Jessica Klinkenberg
Northern News Services
Published Monday, November 19, 2007

YELLOWKNIFE - Two phone lines in the NWT are open to callers looking for help and assistance with crisis and addictions.

The NWT Help Line is struggling for volunteers, who make up the line's entire staff.

Sutherland House staff pose for a photo in the Fort Smith shelter. The women help with crisis calls from women across the NWT and Canada. - photo courtesy of Sutherland House

"Ideally we would like to have two volunteers a night but some nights it's a struggle to even have just one," said Stacy Ogilvie, one of the co-ordinators for the NWT Help Line.

The recruitment difficulty exists because the level of commitment required of volunteers, as well as the level of stress involved, which can be draining, Ogilvie said.

"When they first get on the line we ask for two (to) three shifts a month, and they're four hours. It can be pretty tiring mentally."

The NWT Help Line is open from 7 p.m. to 11 p.m., Ogilvie said.

In addition to listening, volunteers offer support and refer callers to professional services, where they can get additional help.

"The volunteers have a Rolodex to reference and to provide the caller with numbers," Ogilvie said.

It's a different situation at the Crisis Telephone Line through Sutherland House in Fort Smith, where staff are available 24 hours a day.

They are similar to the NWT Help Line in that they will help callers with referrals, said Bonnie Almon, the clinical supervisor with Sutherland House.

She said they receive a number of calls from across Canada, specifically Alberta and British Columbia.

"We offer a 24-hour crisis line here for women to call on their own, wherever they may be," said Almon. "We get all type of crisis calls on that line, it's from all over the place. We get calls from women just looking for support, asking questions, sometimes there will be high-risk calls like suicide."

They also receive calls asking for help with addictions.

"Addictions is a strong issue with the women that access our services, whether it be their own addiction or addictions through their partner."

Sutherland House works with the YWCA in the Northwest Territories, and many of its services are geared towards women and children.

When it comes to addictions she says the facility refers them to the wellness centre in the community, who then can refer the women onwards to other programs that can help.

Training-wise, the staff at Sutherland House are prepared for everything from suicide intervention to first aid and CPR.

The NWT Help Line volunteers receive training as well in suicide intervention, listening skills, on how to react to spousal assault and many other similar programs, Ogilvie said.

Both women said their respective programs are doing well for funding, receiving financial support from the Department of Health and Social Services.

Almon said they also receive help from the YWCA with their funding.

Sutherland House's crisis line has also recently started running a toll-free number, as well as a local number.