Crisis Supports in Ontario
If you or your child/teen is experiencing significant distress and/or having thoughts of suicide or self-harm, it may be helpful to connect with a Crisis Service to obtain support. We compiled a list of province-wide supports as well as of the local services in each of the major cities in Ontario where we currently have clients. You can view the list below or download it by clicking this link: Crisis Supports
Let us know if you do not see your city on the list, and we will be sure to add it!
CRISIS SUPPORTS FOR ADULTS & YOUTH IN ONTARIO
(province-wide and for each city)
PROVINCE & CANADA WIDE
· Kids Help Phone
o Phone call: 1-800-668-6868
o Text message: CONNECT to 686868
o Facebook Messenger visit: KidsHelpPhone.ca/Messenger
o Kids Help Phone is a 24 hour online mental health service that offers free crisis support to all youth in Canada. They offer services in English and French. They also offer other services such as: counselling, education services about mental health, outreach services that connect youth to peers who have gone through similar experiences.
· Suicide Crisis Helpline
o 988.ca
o Phone call: 988
o Text: 988
o A safe space to talk, 24 hours a day, every day of the year, Canada-wide
The Canada Suicide Prevention Service (Crisis Services Canada)
o https://www.crisisservicescanada.ca/en/
o 24-hour crisis line: 1-833-456-4566
o Text (4pm-midnight ET): 45645
o CSC is a national network of distress, crisis, and suicide prevention line services. They are committed to supporting individuals from all cultures with crisis support. Their services are offered Canada wide; they are confidential, free, and available 24 hours, 7 days a week.
· YouthSpace.ca
o Text: 778-783-0177
o Also offers an IM Chat online
o YouthSpace.ca is an online crisis and emotional support chat for any Canadian under the age of 30. Their services are open from 6pm-midnight, 365 days a year.
· Hope for Wellness Help Line
o https://hopeforwellness.ca/home.html
o Toll Free: 1-855-242-3310
o Also offers online chat
o Hope for Wellness Help Line offers crisis intervention and immediate counselling to all Indigenous individuals across Canada. This help line is available 24 hours a day and 7 days a week. They offer services in Cree, Ojibway, and Inuktitut.
· Youth Line
o Phone crisis line: 1-800-268-9688 (6PM-9PM)
o Text: 647-694-4275 (4PM-9:30PM)/E-mail: askus@youthline.ca
o Youth Line is a peer support help line that operates Ontario-wide. It is confidential, anonymous, and provides youth with the opportunity to chat with a peer support working if they are feeling distressed. Youth Line is not an immediate crisis line, their workers are not formally trained in crisis support, rather they provide youth with a chance to talk to someone who can relate to similar experiences.
· Trans Lifeline
o Canadian Lifeline: 877-330-6366
o Trans Lifeline is an American organization with Canadian hotlines for all transgender and questioning individuals of all ages. They provide crisis, distress, and mental health phone lines. They are an all-inclusive organization that offers support in English and Spanish.
· Black Youth Helpline
o Help line: 416-285-9944
o Toll free: 1-833-294-8650
o Email: info@blackyouth.ca
o Black Youth Helpline is an organization for black youth. Their services help youth come into contact with professionals that will provide culturally appropriate assessments to help youth identify the root causes of their problems. This is not a crisis line, rather a helpline that runs from 9am-10pm, 7 days a week.
· Good2Talk- Post-Secondary Students
o Crisis line: 1-866-925-5454
o Text: GOOD2TALKON to 686868
o Good2Talk is an Ontario-wide confidential support service for post-secondary students in Ontario. It provides student with a safe environment to talk through the issues impacting their mental health. Students can receive professional counselling, crisis support, and information/referrals about mental health support services.
TORONTO (GTA)
· Distress Centres of Greater Toronto Area
o Crisis line: 416-408-4357
o Text: 45645
o The Distress Centres of Greater Toronto Area provide 24-hour, 7 days a week, 356-day support to all individuals in the GTA community who need emotional support, crisis intervention, suicide prevention and intervention. They offer services in seven languages such as Spanish, Portuguese, Hindi, English, Urdu, Punjabi, Cantonese, and Mandarin.
· York Support Services Network
o Telephone (24-hour): 1-855-310-COPE (2673)
o TTY: 1-866-323-7785
o Text line: 1-855-310-2673 (7am-midnight)
o Also offers online chat (7am-midnight)
o The YSSN supports children and adolescents who are experiencing any mental health crisis. Their services include telephone/text/live chats, mobile response teams, mental health support teams, short-term crisis beds, and crisis peer supports. Their crisis response telephone service is available 24-hours a day, 7 days a week.
