Ken* is a man in his early twenties, who came to CLG in 2016 for assistance with a restraining order. He and his brother had been removed from their mother’s care as toddlers and placed into a foster home. He explained to the DVFL lawyer that his foster family were physically, psychologically, and sexually abusive, and that he was adopted out of that house into a loving family after years of abuse in the foster home. Ken had no contact with the original foster family, until they accidentally stumbled upon him at his place of employment, which they then returned to several times to taunt and verbally abuse him.

At that time Ken obtained a civil restraining order. DVFL also discovered that, because of the timeframe in which he was in foster care, he fit the definition of “class member” in the Alberta Child Welfare Class Action Settlement. In April 2016, Ken reported his experiences to the RCMP, and in October 2016 he filed an application to the Victims of Crime Benefit Fund (VCB). In April 2018, the Victims of Crime Benefit Fund denied Ken’s application. With his permission, DVFL filed an application for review to the Criminal Injuries Review Board (CIRB). DVFL located a Ph.D. psychologist who had assessed Ken as child and who was able to professionally corroborate his allegations, including confirming that the foster home has been investigated and shut down as a result of Ken’s disclosure of abuse.

In November 2020, a Medical Adjudicator for the Victims of Crime returned a new decision, awarding Ken the maximum possible benefit for psychological injury resulting from being a victim of crime, in the amount of $35,000.00.

These are the stories of how CLG helps people in need.

*not his real name