Distress Centre Calgary has provided 24 hour crisis support to our community for 50 years. We have responded to over 2.5 million calls, emails, chats, texts and counselling requests since April 14, 1970. And we want to be here for all Calgarians during this unprecedented global pandemic...
Image: Appeared in our 20 year anniversary publication in 1990. Read - 50 Stories Part 12 By 1980, the first location of the Drug Information Centre had turned into Bandito’s Bar. The second location, in the basement of what was known as the Old Y building, was becoming problematic due to limited space and ongoing facility issues....
Read - 50 Stories Part 11 In the early 70's, most Drug Information Centre callers were adolescent. By the early 80's, the Distress Centre/Drug Centre “found that teenage service users had all but faded out of the picture...
Distress Centre closed our doors on March 17th, but we continue to provide 24 hour phone and email crisis support, daily chat and text for youth support, and counselling to those in crisis. These services are provided by staff working remotely from home. As the impact of COVID-19 grows, call volumes to our crisis lines...
Read - 50 Stories Part 10 1980 marked the 10th anniversary of the Distress Centre/Drug Centre. At the Annual General Meeting, Chair Hilde Houlding was pleased to note that: [caption id="attachment_19667" align="alignleft" width="407"] From a 1980s newspaper.[/caption] “The month to month struggle is past, the new challenge is to maintain the vital, productive partnership of volunteers and professional...
CALGARY, Alta, March 16, 2020 – At Distress Centre Calgary, we’re closely monitoring the COVID-19 (novel coronavirus) situation and will continue to closely follow the guidance from the City of Calgary, Government of Alberta and the Government of Canada as the situation evolves. We have activated our Business Continuity Plan and have taken measure to ensure...
At Distress Centre Calgary, we’re closely monitoring the COVID-19 (novel coronavirus) situation. The risk to Albertans remains low at this time but we will continue to follow the guidance from the Government of Alberta as the situation evolves. The safety and wellbeing of our volunteers, staff and clients is our top priority and we are putting...
Read - 50 Stories Part 9 In 1979, Board Chair Hilde Houlding proclaimed the departure of Dr. Stew Clark as Executive Director and the hiring of Jeanette McEachern as the “end of a beginning.” Jeanette served as Executive Director for 18 years, and was variously described as passionate, fearless, formidable, and a legend in her own...
Read - 50 Stories Part 8 Throughout the 70s, funding was an ongoing challenge. Ken Low noted that generally: “Funding is a problem for any pioneering endeavour, funders use a criteria and metrics for leading edge initiatives, to get supports.” The Drug Information Centre (DIC) was seen to be short on such formal metrics, on policy,...
Read - 50 Stories Part 7 From the first days of the Drug Information Centre, volunteers have been key to its success. Since most early volunteers did not have any formal training in counselling, it was not uncommon to run into difficulties. Emil Roessingh, both a volunteer and Volunteer Coordinator recalls: [caption id="attachment_19606" align="alignright" width="366"] A volunteer...
