Crisis Distress Phone Lines in Ontario

 Operated by various agencies.  When in need of someone to talk to. Open 24 hours a day (unless otherwise indicated).

If the person is in crisis inform them to go to the nearest emergency department/hospital or call 911.

1. TORONTO DISTRESS CENTRE (416) 408-4357 or 408-HELP – Offers access to emotional support from the safety and security of the closest telephone. Callers can express their thoughts and feelings in confidence. Callers’ issues can include problems related to domestic violence, social isolation, suicide, addictions, mental and physical health concerns. The Distress Centre offers emotional support, crisis intervention, suicide prevention and linkage to emergency help when necessary.
2. GERSTEIN CENTRE (416) 929-5200. Provides crisis intervention to adults, living in the City of Toronto, who experience mental health problems. The service has three aspects; telephone support, community visits and a ten-bed, short-stay residence. All three aspects of the service are accessed through the crisis line.
3. ASSAULTED WOMEN’S HELPLINE: 416-863-0511; Toll Free 1-866-863-0511 for more than 25 years, the Assaulted Women’s Helpline has served as a free, anonymous and confidential 24-hour telephone and TTY crisis telephone line to all women in the province of Ontario who have experienced any form of abuse.
4. TORONTO RAPE CRISIS CENTRE: 416-597-8808. A grassroots collective working towards a violence-free world by providing anti-oppressive, feminist peer support to survivors of sexual violence through support, education and activism.  Callers can be anyone who has been raped, sexually assaulted or abused, women who have had unwanted sexual touching, incest survivors and friends or family.
5. ANISHNAWBE 24/7 MENTAL HEALTH CRISIS MANAGEMENT SERVICE: 416-891-8606 (Aboriginal clients) not only promotes Traditional Aboriginal practices but has affirmed and placed them at its core. Its model of health care is based on Traditional practices and approaches and are reflected in the design of its programs and services.
6. TELECARE (Mandarin & Cantonese), 416-920-0497
7. TELECARE DISTRESS CENTRE OF ETOBICOKE 416-247-5426
8. CONTACT CENTRE TELECARE PEEL 905-459-7777, Languages: English, Punjabi, Hindi, Urdu, Spanish, Portuguese
9. WARM LINE, PROGRESS PLACE 416-960-9276 or 416-960-WARM, every day from 8pm to 12 midnight
10. KIDS HELP PHONE: 1-800-668-6868 is a free, anonymous and confidential phone and
on-line professional counselling service for youth. Big or small concerns. 24/7. 365 days a year.
11. DISTRESS CENTRE PEEL 905-278-7208
12. DURHAM CRISIS LINE 905-666-0483
13. OAKVILLE DISTRESS CENTRE – 905-849-4541

For Children

SCAN –  SUSPECTED CHILD ABUSE AND NEGLECT (SCAN) PROGRAM

HTTP://WWW.SICKKIDS.CA/SCAN/

416-813-6275

The Suspected Child Abuse and Neglect (SCAN) Program is a program run by The Hospital for Sick Children (SickKids). SCAN is managed by a team of healthcare professionals at the hospital who offer care, support and assessment to children and teenagers who may have been maltreated, and their families. After a referral has been made to the Children’s Aid Society, SCAN should be contacted urgently if a child or teenager has been sexually assaulted recently and/or has signs and symptoms related to maltreatment.

BOOST CHILD ABUSE PREVENTION AND INTERVENTION

HTTP://WWW.BOOSTFORKIDS.ORG/

Tel: (416) 515-1100
 or Toll Free: 1-855-424-1100

890 Yonge Street, 11th Floor,
Toronto, ON M4W 3P4

Boost provides programs and services to children, youth, their families, professionals and communities to prevent and respond to abuse and violence. The Child Victim Witness Support Program (CVWSP) prepares any child or youth who is called to testify in court. Individual and group support offered to assist and advocate for children, youth and adult support persons.

KIDS HELP PHONE HTTP://KIDSHELPPHONE.CA/KIDS/YOURSPACE.ASPX

1-800-668-6868

General:

(Wo)Men Speak Out Now  http://www.menspeakoutnow.com/Site/About_Us.html

(Wo)Men Speak Out™ is a non-profit organization dedicated to eradicating rape, sexual assault and gender violence. We seek to educate both men and women, cultivating healthy relationships and gender equity.
This website offers access to 7 Minizines that explore topics that are relevant to both male and female survivors.

“Not quite a newsletter, not quite a magazine, our Minizine will touch upon topics that affect our daily lives, the people we love and the communities we live in. A quarterly collaboration of authors, writers and survivor stories, bringing food for thought to survivors, advocates and those wanting to become more involved in the fight to end abuse.”

