VIEW ROYAL GRANT-IN-AID WRITTEN SUMMARY OF REQUEST
Supplemental narrative describing the Peer Support Expansion program's goals and benefits to View Royal residents.
VIEW ROYAL GRANT-IN-AID WRITTEN SUMMARY OF REQUEST
Project/Event/Program Name & Description: Peer Support Expansion – Mental Health, Social Connection, and Community Reintegration for Brain Injury Survivors
The Peer Support Program creates a safe, welcoming space where adults living with acquired brain injuries (ABI) can receive emotional support, learn coping strategies, and reconnect with their communities. Trained peer mentors—survivors who are further along in their recovery—offer empathy, guidance, and lived experience to reduce isolation and help participants navigate challenges like fatigue, memory loss, communication differences, and stigma.
This program is not only therapeutic; it’s transformative. Participants develop social networks that reduce risk of crisis, improve mental health, and foster long-term stability.
With this grant, VBIS will expand peer support to reach more View Royal residents by offering both group and one-on-one sessions in the West Shore, where we officially expanded services in March 2026. This expansion directly addresses the lack of ABI-specific supports in View Royal and meets a growing need for accessible, peer-driven mental health resources in the region.
Grant amount applied for: $4,500
% of program budget: 15%
YOUR ORGANIZATION’S OBJECTIVES AND SERVICES
Describe your organization’s mission statement and how your services meet them:
The Victoria Brain Injury Society (VBIS) is committed to providing comprehensive support to individuals affected by brain injury. At the core of our mission is the provision of personalized and group support, advocacy, education, and housing assistance, all aimed at enhancing the lives of brain injury survivors and their families.
We understand that survivors often face severe cognitive challenges, social isolation, and barriers in accessing crucial social supports. In response, VBIS creates a safe and inclusive environment where survivors are welcomed and supported by our dedicated staff and passionate volunteers. This approach is vital in preventing severe consequences often associated with brain injury, such as family break-up, addiction, poverty, and homelessness.
Our programs are designed to promote community awareness about brain injury, emphasizing the importance of inclusivity and tolerance. We offer all our services free of charge, ensuring accessibility for everyone affected. Our goal is to foster an environment of empowerment and self-reliance among this vulnerable population, ensuring that every individual has the opportunity to overcome the challenges posed by brain injury and lead a fulfilling life. By doing so, VBIS not only aids individual survivors but also contributes significantly to the well-being and understanding of the wider community.
DETAILS OF YOUR ORGANIZATION’S GRANT REQUEST
Nature and goals of the project, program, or event:
The Peer Support Program helps brain injury survivors in View Royal and across the West Shore reconnect with their communities through shared experience, compassionate mentorship, and tailored support. This expansion will offer survivors regular access to one-on-one and group peer support sessions—led by trained mentors who have walked a similar path and understand the daily realities of living with an acquired brain injury (ABI).
Over the next 12 months, VBIS will:
- Train 10 new peer mentors by March 2027 to deliver safe, trauma-informed support.
- Deliver at least 150 peer support interactions, ensuring regular, consistent opportunities for engagement.
- Use pre- and post-program surveys to track a 70% reduction in self-reported isolation among participants.
- Support at least 30% of participants to re-engage in community activities, volunteer roles, or peer-led groups.
These goals are grounded in the lived experience of our clients and designed to build confidence, social networks, and long-term resilience.
Why It Is Needed
On the West Shore, including View Royal, ABI survivors face additional barriers due to fewer community-based supports and limited access to specialized programs.
For many survivors, isolation is often one of the most painful and persistent outcomes. Symptoms like aphasia, fatigue, memory loss, or slowed processing are not always visible and are frequently misunderstood as rudeness, intoxication, or disengagement. This misunderstanding can lead to stigma, avoidance, and even exclusion from community spaces.
Peer support helps break that cycle. It offers validation, coping strategies, and human connection—all from someone who truly understands. With no ABI-specific services currently available in View Royal, this expansion fills a crucial gap and ensures that survivors don’t have to navigate their recovery alone.
“This is the first place I’ve felt safe saying I have a brain injury—and where I don’t have to explain myself all the time.” — VBIS Client
SUMMARY OF DIRECT AND INDIRECT BENEFITS TO THE TOWN OF VIEW ROYAL:
Direct Benefits
- Provides accessible, local support for View Royal survivors unable to travel downtown.
- Improves mental health and stability for residents living with ABI.
- Reduces risk of homelessness, addiction, and crisis by offering early, supportive peer connection.
- Builds leadership and confidence by training View Royal residents as peer mentors.
Indirect Community Benefits
- Enhances community inclusion and safety by supporting residents at higher risk of crisis.
- Increases volunteerism as mentees move into meaningful, supported community roles.
- Raises public awareness and reduces stigma around brain injury across the West Shore.
- Eases pressure on local services through prevention-focused peer support.
Peer Support complements, rather than duplicates, existing health and social services by providing accessible, prevention-oriented support. Together, these benefits demonstrate how peer support strengthens individual well-being while contributing to a healthier, more inclusive community in View Royal—reducing downstream strain on municipal services while building local capacity through peer leadership.
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