The Distress
Centre, Oshawa opened its first telephone helpline on Oct 20, 1970.
Rev. Allen and his wife Shirley Lavis modeled the Centre after the Good
Samaritan program they witnessed in England. Immediately after its inception,
Distress Centre Oshawa became a community fixture and remains so 35
years later! As it is known today, Distress Centre Durham receives funding
support from the United Way of Oshawa / Whitby / Clarington / Brock
/ Scugog and the United Way of Ajax / Pickering / Uxbridge.
On October 24,
1974, Distress Centre Durham was incorporated as a non-profit organization
and registered charitable entity with a mandate to “provide a volunteer
telephone service through which people in distress can communicate with
an understanding, friendly and empathetic person”.
Since 1974,
the Centre has provided service to thousands of individuals in Durham
Region, and responded to tens of thousands of helpline calls!
In July 2003,
with funding (3 years) support from the Ontario Trillium Foundation, DCD extended
its services to include:
- A Resource Centre providing
information and materials on suicide and related topics
- An Adolescent Suicide Prevention
campaign targeting high schools
- Survivor Support Groups
for those who have lost someone to suicide or homicide
- 'Brief Support' and telephone
case management to residents of North Durham
- An expanded community/corporate
training program
In June 2009 Distress Centre
Resource centre moved to 306 Brock Street in Whitby. The location is
in a house and open to the public. Since our doors opened in Whitby
we are having more people make use of the Resource Centre.
In 2010 Distress Centre Durham continues to provide a 24 hour telephone helpline
service. Our Support Services are as follows:
- CRISIS Call-Out Program
- Community Contact Call-Out
Program
- (new) Suicide Survivor
Call-Out Program
- Resource Centre
- Suicide / Homicide
Survivor Support Groups
- Adolescent Suicide
Awareness
- Community Training /
Education
For more detailed information
on our Support Services please browse through the website.
Distress Centre Durham is an
accredited member of Distress Centre Ontario.
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