Vancouver Crisis Centre

Description

About Us
Our Mission The Crisis Intervention and Suicide Prevention Centre of BC Crisis Centre is a nonprofit volunteer organization committed to helping people help themselves and others deal with crisis

The Crisis Centre has been providing emotional support to youth adults and seniors in distress since 1969 As a safe place to turn when there seems to be no hope the Crisis Centre is operated by 350 front line volunteers and a small team of professional staff who support and empower individuals to see their own strengths and options 24 hours a day 7 days a week

In 2010 the Crisis Centre impacted more than 75000 lives across BC through its three core programs

247 Distress Phone Services

Operating four regional crisis lines and two 1800SUICIDE lines which are connected to a network of crisis lines across BC

History

1969
In 1969 a group of communityminded volunteers Dr Paul Termansen Professor Ben Chud Archie Baker Jon Jessiman Tony Morrison and Betty Tarrant who also became the first Executive Director saw a need in our community and believed that a listening service could help people in distress Together they founded the Crisis Centre so that those in pain would always have a place to turn

With a first year budget of 30000 and only one person on staff the Crisis Centre was originally located in a medicaldental building at Broadway and Burrard

The United Way quickly recognized the essential value of the Distress Line service and the Crisis Centre became one of its member agencies

1970
The Crisis Centre moved to Alexandra Neighborhood House at West 7th and Burrard

1971
The Centre inaugurated its Flying Squad through which we dispatched volunteers to assist people in crisis situations and intervene on their behalves This was abandoned several years later as a high risklow return operation

Volunteers drove around the city in the Big Yellow Bus looking for people in distress and bringing them back to a hostel set up on the top floor of the Centre

The Crisis Centre moved to 1946 West Broadway first as tenants later as owners

1978
The Community Information Centre was developed This would later be spun off to become Information Services Vancouver part of the TriLine operation

1979
A 90000 grant from the BC Lottery Fund enabled the Crisis Centre to retire our mortgage

1983
Urgent Messages our first video on teen suicide prevention was produced This video was used widely throughout North America

1986
The Community Education School Based Suicide Prevention Program was developed after a Vancouver youth died by suicide and his friends turned to the Crisis Centre for help The Community Education program provides youth with the skills to recognize and deal with emotional stress and suicide warning signs and aims to destigmatize suicide among youth

1989
An endowment fund was established with a 10000 seed contribution from the Bentall Foundation and matching grants from the Vanco