Telecare Crisis & Caring Line
All About Us
Fact Sheet
Telecare Crisis & Caring Line, Abbotsford, British Columbia
Download a Word version of this fact sheet for your organization - CLICK HERE
Website: www.telecarebc.com
About:
Telecare is a phone-in support service for anyone in British Columbia and Canada through our 1-888 number. We train our call responders who listen, not counsel, and refer callers to social agencies located nearby. We are a non-profit charitable society registered with the Canada Revenue Agency and provide tax-receipts for donations.
Origin: Telecare was begun in 1989 by several churches in Abbotsford as a local chapter of Telecare Distress Centres of Canada Inc. Our legal name is Central Fraser Valley Telecare Crisis Line, but publicly we go by Telecare Crisis & Caring Line.
Mission: To demonstrate the compassion of our Lord Jesus Christ by providing dedicated, skilled and empathetic listeners to anyone who calls for help. We attempt to achieve this mission with anyone who calls regardless of gender, creed, or ethnicity.
Purpose: We exist to support individuals experiencing loneliness, mental health concerns, relational estrangement, economic hardship, and spiritual issues, among other problems.
Call Rate: In 2022 the centre received approximately 2900 calls from the lower mainland, the interior, Vancouver Island, and Toronto. Our support numbers are 1-604-852-9099 (Mission and Abbotsford) and 1-888-852-9099 (elsewhere, toll free).
Location: Our mailing address is Telecare Crisis & Caring Line, P.O. Box 8000-451, Abbotsford, BC V2S 6H1. Our street address is confidential as a safeguard to our volunteers.
Personnel: We consist of 17 volunteers and 4 paid part-time employees. Internship students also serve. Board members are discerned and voted on at an Annual General Meeting.
Application and Training: All call responders receive training before serving . Topics include:
Basic Training
Telecare 101
Listening
Communication
Caring Confrontation
The Caller
Spiritual Needs of the Caller/Prayer
Mental Illness
Personality Disorders
Crisis Intervention
Suicide Intervention
Additional Training Topics
Emotional Wellbeing
Anger Management
Brain Injury
Loneliness
Volunteer Self Care
Addictions
Abuse
Death & Grieving
Software Management/Resources
Funding: Telecare is supported by individuals, churches, businesses, and foundations. As a charitable organization under the British Columbia Societies Act, Telecare provides tax receipts for financial gifts.
Our Services
- Supportive listening by phone at 1-888-852-9099; we listen, not counsel. We pray and read scripture only if requested by the caller.
- Crisis Response by phone at 1-888-852-9099 (In case of emergencies, dial 911)
- Youth Chat - Provided in partnership with Youth in B.C.
- Active empathetic listening workshops in community organization (Listen Up!)
- “Learn to Listen Well” A free video series
- Volunteer Opportunities in call responding and operations
- Student Internships for degree completion in social services, counselling, and related fields
- “Caring Conversations” Blog A compendium resources on supportive care
- “Encouraging Words” resource Quotations on care from diverse sources
- Contact information
Logo for Telecare Crisis & Caring Line:
Access here. (The graphic below is low resolution. Please see the linked logo.)
QR Code for our support number.
Need someone to talk to? Scan for our call-in number.
Messages your organization might use in your digital footprint to alert your clients about our services:
Call for Emotional Support
[Name of your agency] is partnering with Telecare Crisis & Caring Line. If you need someone to talk to about non-agency matters, consider reaching out toll free at 1-888-852-9099. Your call is confidential, anonymous, and not recorded.
Need Someone to Listen?
[Name of your agency] is partnering with Telecare Crisis & Caring Line. If you need someone to talk to about non-agency matters such as feeling alone, family issues, health issues, or spiritual matters, call toll free at 1-888-852-9099. Your call is confidential, anonymous, and not recorded.
Support is a Phone Call Away
[Name of your agency] is partnering with Telecare Crisis & Caring Line. If you are feeling lonely, misunderstood, physically challenged, or spiritually down, call toll free at 1-888-852-9099. Your call is confidential, anonymous, and not recorded.
_ _ _ _ _
Contact
For Crisis or Emotional Support Call:
604-852-9099 in Abbotsford and Mission or 1-888-852-9099 Toll Free throughout British Columbia
Admin Phone: 604-852-4058
Email: admin@telecarebc.com
Address: P.O. Box 8000-451 Abbotsford, BC V2S 6H1
Instagram
For more information, please contact Rod Janz, Public Relations -
rod.janz@telecarebc.com
