LOOKING AT 2017

Last year, we made 122,125 connections.
We want to create a Calgary where everyone is heard.

54,814 crisis centre volunteer hours

Volunteers

  • We added volunteer shifts to keep up with an increasing demand for our services and to help us pilot expanding our chat and text services from 10pm to 1:30am.
  • Our 530 crisis line volunteers represent a $1 million savings to us on salaries.

“I had no idea how many people have no one in their life to turn to. I know first-hand that if we didn’t exist many of these people wouldn’t have the strength to continue and would have taken their own lives.”
-Distress Centre Volunteer

87,860 crisis connections made

Crisis Support

  • The need for crisis support increased by 8.8% over phone, chat, text and email on both our crisis and ConnecTeen lines.
  • 20.9% of our online contacts were suicide-related.
  • We assisted with 725 emergency interventions last year.
5,561 calls, chats, texts and emails

ConnecTeen

  • We experienced a 115.2% increase in contacts. Most of these were over chat (109%) or text (211%), showing today’s teens prefer to reach out online more than anything.
  • Through 126 school presentations and resource fairs, we were able to connect with 8,900 of Calgary’s youth about ConnecTeen and the benefits of reaching out for support.
2,654 sessions completed

Counselling

  • Our contacts increased by 16.7% and number of intakes by 10.0%
  • This increase in demand meant we needed to revisit how we do things internally. We upgraded our 15-year-old database last year to be more efficient and provide better data and collection and reporting so we can enhance the experiences of people we help.

“Crisis is different for everyone – from minor inconveniences to major life altering occurrences. I know from my experience on the lines that we provide a sound support for people who may not, or do not want to, speak with someone they know.”
-Distress Centre Volunteer

92% of callers said they understand their needs better

211 Support

  • We integrated our 211 and Basic Needs Fund services to be more efficient in helping Calgarians.
  • Our 211 line connected 26,322 callers with the community resources they need.
  • Through our Basic Needs Fund we distributed over $136,000 to 165 individuals and families who would otherwise be homeless or without critical utilities.
97% of CAA clients were satisfied

CAA and SORCe

  • SORCe (Safe Communities Opportunity & Resource Centre) is a multi-agency collaborative resource centre that connects people who are experiencing or are at-risk of homelessness, to programs and services that can help to address the barriers to stable housing.  
  • Distress Centre operates the Coordinated Access and Assessment (CAA) Team at SORCe. The CAA Housing Strategists at SORCe work with clients to develop individualized housing plans and connect them to wrap around supports both at SORCe and in the community.  
    • The CAA team averaged 235 clients per month.
    • Youth housing contacts from Woods Homes averages 65 clients per month.
    • 800 intakes per month to access programs at SORCe

Connecting with Calgarians in crisis. You never know who might need support. It could be someone you know. Help us keep up with the growing need for all our services.

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