Help line now open 24/7
Assistance one phone call away for Nunavummiut
Michele LeTourneau
Northern News Services
Published Monday, December 22, 2014
NUNAVUT
A month ahead of its 25th anniversary, the Kamatsiaqtut Help Line has much to celebrate.
Beginning Dec. 15, the volunteer organization's phone lines are open 24 hours a day, seven days a week. This improves on the three-hour and, later, five-hour service it has offered to Nunavummiut in crisis since 1990.
"It's been over 25 years we've been working on getting this going," said Sheila Levy, Kamatsiaqtut's executive director. "It has been asked by many different organizations, as well as communities, and individuals that we do expand to 24 hours. But we really didn't have the ability to do that on the amount of money in our budget."
The Nunavut Suicide Strategy Action Plan 2011-2014 specifically recommends support to the Nunavut Kamatsiaqtut Help Line be increased and that the Government of Nunavut should provide additional core funding so that Nunavummiut would have expanded daily access to help.
The Department of Health has now kicked in $31,500 on a pilot project basis for 2014-15 and plans a similar infusion of funds for 2015-16.
"The expanded 24-hour crisis line represents an important step in improving access to help Nunavummiut in times of need," said Health Minister Paul Okalik. The Department of Family Services provides $50,000 in core funding for the Help Line annually.
"We were given enough money to be able to work with the Distress Centre of Ottawa (in operation since 1969) in order to have them help us expand to 24/7," said Levy.
The Kamatsiaqtut Help Line has largely survived over the past 25 years due to generous donations, through fundraising efforts or through straight-up donations.
"Thank goodness for that. We are very fortunate." said Levy.
Kamatsiaqtut, which means "thoughtful people who care," was started in response to a significant number of youth suicides in 1989. Volunteers complete a culturally relevant training program and provide anonymous and confidential telephone counseling for Nunavummiut who need to talk about personal problems or who are in crisis.
"Everybody calls for a different reason. Whatever somebody wants to talk about, we're there to listen," said Levy. "All our volunteers get good training."
Levy explains training involves looking at knowledge and attitudes on all sorts of different subjects, including communication skills, listening skills, all sort of crisis intervention skills and suicide prevention intervention.
"Anything that would have to do with a call coming in. We're very experienced and trained and very competent volunteers," Levy said.
Volunteers are also able to refer individuals to appropriate services and supports in their community. All volunteers speak English, and many speak Inuktitut or French.
The new partnership with the Ottawa help line means the 65-volunteer line based in Iqaluit will continue to offer services five hours a day – then the line is transferred to Ottawa.
"We've really expanded the service and we are very pleased," said Levy. "Very pleased with the support from the Departments of Health and Family Services – but also all the other organizations that donate to us."
