Crisis and Emergency

Pandemics, disasters (e.g. hurricanes, flooding, earthquakes) and related emergencies cause incredible mental health stress.

This section lists MENTAL HEALTH organizations and services which have special services for times of pandemics, disasters and related emergencies. 

This is NOT a comprehensive listing of all the other types of organizations and services that might be found elsewhere during a disaster, e.g. Red Cross, WHO, etc., but is more focused on mental health services.

The child welfare / child protection system is a group of services that promote the well-being of children by protecting children from abuse or neglect, ensuring they are safe, and strengthening families so that they can successfully care for their children.

Is someone in a crisis? Crisis lines offer free, immediate and confidential one-on-one assistance to callers in need and usually operate 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. They are generally staffed by either paid professionals, or trained volunteers. They will listen, offer support and advice, and if necessary, will try to help the caller get connected to help in his/her community. 

Looking for an appointment the same day, or within a few days? Walk-in counselling clinics provide counseling services, without a need to book a long time in advance. They can be helpful for many issues such as family conflict, stress, grief, depression, anxiety, relationship issues, separation, divroce or abuse. Most of the time, no appointment is required, though some clinics may require you to call ahead the same day to book appointments for that day. 

Is there an emergency such as medical or mental health emergency? If less intense options (e.g. calling a crisis line) are not possible or haven't helped, then it may be helpful to visit the local hospital Emergency Department. Typical mental health emergencies include:

* thoughts of suicide to the point where the person requires emergency help to keep them from ending their life; 

* manic episode or psychosis where a person is behaving in an irrational way with inability to function. 

There are various shelters that people can use when they have no place to go.

Emergency shelters are places for people to live temporarily when they don't have a place to stay. Emergency shelters (such as women's shelters) are primarily meant for those fleeing an abusive relationship, sexual abuse or domestic violence. Some shelters limit their clientele by gender or age.

Homeless shelters are temporary places to stay, usually meant for homeless people. Usually located in downtown areas, they are similar to emergency shelters. The main difference is that homeless shelters are usually open to anyone, without regard to the reason for need. Some shelters limit their clientele by gender or age.

Women's shelters are places where women (and their children) can go to stay, and are typically for women fleeing domestic violence from their partners or spouses. Women's shelters offer safe, temporary housing and usually other services to enable a return to independent living such as counselling and referrals to community resources.