Victim Support Line – Ministry of Attorney General

1-888-579-2888 or 416-314-2447

The Victim Support Line (VSL) is a province-wide, multilingual, toll-free information line providing a range of services to victims of crime.  The VSL offers:

• Information and referral to support services in your community
• Pre-recorded information about the criminal justice system
• Access to information about provincially sentenced offenders.
• You can also register for automated notification when an offender’s status changes.
• You can also express concerns about the availability or quality of victim services.
• Services are offered in 13 languages, including:
  • Arabic, English,French,Italian,Spanish,Chinese (Cantonese, Mandarin, and Taishan),Filipino,Hindi,Kinyarwanda,Punjabi,Rundi,Swahili,Urdu

The service is available from 8 a.m. to 10 p.m., seven days a week.  For information on federally incarcerated offenders (those sentenced to 2 years and more), please call the National Parole Board at 1-800-518-8817

Drug Rehab http://www.drugrehab.com/guides/domestic-abuse/ 

Justice for Children and Youth provides select legal representation to low-income children and youth in Toronto and vicinity. They are a non-profit legal aid clinic that specializes in protecting the rights of those facing conflicts with the legal system, education, social service or mental health systems. Under the legal rights section there are a number of options where young people can find out how CAS operates and when they can leave home if they feel unsafe.  Learning about how these systemic processes work can empower youth to make informed decisions. There is also a section where anyone 17yrs and under can ask a lawyer a question.

Love: the good, the bad, and the ugly  http://lovegoodbadugly.com/

This site helps young people to evaluate their dating relationships. It uses questions that users can click on. It is very colorful and interactive.

http://lovegoodbadugly.com/keep-reading-websites-books-and-zines/
I really like the take action section, there are links to other websites, books and zines

http://lovegoodbadugly.com/category/stories/
I also like the section where you can read other’s stories.  Being in an abusive relationship can be very isolating and hearing others experiences can help to relieve some of that quilt and shame around it being your fault.

http://lovegoodbadugly.com/safety-plan/
An accessible safety plan, I might caution the idea of emailing it you yourself, if your partner has access to your email.

Breakaway Addictions Services  http://www.breakawayyouth.org/programs.html

A non-residential program, developed meet the needs of youth, aged 13 to 25, and their family members and friends who are struggling with substance use concerns. Services offered are provided from a harm reduction approach in a supportive, non judgmental manner.  Services they provide are: counselling and groups. Clear Directions is a collaborative program that serves a maximum of 10 youths from the ages of 14 to 18 who live within the Greater Toronto Area and who are experiencing both mental health and substance use problems. The program is designed to address issues that prevent achievement and to provide a secure educational environment in which to achieve. Clinical services including individual, family and group interventions. Section 19 class provides an environment for students to develop their basic skills and recognize their areas of strength. For more information, call the Clear Directions Intake Worker, Anne at 416-234-1942 ext. 225.

Boost Child Abuse Prevention & Intervention  http://www.boostforkids.org/HowWeHelp/Counselling/GroupsforTeens/tabid/1… (This is a link with groups for young women 12-17yrs)


Tel: (416) 515-1100
Toll Free: 1-855-424-1100

Boost provides programs and services to children, youth, their families, professionals and communities to prevent and respond to abuse and violence.

Kids Help Phone  http://kidshelpphone.ca/Teens/InfoBooth.aspx

1-800-668-6868

The info booth section is bright and colorful. Teens can access information on a variety of topics: dating, bullying, family, emotional health, school, sexual orientation, law, and more.

Learning and Violence  http://www.learningandviolence.net/StudentKit/reception_desk.html

Great for students who are having trouble with self-esteem and judgments around learning. It is interactive, and helps facilitate self-reflection and support. You can click on a coffe mug if you’re feeling like it is too difficult and take a break.

For Women

Assaulted Women’s Help Line  http://www.awhl.org/

1-866-863-0511  or  416-863-0511

Provides 24-hour, 7-days-a-week crisis counselling, emotional support, information and referrals via telephone to women in up to 154 languages.  The Website contains information on Violence Against Women Statistics, health and legal resources.

The Ontario Network of Sexual Assault/Domestic Violence Treatment Centres  http://www.sadvtreatmentcentres.net/en/our_centres.php

The Ontario Network of Sexual Assault/Domestic Violence Treatment Centres is made up of 35 hospital-based centres that provide 24/7 emergency care to women, children and men who have been sexually assaulted or who are victims or survivors of domestic violence (intimate partner) abuse. Services include: emergency medical and nursing care, crisis intervention, collection of forensic evidence, medical follow-up and counselling and referral to community resources.

