Northern Ontario woman who left abuser starts program to help survivors restart their lives

Joanne Ferland of North Bay, Ont., had to restart her life from zero after leaving an abusive partner.

“When it was time to leave, my bank account was drained, my keys were hidden and my cellphone was disconnected,” she said.

Without support from her parents, Ferland said, she wouldn’t have been able to leave her abuser.

With that help from her family, she rebuilt her career and is now a financial adviser with the Caisse Alliance credit union in the northern Ontario city.

Last year, Ferland drew from her own experience as an intimate partner violence (IPV) survivor and started the Leap Into Financial Empowerment (LIFE) program.

To her knowledge, the program, designed to help IPV survivors get their financial lives in order, is unique in Canada.

Link to full story here.