· Gerstein Centre- 16 and up
o 24-hour crisis hotline: 416-929-5200
o The Gerstein Centre offers 24-hour crisis support to individuals 16 and up in Toronto. They offer telephone crisis line, mobile crisis team, community-based crisis beds, follow-up support and referrals to other social services.
· ROCK Reach Out Centre for Kids (Oakville)
o Crisis hotline: 905-878-9785
o Virtual walk-in clinics: 289-266-0036
o ROCK crisis line is a confidential support line for youth aged 17 and under. Their crisis line is available 24-hours a day, 7 days a week and connects youth to a crisis support worker to offer immediate support. This service also offers virtual walk-in clinics, with their office hours operating Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday from 9am-3pm.
· Distress Centre Halton
o Oakville: 905-849-4541
o Burlington: 905-681-1488
o Milton/Halton Hills: 905-877-1211
o Distress Centre Halton offers a distress line specifically for people in the Halton region. They offer support to every individual, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
· COAST for Halton Region
o 24-hour line: 1-877-825-901
o COAST (Crisis Outreach and Support Team) is an organization that is partnered with mental health workers and specially trained officers from the Halton Police Services. They provide 24-hour crisis support to individuals experiencing mental health crisis. COAST offers a mobile team consisting of a mental health worker and a plain-clothes police officer that can complete an assessment in person and implement a plan with the individual.
o This number covers the regions of Oakville, Milton, Georgetown, Acton, and Burlington.
· Distress Centre Durham
o https://distresscentredurham.com/
o 24-hour crisis/distress line: 905-430-2522 OR 1-800-452-0688
o Pride line: 1-855-877-7433
o Online chat or text: 258258 (2pm-2am)
o The Distress Centre of Durham offers the ONTX (Ontario Online and Text Crisis Services) program to all Ontarians. Their crisis line is non-judgemental, confidential, and offered 24-hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year. Their pride line operates from 6pm-10pm daily, it aims to provide emotional support, crisis intervention and community referral information to individuals of the LGBTQ community.
· Spectra Helpline (Peel region)
o https://www.facebook.com/SpectraHelpline/?ref=page_internal
o Crisis hotline: 905-459-7777
o TTY: 905-278-4890
o Spectra Helpline is a 24-hour telephone support, crisis intervention, suicide intervention and referral service. Their services are for people of all ages, and they offer support in English, Punjabi, Hindi, Urdu, Spanish, and Portuguese.
· EveryMind (Peel region)
o Telephone line: 905-278-9035
o EveryMind is an organization that offers a crisis support line to youth in the Peel region. Their crisis response service is available 24-hours a day and 7 days a week, they will connect you to a crisis worker who will be able to assist in creating a safety plan and talk you through what you are feeling. Their crisis line also helps connect youth 16 and older to the crisis support in the Peel Dufferin region.
HAMILTON
· COAST for Hamilton Region
o 24-hour line: 905-972-8338
o Toll Free: 1-844-972-8338
o COAST (Crisis Outreach and Support Team) is an organization that is partnered with mental health workers from St. Joseph’s Healthcare and specially trained officers from the Hamilton Police Services. They provide 24-hour crisis support to individuals experiencing mental health crisis. COAST offers a mobile team consisting of a mental health worker and a plain-clothes police officer that can complete an assessment in person and implement a plan with the individual.
· Barrett Centre – 16 years old and up
o https://www.goodshepherdcentres.ca/services/barrett-centre-for-crisis-support/
o 24-hour crisis line: 905-529-7878
o Toll free: 1-844-777-3571
o Barrett Centre offers crisis support for all individuals over the age of 16 years old who are experiencing mental health and/or substance abuse problems who do not require a hospital stay. Their free services are available 24 hours a day 365 days of the year. Their services include: phone crisis assessment and interventions, in-person crisis counselling, crisis stabilization bed stay, group counselling, and peer support drop-in groups.
KINGSTON
· Telephone Aid Line Kingston (TALK)
o https://www.telephoneaidlinekingston.com/
o Distress line: 613-544-1771 (Every day from 6PM-2AM)
o TALK is a distress and crisis phone line for all members of the Kingston community. They provide non-judgmental, confidential, and anonymous phone calls with an experienced volunteer. They also provide community outreach and education services.
· AMHS_KFLA
o 24-hour crisis line: 613-544-4229
o AMHS-KFLA is an organization based in Kingston that offers multiple services to all individuals. Their crisis line is staffed 24-hours a day, 365 days a year. The crisis lines are staffed by experienced professionals to provide immediate support to any individual in need. They also offer walk-in crisis services, mobile crisis services, and have multiple partnerships with the Kingston police (MCRTT, MCIT, and COAST).
