Introduction

Strong, healthy and stable families, in all their forms, nurture and care for each other and contribute to the larger community. But at times, family can be a source of disappointment or even danger.
The Family Advocacy Program helps to create conditions that help all families create or maintain stability when times are difficult. We achieve those goals in three different ways:

Training individuals to be their own advocates, so that they are better able to ask directly and effectively for what they and their families need. We also provide individual advocacy assistance to assist people to access the resources they need – such as housing, education, income, health, or employment – when they are unable to access them themselves. See our schedule of current events to find out more about the How to Get What You Need Workshops.
Supporting and participating in community coalitions and networks to highlight the needs of families that are at risk or in distress. The staff and board of FSFO lead, support, and participate in literally dozens of community coalitions and creative partnerships.
Advocating for public policies that promote the strengths and acknowledge the demands facing families today. We believe that addressing the root causes of social issues is crucial. We advocate for fairer public policies in areas such as child and family poverty, family violence, and mental health.

Advocacy Workshop Facilitator - Emily Troy

Emily has been working in the field of human services for 15 years and has been working at Family Services à la famille Ottawa for the past 5 years in the Family Advocacy Program. Emily is a graduate of the Algonquin College Social Service Worker program and received her Bachelor of Arts in Human Services from Athabasca University.

Over the years Emily has worked in the areas of homelessness, violence against women and children, social justice, First Nations/Métis/ Inuit issues, poverty, citizen engagement, election reform, lesbian/bi/gay/trans/Two Spirit/Queer issues and equal marriage.

Emily took a leave of absence from her work at Family Services à la famille Ottawa in 2005 to work on the Canadians for Equal Marriage campaign as the Outreach Coordinator and Office Manager. Emily was the key organizer of the First Aboriginal Mayoral Debate in Ottawa in 2006, an event attended by over 250 community members.

What We Believe

Our board has endorsed specific positions that reflect what we believe needs to change in our community in order to create conditions that are better for families in all their forms. Our position papers are grounded in our clients’ experiences.

Click on the links below to see our positions on:

Access to Affordable Housing
Income Security
Physical Punishment of Children
Same Sex Marriage
Child Care
Gender Equality
Support for Older Adults
Children & Family Mental Health (coming soon)

Contact Us

For more information about the Family Advocacy Program, please contact Our Intake Coordinator at 613-725-3601, extension 117.