have experienced various forms of trauma and/or abuse in relationships.
* Women exiting abuse violence and exploitation (WEAVE) - The WEAVE project at the Warm Zone falls under the leadership of The Elizabeth Fry Society of Greater Vancouver (EFry) who is acting as the contracted service provider in a three agency delivery model: (EFRY, Abbotsford Community Services (ACS) and SARA for women (SARA). The project draws from the resources of the three agencies to assist women in Abbotsford to exit prostitution. Outreach workers will connect with the women involved in prostitution in the community or returning to the community from prison and who want to exit from prostitution. Psycho-educational groups, safe housing, addiction counselling and treatment, and clinical counselling will form a continuum of services.
* The Program for Children and Youth Experiencing Violence - Prevention, Education, Advocacy, Counselling and Empowerment (PEACE)
The PEACE program provides a safe and supportive environment for children and youth ages 4-18, who have had exposure to violence, abuse and or trauma. Children must be living away from the abusive person. The program provides: > short term education about violence, abuse and or trauma > individual and group counselling for children and youth > parental education and support groups for caregivers
Fees and Payment
All of our services are free.
This is a registered charity.
Services Offered To: Adults Teens Children
Special Groups: Bilingual
Payment: Pro-bono
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One quick last question. Who was seeking counseling today?
Do you know the reason they are not accepting clients?
A community counseling agency is a group therapy practice that offers affordable mental health services. Most are independent non-profit agencies, state agencies, or publicly-funded agencies. A few may restrict who is eligible for services, so it is a good idea to check when you call.
Community counseling agencies are generally more affordable than other therapy providers, but how much more affordable they are will depend on whether you qualify for a discount or sliding scale fee (or if they accept your insurance). Many, but not all, have a policy that they won't turn away anyone due to inability to pay. You should ask about their fees when you first call.
Expect to talk to kind people who want to help you find the care you need. Most community agencies strive to connect you with a live person within 24 hours, if not immediately. If you're asked to hold or leave a message, don't give up; just leave a message and wait. You should hear back pretty quickly.
Most agencies try to set up an initial assessment appointment within a week (some do within 24 hours), though the waitlist to start therapy is usually longer—about a few weeks on average. If you're not eligible or if the agency is not right for you, it's usually still worth it to call or drop in, because staff are knowledgeable about local options and can often refer you to one.