KITCHENER/WATERLOO
· Front Door Access to Child and Youth Mental Health Services
o https://www.frontdoormentalhealth.com/
o Crisis hotline: 519-749-2932 (Monday-Friday: 8:30am-4:30pm)
o Front Door offers a confidential support line to youth in the Waterloo, Cambridge, and Kitchener area. They help with identifying next steps, offer emotional support, and help give youth access to other mental health services. They offer telephone crisis services Monday-Friday from 8:30am-4:30pm, and scheduled appointments. Their services are for youth under the age of 18.
· Here24Seven
o Crisis line: 1-844-437-3247
o Here 24/7 is a crisis hotline and a mobile crisis service. They are available 24-hours a day, 7 days a week, and 365 days a year. Apart from their crisis line, they offer addiction, mental health, family supports and virtual supports. Their services are available in Cambridge, Kitchener, Waterloo, Guelph, and Wellington.
LONDON
· Tandem
o Telephone: 519-433-0334
o Tandem provides Crisis Response and 24/7 telephone support with brief follow-up counselling in urgent situations. They also coordinate the intake process for Vanier Children’s Mental Wellness (age 12 and under), Humana Community Services (ages 13-18) and Craigwood Children, Youth, and Family Services (ages 12-18)
o French language services are available
· Reach Out
o Telephone line: 519-433-2023 OR 1-866-933-2023
o Text line: 519-433-2023
o Also offers an online chat
o Reach out is a 24-hour, 7 days a week service that supports individuals in crisis in the London area. Their services include crisis intervention, a crisis response team, general information about mental health and addictions, support in suicidal ideation, emotional trauma support and more.
OTTAWA
· Youth Services Bureau of Ottawa (YSB)
o Crisis line: 613-260-2360
o Live crisis chat found online
o YSB offers a confidential 24-hour, 7 days a week crisis hotline for youth struggling with any issue. They also offer housing services, employment services, youth justice services, and health services.
· Distress Centre of Ottawa and Region- crisis line is 16 and up, distress line is all ages
o Distress: 613-238-3311- All ages
o Crisis: 613-722-6914 OR 1-866-996-0991 (same number as Crisis Line)
o Text: 343-306-5550 (10am-11pm)
o The Distress Centre of Ottawa and Region provides both a distress and crisis line to individuals within Ottawa. Their distress line services provide emotional support, crisis management and intervention, suicide risk assessment and prevention. Their four distress lines are available to all individuals regardless of age. Their crisis lines provide support for individuals experiencing situational crisis, suicidal behaviour, and severe depression. The two crisis lines available are for individuals aged 16 and up.
· Crisis Line
o Within Ottawa: 613-722-6914
o Outside Ottawa: 1-866-996-0991
o Bilingual Crisis line: 613-722-6914
o Crisis line offers crisis services to individuals 16 and up in the Ottawa, Prescott and Russel, Renfrew, Stormont, Dundas & Glengarry, and Akwesasne regions. They offer telephone crisis support, along with a local crisis team that will respond with face-to-face intervention, assessment, and consultation.
PRESCOTT-RUSSELL
· Valoris Help Line
o Crisis line: 1-800-675-6168
o Valoris offers a confidential 24-hour a day, 7 days a week crisis hotline. Their services are available to individuals under the age of 18. Other services consist of developmental challenges, abuse and neglect, diversity and inclusivity, and community participation. They also offer in person services located in Rockland, Embrun, and Hawkesbury
THUNDERBAY
· Child and Youth Crisis Support Line
o https://tbrhsc.net/programs-services/trauma-program/party-program/crisis-lines-and-resources/
o Thunder Bay: 807-346-8282
o District of Thunder Bay: 1-888-269-3100
WINDSOR
· Family Services of Windsor-Essex
o Telephone lines: 519-946-3277 OR 1-877-451-1055
o The Windsor-Essex Counselling Support Line (WECSL) is a temporary support line for individuals living in Windsor/Essex region who are struggling to cope with COVID-19. Their support line is answered by counselling professionals and are available 24-hours a day, 7 days a week. This support line is meant to help individuals with mild to moderate distress.
· Community Crisis Centre- 16 and up
o 24-hour crisis line: 519-973-4435
o The Community Crisis Centre of Windsor offers intervention services 24-hours a day, 7 days a week, for 365 days a year. They help individuals who require immediate assessment, medical intervention, psychosocial intervention. They also provide walk-in services and after crisis counselling/referrals. Their services are for individuals aged 16 and up.