Everyone is heard.
• Mission: Provide compassionate,
accessible crisis support that enhances the
health, well-being and resiliency of
individuals in distress.
• Vision: Everyone is heard.
• Values: Accessibility, collaboration,
compassion, excellence, inclusivity,
innovation, leadership, partnerships,
respect, and volunteerism.
History
April 1970 – opened as the Drug
Information Centre providing
street level drug education,
counselling and information.
24 Hour Support
24 Hour Crisis Line
 403-266-HELP (4357)
 Answered by highly trained
volunteers supported by professional
staff.
Online Crisis Support
• Crisis Chat nightly 5pm-10pm MST
– www.DistressCentre.com
• Crisis Email
(Responded to within 24-48 hours)
– [email protected]
24 Hour Support
 Suicide Prevention Line
 1-800-SUICIDE (784-2433)
 Toll free in Southern Alberta (403 area
code only)
24 Hour Youth Support
 ConnecTeen – Canada’s first youth
peer-to-peer crisis service
 403-264-TEEN (8336)
 Volunteers age 15-21 offer peer support
 Live online chat daily from 5pm-10pm
www.calgaryconnecteen.com
 Text: 587-333-2724
24 Hour Support
Top Concerns
 Stress
 Relationships
 Family
 Loneliness/Isolation
 Mental Health
High Risk Calls
 Calls are confidential, with the
exception of a life at immediate risk


Suicide attempt in progress or imminent
Homicide
Child abuse
 Suicide is cited as an issue in 7% of calls
and nearly 18% of chats
 613 emergency interventions in
2014
24 Hour Support:
Partnerships
Partnerships
 Direct links to mobile teams:
 Mobile Response Team (Alberta Health
Services)
 Community Resource Team (Wood’s Homes)
 Social Services Response Team (Child & Family
Services)
 SeniorConnect (Calgary Senior’s Resource
Society)
24 hour Support
 Volunteers commit to at least one
year of service (48 shifts) and attend
60 hours of in-class training
 2nd busiest crisis centre in Canada,
behind Toronto
Counselling




Registered Social Workers
Free, short term, crisis focused
Individuals, couples, families
Evening and emergency
appointments available
Counselling
 Top concerns:
 Emotional Health: Self Esteem
 Substance Abuse
 Suicide
 Abuse
 Physical Health
Resources
211 Calgary and Area
 Connection to community, government,
health and social service programs
 Answered by trained Information and
Referral Specialists
 Partnership with United
Way, City of Calgary and
Distress Centre
Resources
 Available in over 150 languages
 Follow-up calls offered
 Verify that the referrals were correct
and that people could access them.
 Unmet needs reports
 Emerging trends/issues
 Identify gaps in service
Resources
 Top caller concerns:
 Financial Need
 Physical Health
 Shelter/housing
 Donations/Volunteer
 Basic Needs
2014 Statistics






70,699 crisis calls
722 crisis emails
2,400 crisis chats
27,405 Information & Referral calls
1843 counselling sessions
43,660 volunteer hours, 468
volunteers
“I am so glad we have this service, it is so nice to hear a
friendly voice that cares.”
- Crisis line caller
Impact
“I had a really rough month a while back.
On my worst night, the volunteers told me I
could call back every hour if I needed. I was
so stressed. If it hadn't been for your
program, I wouldn't be alive today. Things
could have turned out very differently. Now,
your number is taped to my phone for when
I need it.”
- Crisis line caller
In Summary
 Often the first call, Distress Centre is
an access point for services
 24 hours, 365 days per year
 Free of charge – no barriers access
to service
 Volunteer based
Data for Good potential:
• Crisis Line call records since 2003:
over 900,000
– Chat since 2011 (over 5600 records)
– Texting since 2013 (over 1700 records)
• 211 call records since 2005: over
500,000
Data for Good potential:
• Including information on:
– User demographics
– Postal code (211 only)
– Issues/Concerns addressed
– Call times and length of calls
– Referrals given
– Level of risk/urgency assessments
– Frequent users of the service
– Narrative text or direct user transcripts
in chat and text
Data for Good potential:
• Uses for data analysis:
– Improve service: identify how we can
respond to calls, chats better
– Improve user experience
– Demonstrate value and impact better
– Attract new funding to grow services