La Débrouille

What La Débrouille does

La Débrouille is an autonomous community nonprofit organization (organisme communautaire autonome) founded in 1983 and headquartered in Rimouski, Quebec, Canada. It provides integrated support services to women (cisgender and transgender) and trans individuals who are victims of intimate partner violence, along with their children. The organization is described as the only shelter resource in the Rimouski region dedicated to this population, operating from a fully accessible facility with seven private bedrooms (three single, four family).

The service portfolio consists of four core offerings: a 24/7 telephone crisis intervention line (418-724-5067), temporary shelter accommodation with weekly follow-ups, group sessions, and socio-legal accompaniment; an external (non-residential) follow-up service with personalized support and a current three-month waitlist reserved for high-risk cases; an Action Pole (Pôle d'action) conducting community sensitization, rights education, and collective advocacy; and specialized LGBTQ+ and Two-Spirit individual and group support funded by the Canadian Women's Foundation. The organization explicitly serves LGBTQ+, immigrant, racialized, and undocumented populations through multilingual intervention tools and interpreter services.

La Débrouille operates on a non-revenue-generating model where all direct services are free. Funding is sourced from government grants (Quebec and federal, including Employment and Social Development Canada), donations via the CanadaHelps platform, and nominal annual membership fees (CAD $5 individual / CAD $25 group). A team of approximately 20 intervention workers delivers services under a feminist intersectional framework. Distribution occurs primarily through referrals from emergency services, healthcare providers, social workers, and partnerships with regional organizations including SOS Violence Conjugale, Sûreté du Québec, Interligne, OHRN, and Centre de crise. Shelter and external follow-up services are temporarily suspended from July 4 to August 2, 2026 for restructuring and team consolidation.

Name

La Débrouille

Legal name

La Débrouille

Website

https://ladebrouille.ca

Company type

Private

Founded year

1983

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

La Débrouille is a nonprofit autonomous community organization in Rimouski, Quebec, providing 24/7 crisis intervention, emergency shelter, and follow-up services for women and trans people fleeing intimate partner violence, along with their children, under an intersectional feminist framework funded by government grants and donations.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Domestic Violence Services

NAICS

Individual and Family Services (6241), Other Individual and Family Services (624190), Child and Youth Services (62411)

SIC

Services-Social Services (8300)

akta.pro primary industry

Domestic Violence & Abuse Support Services (BPAGAEAD)

akta.pro secondary industries

Legal Aid & Client Advocacy Services (BPAGAEAM), LGBTQ+ Rights & Advocacy Organizations (BPAGAFAE), Youth Housing, Foster Care & Wraparound Support (Education-Linked) Nonprofits (BPAGADAO)

Keywords

• Intimate partner violence services
• Domestic violence shelter
• Crisis intervention hotline
• Victim support services
• Community feminist shelter

Headquarters

HQ city

Rimouski

HQ country

Canada

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Others, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Donations: Accepts donations through CanadaHelps platform to support operations and services.
2. Membership fees: Annual membership fees: individual $5/year, group $25/year. Membership supports the organization's mission and values.
3. Government funding: As a community organization, likely receives government grants and funding from Quebec and federal programs for violence prevention and victim services.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

La Débrouille is an autonomous nonprofit community organization that provides integrated support services for women (cisgender and transgender) and trans individuals who are victims of intimate partner violence, along with their children. Core offerings include a 24/7 telephone crisis intervention line, temporary emergency shelter with private rooms, non-residential external follow-up support with socio-legal accompaniment, and a community Action Pole for awareness and collective advocacy. All services are delivered free of charge in Quebec's Rimouski region.

Product overview

La Débrouille is a community organization offering a unified suite of support services for women (cisgender and transgender) and trans people experiencing intimate partner violence. The core offerings include four integrated services: a 24/7 telephone crisis line (Écoute téléphonique 24/7), temporary shelter with private rooms and weekly follow-ups (Hébergement), external follow-up support for those not in shelter (Suivi externe), and an action center for awareness and collective advocacy (Pôle d'action). All services are free and delivered through a feminist intersectional approach.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• 24/7 Telephone Intervention (Écoute téléphonique 24/7)

Named customers3 records

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered core and supporting.

• Office d'habitation Rimouski-Neigette (OHRN)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerHousing partnership providing socio-legal accompaniment for victims. La Débrouille refers clients to OHRN for housing assistance as part of their comprehensive support services.
• SOS Violence Conjugale (1-800-363-9010)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerProvincial crisis line partnership for intimate partner violence. Referrals flow both ways - La Débrouille directs callers to SOS when their services are unavailable, and SOS refers callers to La Débrouille for regional support.
• Interligne (1-888-505-1010)supportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerQuebec's help and information line for people affected by sexual diversity and gender plurality. La Débrouille refers LGBTQ+ and Two-Spirit clients to Interlinde for specialized support.
• Centre de crise (1-866-277-3553)supportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerGeneral crisis center referral partnership for individuals in crisis situations requiring immediate intervention.
• Sûreté du Québec (310-4141)supportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerProvincial police referral partnership for situations requiring law enforcement intervention or safety planning with police involvement.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• SOS Violence Conjugale: Provincial Quebec 24/7 crisis line for intimate partner violence, with bilateral referral relationship to La Débrouille. Both serve IPV victims through telephone intervention and referral pathways, making them operationally comparable even though SOS is provincial rather than regional.
• Maison d'hébergement La Passerelle: Quebec women's shelter providing temporary accommodation, external follow-up, and intervention for women victims of domestic violence. Closely comparable service model (shelter + external follow-up + crisis intervention) and feminist approach.
• Interligne: Quebec helpline and support organization for LGBTQ+ and Two-Spirit populations. La Débrouille refers LGBTQ+ clients to Interligne for specialized support, and they share overlap in serving LGBTQ+ IPV victims through an intersectional lens.
• Auberge Shalom pour femmes: Montreal-based women's shelter serving women in difficulty including IPV victims, with comparable residential capacity and accompaniment services, including services for diverse populations.
• CALACS (Centres d'aide et de lutte contre les agressions à caractère sexuel): Quebec network of centers offering support services for victims of sexual violence, with adjacent mandate and similar feminist intervention methodology to La Débrouille's Action Pole.
• La Maison de Marthe: Montreal-based shelter and support organization for women in difficulty, including IPV victims. Comparable residential + external follow-up service model, though located in a denser urban market.

Broad incumbents

• YWCA Canada (national network): National federation of women's shelters and transition houses serving women fleeing violence. Operates the same core service model (shelter, crisis line, external follow-up) at much larger scale and across multiple regions.
• Regroupement des maisons pour femmes victimes de violence conjugale: Quebec provincial federation representing women's shelters across the province. La Débrouille would interact with this network for policy advocacy, training, and funding coordination, making it a structural peer in the same ecosystem.

Others

• Fondation canadienne des femmes: National funder of women's shelters and gender-based violence programs in Canada. La Débrouille's LGBTQ+/Two-Spirit project is funded by this foundation, positioning it as a critical ecosystem counterpart rather than direct service competitor.

Regional players

• Centre de prévention et d'intervention en violence conjugale (CPIVC) — Outaouais: Regional Quebec organization offering shelter, external follow-up, and crisis intervention for IPV victims in the Outaouais region. Comparable service mix and feminist approach, though serving a different geographic territory.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds1 record

Investors1 record

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about La Débrouille