Our newest project is VPAL – the Vanier Prisoner Assistance Line. We are currently training our rad volunteers for this new project and a start date will be announced very soon. For now though, here is some info on the project.
VPAL is a phone line that prisoners at the Vanier Centre for Women can call to receive assistance for pressing or emergency matters – within the limits of the 20 minutes that each call is restricted to by the prison. This means the volunteers answering the line will be sending texts or emails on the caller’s behalf, leaving phone messages for sureties and loved ones, doing internet searches, and providing information about other resources.
At first the line will operate three days a week, but our hope is to expand the hours of the line as more people join on and as we receive more support.
Here is the Wikipedia page for Vanier, if you want to get some more logistical info on the prison: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vanier_Centre_for_Women
Toronto Anarchist Black Cross 