Vancouver Association for the Survivors of Torture

What Vancouver Association for the Survivors of Torture does

The Vancouver Association for the Survivors of Torture (VAST) is a registered Canadian charity (Charity Registration Number: 119281160 RR 0001) founded in 1988 and headquartered in Vancouver, British Columbia, with a secondary office in Surrey. It serves refugees and other newcomers who have endured torture, trauma, and political violence, delivering free, trauma-informed mental health services through individual counseling (in English, Spanish, and Farsi, with interpretation available in 23 languages), trauma-focused group counseling (hybrid in-person and online), and psycholegal documentation produced by qualified clinicians for use in refugee claims. VAST also runs professional development trainings for health, education, social service providers, law firms, and practicum students, and operates a Research & Knowledge Centre with toolkits, books, articles, and videos on refugee mental health.

Beyond direct service, VAST runs two advocacy-oriented campaigns: the Women Survivors Resource Network (supporting immigrant women with precarious status) and the Survivor Advocates Capacity Building Program (a participatory Spanish-language program initially funded by UN-OHCHR in 2019 and currently supported by IRCT). The organization is self-described as British Columbia's largest centre for refugee mental health and is a member of local, provincial, national, and international committees advocating for refugee rights and mental health access. Its semi-annual interdisciplinary journal, Voices Against Torture (VAT), has published nine editions since 2020.

VAST is a non-profit entity with no parent company and no equity ownership; it is funded by public donations, foundation grants (including Vancouver Foundation), and institutional grants from international bodies such as UN-OHCHR and IRCT. It is governed by its own board of directors and operates 11-50 employees. Services are offered at no cost to clients, and revenue is not publicly disclosed.

Name

Vancouver Association for the Survivors of Torture

Legal name

Vancouver Association for the Survivors of Torture

Website

https://vastbc.ca

Company type

Private

Founded year

1988

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Vancouver Association for the Survivors of Torture (VAST) is a BC-registered charity founded in 1988 that provides free trauma-informed mental health counseling, group therapy, psycholegal documentation, and advocacy programs to refugees and survivors of torture.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Refugee Mental Health Services

NAICS

Outpatient Mental Health and Substance Abuse Centers (621420), Individual and Family Services (6241), Emergency and Other Relief Services (624230)

SIC

Services-Social Services (8300), Services-Health Services (8000), Services-Specialty Outpatient Facilities, Nec (8093)

akta.pro primary industry

Refugee, IDP & Migration Humanitarian Assistance (BPAGAAAH)

akta.pro secondary industries

MHPSS & Trauma-Informed Support for Displaced Populations (BPADAHAJ), Refugee/Migrant Health & Resettlement Health Units (HLAJAAAJ), Immigrant & Refugee Rights Advocacy (BPAGAFAG)

Keywords

• Refugee mental health
• Trauma counseling services
• Psycholegal documentation
• Torture survivor support
• Human rights advocacy

Headquarters

HQ city

Vancouver

HQ country

Canada

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Others, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Charitable Donations: VAST is a registered charity (Charity Registration Number: 119281160 RR 0001) that relies on donations from the public to fund operations.
2. Government and Institutional Funding: Program funding received from international organizations including UN-OHCHR (United Nations, Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights) and IRCT (International Rehabilitation Council for Victims of Torture).

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

VAST provides free, trauma-informed mental health services to refugees and newcomers who have survived torture, trauma, and political violence, including one-on-one counseling (in English, Spanish, and Farsi with interpretation in 23 languages), trauma-focused group therapy delivered in hybrid mode, and psycholegal documentation requested by lawyers for refugee claim proceedings. Beyond direct clinical care, VAST delivers professional training to refugee-serving organizations, runs advocacy and capacity-building programs such as the Women Survivors Resource Network and the Survivors Advocates Capacity Building Program, and disseminates knowledge through its Research & Knowledge Centre and the Voices Against Torture journal.

Product overview

VAST is a nonprofit organization offering a portfolio of mental health and support services for refugees and survivors of torture. The core offerings include Individual Counseling (available in multiple languages with interpretation in 23 languages), Group Support (trauma-focused psychological counseling through various groups including Cedar and Olive, Move and Relax, Art-making in Community, and Getting Through It), Psycholegal Documentation, and VAST Trainings. VAST also runs campaign programs including the Women Survivors Resource Network and Survivors Advocates Capacity Building Program. Research and knowledge resources are provided through the Research & Knowledge Centre, and academic/advocacy content is disseminated via the Voices Against Torture (VAT) Journal. This is a service-based nonprofit organization rather than a technology product company.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Voices Against Torture (VAT): A semi-annual interdisciplinary journal launched in 2020 as an organic extension of VAST's education, advocacy, and community-building mandate.

Products and services

• Individual Counseling

Quantifiable outcome

• Individual counseling available in multiple languages including English, Spanish, Farsi, and interpretation in 23 languages
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers1 record

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Regional players

• MOSAIC: MOSAIC is a large BC-based non-profit serving immigrants and refugees with settlement, language, employment, and community integration services. While broader than VAST, it operates in the same geography and overlapping client base, with overlapping referral networks in the refugee-serving sector.
• COSTI Immigrant Services: COSTI is a large Ontario-based non-profit serving newcomers with settlement, language training, employment, and refugee claim support. It is comparable to VAST in serving refugee populations but operates on a broader settlement-services model rather than specialized torture trauma care.
• Calgary Catholic Immigration Society (CCIS): CCIS is a Calgary-based non-profit delivering refugee resettlement, settlement, and integration services across Alberta. It is comparable to VAST in mission and service mix (settlement, language, refugee support) but operates in a different Canadian province.
• PIRS (Pacific Immigrant Resources Society): PIRS is a Vancouver-based non-profit serving immigrant women and refugee claimants with settlement support, language training, and community programs. It is comparable to VAST's Women Survivors Resource Network initiative, with similar focus on refugee women in BC.
• ISS of BC (Immigrant Services Society of British Columbia): ISS of BC is a major Vancouver-based non-profit providing refugee resettlement, settlement, language, and employment services. It complements rather than competes directly with VAST, but shares the same BC geography and refugee client base, making it both a partner and adjacent provider.

Broad incumbents

• International Rescue Committee (IRC): IRC is a major international humanitarian organization delivering refugee resettlement, health, and protection services across the US, Europe, and globally. It overlaps with VAST in refugee mental health and resettlement support but operates at vastly greater scale and geographic reach.
• Canadian Mental Health Association - BC Division: CMHA BC is a large provincial mental health provider offering counseling, peer support, and advocacy across BC. It is broader than VAST's niche but shares the BC geography and overlapping mental health client base, including trauma and PTSD services.
• International Rehabilitation Council for Victims of Torture (IRCT): IRCT is a global umbrella organization coordinating 164 member centers delivering torture rehabilitation services worldwide. VAST is a partner/beneficiary of IRCT, making IRCT both a funder and the dominant global incumbent in VAST's specialized niche.

Direct peers

• Canadian Centre for Victims of Torture: The CCVT is a Toronto-based non-profit providing mental health, legal, and settlement services for survivors of torture and war. It is the most direct Canadian peer to VAST, offering similar trauma-informed counseling, psycholegal documentation, and advocacy programming but serving Ontario rather than BC.

Others

• Amnesty International Canada: Amnesty International Canada conducts advocacy and research on refugee rights and human rights in Canada. While not a direct service provider, it shares VAST's advocacy mandate around refugee rights and is a thematic peer in the broader refugee support ecosystem.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/VAST_BC
• Facebookfacebook.com/VASTHealingBC
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/vastbc

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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 Vancouver Association for the Survivors of Torture