Avenue Magazine Calgary

Who: Calgary Distress Centre

What: Provides crisis support through 24-hour crisis lines, a referral service and face-to-face counselling.

Why they’re on the A-List: In 2008, 58 paid staff and 155 volunteers logging 32,034 hours answered 160,000 distress calls.

The Calgary Distress Centre answers its phone lines 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, with operators standing by to listen with a sympathetic ear to any crisis that is called in. Addictions, relationships and, increasingly, financial strain are among the sources of distress that push Calgarians to their coping limits.

The Distress Centre provides an immediate outlet for Calgarians who aren’t sure where to turn. Its front-line support mainly comes through its 24-hour crisis lines.

“We believe that anyone from any walk of life can experience a crisis and that all people have the right to immediate assistance, and that assistance should be as barrier-free as possible,” says executive director Carol Oliver.

The Centre runs the main crisis phone line as well as several specialized lines dedicated to teenagers, seniors, men, the gay-lesbian-bisexual-transgender community and victims of domestic violence.

To increase its outreach, the Centre recently added a suicide line serving all of southern Alberta, as well as a text-message option for teens. The phones are answered by a combination of paid staff, board members and volunteers who complete a rigorous training program and who commit to at least one year of service. Oliver says, “They are the heartbeat of the organization.”

In addition to the crisis lines, last year approximately 58,000 calls came in to the Centre’s 2-1-1 referral service. This phone line is answered by licensed operators who help callers navigate the more than 4,000 services available to assist in everything from finding affordable housing and employment insurance, to low-cost recreation and clothing donations.

The last of the Centre’s trio of programs is face-to-face counselling provided by registered social workers. Appointments are scheduled through the main crisis line and are typically available within 24 hours to help stabilize individuals, couples or families in distress.

Nearly 40 years after it was established, the Distress Centre is operating at capacity, providing critical front-line service to anyone in need, free of charge and without discrimination.

“It’s tough work,” says Oliver, “but it is from the heart.”

What Can You Do?
Volunteer: find out more about volunteer opportunities, including training, at distresscentre.com.

Donate: make a donation online at canadahelps.org or by calling Carol Oliver at 403-266-1601.

Talk: Make sure everyone you know is aware of the Distress Centre’s crisis lines should they need someone to turn to. The main line is 403-266-1605. The 2-1-1 line links people with community services.

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