NEWS RELEASE
COMPASS COMMUNITY SERVICES
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Compass Community Services, a Guelph-based organization that provides mental health, gender-based violence, developmental services and telephone hotline support to community members in need, is seeking to raise enough funds to maintain some of the daily services critical to the community.
Like many Canadian non-profits, Compass has been greatly affected by the reduced availability of funding and grants.
"Without additional financial support from our community, I'm afraid we won't be able to continue all four of our telephone support lines at their current capacity - we'll have to reduce hours," executive director Joanne Young Evans admits. “Suicidal ideation doesn’t wait for office hours.”
Compass currently maintains four daily telephone support lines: Distress Line (1-888-821-3760), LGBTQ+ Support Line (226-669-3760), Seniors Offering Support (1-519-821-3760), and TeleConnect Line (1-519-821-3760). In 2022, trained volunteers made over 30,000 contacts with people in need from Guelph, across Wellington County and surrounding communities. And the calls continue to increase.
"We save lives through this service," Young Evans says. "From individuals struggling with mental health or suicidal ideations to LGBTQ+ youth in a tough spot to seniors who need a little extra support such as medication reminders, we are here for everyone." We save the health care system over $1M annually by diverting 911 calls, medication reminders and wellness checks for seniors and more.
Hospitals, family health teams, the community health centre and public health all refer to these services for their patients. This system ensures people in need receive the help best suited to their situation.
Compass Community Services can be found on CanadaHelps page.
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