Toronto Rape Crisis Centre Multicultural Women Against Rape  http://www.trccmwar.ca/

(416) 597-8808

TRCC/MWAR is a grassroots collective working towards a violence-free world by providing anti-oppressive, feminist peer support to survivors of sexual violence through support, education and activism.  They operate a crisis line, one to one counselling and self help groups to all sexual abuse survivors including rape, sexual assault, incest, sexual harassment, physical/emotional violence.  For more information on programs call (416) 597-1171

Some interesting readings can be found at http://www.trccmwar.ca/drupal/articles/incest

The Barbra Schlifer Commemorative Clinic  http://www.schliferclinic.com/schliferClinic.html

416-323-9149 ext 263

The Schlifer Clinic is a counselling, legal, interpretation, information and referral service for women who are survivors of violence.

http://www.schliferclinic.com/vars/help/creating_a_safety_plan.pdf

Central Intake Emergency Shelters for Women and Children in Toronto

416-397-5637

211 Toronto  www.211Toronto.ca

An online directory of community, social, heath and government services.  Or, simply dial 211 to speak with an operator.

Learning and Violence  http://www.learningandviolence.net/takecare.htm

Great interactive self-care section.

Exploring Learning Holistically
http://www.learningandviolence.net/learning/holistic.htm

Family Law Education for Women  http://www.onefamilylaw.ca/

Plain language legal information on women’s rights under Ontario family law is available in 14 languages and in multiple formats.

Ontario Women’s Justice Network http://www.owjn.org

Promotes an understanding of the law with respect to violence against women, providing accessible legal information to women and their supporters in a manner that reflects the diverse experiences and realities of women. OWJN contains information on relevant legal issues, including written law (legislation) and case law (court decisions).

Abuse Never Becomes Us – A.N.B.U. – https://www.anbu.ca/

Provides healing and empowerment through holistic support, resources, and advocacy on behalf of Tamil people who have been impacted by childhood sexual abuse. Provides individual peer support and group programs for adult survivors of childhood sexual abuse within the Tamil community.

Full Circle Art Therapy Centre https://fullcircleatc.com/

Provide individual and group art therapy programs in Toronto. Fees apply. Contact them directly or visit their website for the most up-to-date information. 

For Men

1in6  http://1in6.org

Although based out of the U.S, this site has loads of resources for men who want to educate themselves and access support. The layout is fantastic and very intuitive.

I highly recommend this site as it has loads of useful information for survivors and those who may support them. This site also does a good job of reaching men at various stages of seeking information and help, including those who don’t see themselves as “survivors” or their experiences as “abuse.”

Kali Munro   http://kalimunro.com/wp/

This website provides access to several short, clear and informative articles by Kali Munro, a therapist with experience treating men with histories of unwanted or abusive sexual experiences in childhood.  These articles cover a breadth of topics relevant to survivors of incest, sexual and ritual abuse and emotional abuse.

Male Survivor   http://www.malesurvivor.org/

Like 1in6, this website covers a breadth of information that is useful for survivors and those who support them.  Of particular interest are the links that explore “myths and facts” regarding male childhood sexual abuse and the “survivors speaking out” section which provides links to relevant video clips and interviews in the media.

Nevertheless, this website is American and thus doesn’t examine fully some of the ethno-racial dimensions of childhood sexual abuse in Canada.

Centre for Treatment of Childhood Sexual Abuse and Trauma   http://centrefortreatment.com/

The Canadian Centre for Men and Families http://www.menandfamilies.org/ – 647-479-9611

Men’s health promotion and support for issues such as depression, anxiety, relationships, separation and divorce, parenting, social isolation and self-esteem, and abuse and trauma 
* individual, couple and group counselling 
* peer support group for boys and men includes emotional support, information and resources 
* legal assistance clinic and resource centre — individual and group settings
* Fathering After Separation or Divorce — 8 week parenting program 
* support for male victims of domestic violence, sexual assault and trauma, including counselling and referrals 
* mindfulness meditation workshops, 
* employment resource consultation — resume building, interview preparation and unemployment support, including identification of barriers to employment

Victims and Survivors Guide to Domestic Violence During the Pandemic https://www.mymove.com/moving/guides/domestic-violence-resources/
Guide includes: Detailed Infographic on Red Flags and Barriers in Abusive Relationships Tips on Emergency Planning and Tech Safety for Victims Fleeing Support Services for Housing, Immigration, and Financial Independence

American Addictions Centres

• Free Rehab Guide provides statistics on addiction and explains how to find free rehab centers. 
• Free Virtual Support Meetings allow individuals to join 12-step AA/NA meetings that are hosted weekly by a person in recovery. 
• Alcohol & Drug Addiction Hotlines resource provides valuable information on what happens when an individual calls a hotline.