About Us
Since 1967, as an initially modest outreach of a concerned group of community leaders, the Distress Centres has provided 24-hour telephone support, 365 days a day. Hundreds of thousands of calls later, this agency continues to offer round the clock response to those experiencing emotional distress or in need of crisis intervention and suicide prevention. We also provide face to face support and counseling to people dealing with the effects of suicide and homicide.
Some other things you may not have known about the Distress Centres:
- We have 600 volunteers at three locations (Downtown, North Toronto and Scarborough)
- We respond to approximately 120,000 calls each year on the Distress Centres helplines.
- More than half of our calls are received after hours and on weekends, when other services are closed.
- We provide consultation and outreach to other organizations across Ontario on suicide prevention.
- We provide a Resource Library accessible to families, volunteers, staff and interested members of the community.
- Through our face-to-face Survivor Support Programme, we counsel 500 families and friends annually who are suffering from the pain of bereavement caused by suicide.
- We provide assistance, in person, to persons dealing with a homicidal death through our Homicide Bereavement Programme.
We are a United Way Member Agency.
DISTRESS CENTRES MISSION AND VISION STATEMENTS
Mission:
To create an emotional safety net for the vulnerable and at risk in our community
Vision:
To ensure that every individual in need receives life sustaining emotional support.
Motto:
There’s a life on the line.
We will:
- Provide crisis response and intervention to the emotionally vulnerable and at risk in our community.
- Serve as a point of access for suicide prevention, intervention and postvention.
- Provide volunteer delivered services, wherever possible, in recognition of the added value they contribute.
- Collaborate and network with other agencies to create a continuum of care and support.
- Provide links to emergency services when necessary.
- Mitigate the impact of a mental health crisis by helping those with a history of vulnerability and risk make life-affirming choices.
- Increase service access by operating within a framework of cultural competency, including the promotion of diversity in all areas of service.
- Enhance emotional self-management and reduce risk by strengthening the coping skills of survivors.
- Advocate on behalf of service users by reporting on current needs, gaps in service and emerging trends.
- Build community capacity in emotional health response.
