Distress Lines

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

• Toronto Distress Centres: 416 408-4357 or 408-HELP

• Gerstein Centre: 416 929-5200

• Spectra Helpline: 416 920-0497 or 905 459-7777 for Brampton and Mississauga residents
  TTY: 905 278-4890; Languages: English, Punjabi, Hindi, Urdu, Spanish, Portuguese

• Assaulted Women's Helpline: 416 863-0511; Toll-free: 1 866 863-0511

• Kids Help Phone: 1 800 668-6868; Languages: English and French

• Community Crisis Line Scarborough and Rouge Hospital: 416 495-2891 for 24/7 telephone crisis support.
  Service borders: south to the lake, north to Steeles Avenue, east to Port Union Road, and west to Victoria Park

• Durham Crisis and Mental Health Line: 905 666-0483

• Distress Centre Halton: For Residents of the Halton Region (Burlington, Halton Hills, Milton, and Oakville). Oakville: 905-849-4541; Burlington: 905-681-1488; Milton/Halton Hills: 905-877-1211

Support for Black Identifying Peoples

Food and shelter resources

Anti-black racism and mental health resources

• Across Boundaries has a holistic approach to mental health care includes many of the same services offered by other mental health agencies, but is also anchored in an anti-racist, anti-Black racism and anti-oppression framework. For intake and program information: (416) 787-3007 ext. 222 For all other inquiries: (416) 787-3007 ext. 297 Website: www.acrossboundaries.ca

• Black Creek Community Health Centre At Black Creek, you have access to care from physicians, nurse practitioners, nurses, chiropodists, social workers, respiratory therapists, nutritionists, health promotion and harm reduction providers, among others allied healthcare providers. Care team members collaborate for a holistic approach that considers practical factors to support your health, wellness, and wellbeing.  Contact: 416-249-8000 or 416-246-2388 Website: www.bcchc.com

• Black Youth Helpline This multicultural youth helpline and service serves all youth and specifically responds to the needs of Black youth.  Contact with the helpline results in a professional, culturally relevant assessment aimed at identifying root causes of problems and informs next steps.  The helpline can be accessed by youth, families, schools and other stakeholders. Service is provided in English. French and other languages available upon request. Other languages are available upon request. This is not a crisis line.  The helpline is open from 9am to 10pm, 7 days a week. Clients can also submit service requests 24 hours a day using the 'contact us form' on the website. Contact: 416-285-9944   Toll Free: 1-833-294-8650 Website: www.blackyouth.ca

• TAIBU Community Health Centre TAIBU Serves the Black community across the GTA as its priority population. We also serve all residents of the Malvern neighbourhood. Contact: 416-644-3536 Website: www.taibuchc.ca

• Wanasah is currently operating in Regent Park and provides a series of services to Black youth ages 12-25 and their families, who are experiencing mental health and/or addictions concerns. Through partnerships with community partners and youth ambassadors we provide Black-centric mental health and addictions service. Currently, our programs and services are available for Black Youth and their Families in Regent Park and surrounding areas. All our programs are developed through a trauma- informed, Black-centric, identity and ethnic-specific lens. We provide translations in the following languages: Arabic and Somali web: https://wanasah.ca/ Call: (647) 947-6090 email: info@wanasah.ca

Specialized Support

Comprehensive Support Resources GTA

• Multilingual Distress Line Provides emotional support, crisis intervention and suicide prevention, intervention & postvention in English, Cantonese, Mandarin, Portuguese, Spanish, Hindi, Punjabi and Urdu, Monday to Friday from 10:00 am to 10:00 pm EST.  For at risk and vulnerable individuals in Peel Region. Phone: 905-459-7777

• Trans Lifeline Provides peer support by trans people for trans and questioning callers. Crisis and other supports and resources are provided in both English and Spanish from 10:00 am to 4:00 am EST. Phone: 1-877-330-6366 LGBT

• YouthLine Provides peer support by and for 2SLGBTQ+ people 29 and under across Ontario.  Trained peer support volunteers with a diversity of 2SLGBTQ+ identities provide a range of supports, including: questioning gender identity/sexual orientation; coming out; mental health; relationships; social isolation; and referrals to further supports. Phone, text and chat is available from Sunday to Friday, 4:00 pm to 9:30 pm EST. This is not a crisis line. Those in immediate crisis will be referred to their local distress centre, Kids Help Phone or Trans Lifeline. Please note that the phone line is currently unavailable, but text and chat support remain available. Check youthline.ca for updates. Text: 647-694-4275, Chat: youthline.ca, Phone: 1-800-268-9688

• Naseeha: An international hotline that provides youth and particularly Muslim youth with the tools needed to address a range of issues including mental health, drugs and alcohol, bullying, religion, marriage and divorce, domestic issues, pornography, and career or work related issues.  Peer-counsellors provide immediate, anonymous, and confidential support over the phone from 12:00 pm to 9:00 pm, 7 days a week and text support from 12:00 pm to 9:00 pm, Monday to Friday. Phone: 1-866-627-3342 (NASEEHA), Text: 1 (866) 627-3342 (NASEEHA)

• Toronto Seniors Helpline/ Woodgreen Crisis Outreach Services for Seniors The helpline provides information about home care and community care, and offers over-the-phone supportive counselling, de-escalation, and safety planning to seniors in emotional distress or crisis from 9:00am to 8:00pm Monday to Friday and 10:00am to 6:00pm on weekends. The helpline can connect callers to Woodgreen’s mobile crisis intervention and outreach service for adults 65+ with dementia, addictions or mental illness who need temporary, short-term support. The mobile service is staffed by crisis workers who can provide in-person assessment, crisis counselling, short-term intensive case management, harm reduction and concurrent disorder services, mental health and addictions support and referrals to other services. The mobile crisis team is available 365 days a year from 9:00am-5:00pm. Phone: 416-217-2077

• Toronto Rape Crisis Centre/Multicultural Women Against Rape Provides private and confidential crisis intervention and support services 24 hours a day, 7 days a week to: anyone who has been raped, sexually assaulted or experienced physical, sexual, emotional, psychological, ritual or financial abuse; anyone who has had unwanted sexual touching; incest survivors; survivors of childhood and adult sexual assault and family and/or friends. Referrals can be made to other services. Phone: 416-597-8808

• Assaulted Women’s Helpline Provides anonymous and confidential crisis counselling, safety planning, emotional support, information and referrals 24 hours a day, 7 days a week for all women in Ontario who have experienced any form of abuse. Services are also available at all times for women who are deaf, deaf-blind and hard of hearing. Phone: 1-866-863-0511, TTY: 1-866-863-7868

• Victim Services Toronto The Victim Crisis Response Program provides immediate on-scene crisis response, intervention, and prevention services to victims, survivors, family members and witnesses of crime and sudden tragedies 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Also provides follow-up referrals to a wide range of programs, services and counselling. The Crisis Response team pairs a Crisis Counsellor with expertise in trauma management and crisis intervention with a trained volunteer. The Crisis Response Program is reflective of the diverse communities in Toronto and provides services in over 35 languages. Please note that some of these services have been modified during COVID-19. Phone: 416-808-7066

• Warden Woods Community Centre COVID-19 All-in-One Support line Provides complete support in one place for anyone in need, Monday to Friday from 10:00 am to 2:00 pm.  Services include crisis support, mental health support, harm reduction, homelessness prevention, eviction prevention, LGBTQ+ support, seniors support, conflict resolution, homework help, food safety and access to government support. Phone: 647-327-0206, Email: Supportline@wardenwoods.com