Resources

Resource Page

A few community resources for Albertans are provided on this page.

Online resources, such as websites linked to on this page, are not a substitute for medical or counselling assistance. People needing to speak with a counsellor should seek assistance from a qualified counsellor, registered psychologist, or licensed social worker in town or city where they live.

Accommodations

• • Alberta Council of Women’s Shelters – The Alberta Council of Women’s Shelters provides assistance for women’s shelters in Alberta. Referrals to local shelters can be obtained by calling 1-866-331-3933 toll-free. Individuals in immediate danger should call 911 or contact their local police department.

  • Avenue 15 Youth Shelter – The Avenue 15 shelter is operated by the Boys and Girls Clubs of Calgary and provides temporary shelter for youth.

  • Bissel Centre – Bissel is an Edmonton organization that offers a wide range of services, including temporary child care, support programs for parents, employment services, services for the homeless (showers and laundry facilities, for example), lunch programs, Fetal Alcohol services, recreational activities, a thrift shop, and inner-city victim services.

  • Calgary Drop-in Centre – This drop-in centre offers assistance with housing for the homeless

  • Hope Mission – This Edmonton agency provides emergency accommodations, meals, a thrift shop, and other services.

  • Inn from the Cold – The Inn provides emergency shelter and support in Calgary.

  • Mustard Seed – The Mustard Seed assists people in Calgary and Edmonton with food, clothing, emergency shelter, and spiritual care.

  • Raido House – This organization provides shelter for and assistance to homeless Calgary teens aged 14 to 17.

  • Rowan House – Rowan House is a High River agency that provides emergency housing and support for women experiencing domestic violence.

  • Servants Anonymous Society – This Calgary agency provides assistance to at-risk women and their children.

  • The Doorway – This Calgary agency offers services to assist young people in getting off the streets.

  • Woods Homes – Woods Homes provides services for children and their families in Calgary. Services include residential treatment centres, a homeless youth shelter, and stabilization services for families in crisis.

  • Youth Empowerment And Support Services – YESS provides an emergency shelter and other services for youth in Edmonton.Counselling, Health & Mental Health SupportAl-Anon and Al-Ateen, Alberta/North West Territories, Calgary and Edmonton – Al-Anon and Al-Ateen offer support for families and youth who have family members or friends with alcohol addictions.

  • Alcoholics Anonymous, Alberta/North West Territories, Calgary and Edmonton – This is a group that assists people who have alcohol addictionsThe general website for Alberta and the North West Territories provides information about groups and meetings across Alberta.

  • Calgary Communities Against Sexual Abuse – This Calgary agency provides services for people who have experienced sexual abuse and/or sexual assault.

  • Calgary Family Therapy Centre – The Family Therapy Centre offers programs and therapy for families whose children have emotional or behavioral problems.

  • Calgary Urban Projects Society – CUPS provides services including medical clinic care, educational programs, and housing assistance for low-income families and individuals.

  • Canadian Cancer Society – The Cancer Society is a national organization that provides assistance to cancer patients and their support networks and information for the general public.

  • Canadian Mental Health Association – This website for the Alberta division of the Canadian Mental Health Association shares articles about stress, anger, unemployment, parenting, divorce, mental illness, and mental wellness.

  • Career Information Hotline – This hotline is available Mondays to Fridays from 8:15 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. You can call toll-free within Canada: 1-800-661-3753. People in Edmonton can also call locally: 780-422-4266.

  • HealthLink Alberta – This agency provides 24/7 medical advice and information. The toll-free number for residents of Alberta is 1-866-408-5465. The website also provides links to each of the health regions in Alberta.

  • My Health Alberta – This website provides phone numbers for Health Link Alberta, Poison and Drug Information Service, Addiction Services Helpline, Income Support Contact Centre, and Medicine and Herbal Advice Line. It also shares articles about different health topics and provides an online system for finding health care facilities.

  • Narcotics Anonymous – This group offers peer support for people who have narcotics addictions. The website provides information and a search engine for local group meetings.

  • Woods Homes – Woods Homes provides services for children and their families in Calgary. Services include residential treatment centres, a homeless youth shelter, and stabilization services for families in crisis.

If you’re unable to find a suitable resource from this list, please visit a physician or hospital. Physicians are able to provide not only medical care but also referrals for counselling services. Some hospitals have mental-health counsellors who work on site, and those that don’t will be able to provide assistance finding local community agencies equipped to deal with your specific circumstances.

Bullying Resources

• • Students who experience bullying are encouraged to visit the Alberta Government bullying web page and visit the Bully Free Alberta Facebook page. The Province of Alberta operates a toll-free line for support and advice for dealing with bullying. The help line, staffed by trained counsellors, is available 24 hours a day seven days a week. The toll-free number for Alberta residents is 1-888-456-2323.

Educational Resources

• • Centre for Family Literacy – The Centre for Family Literacy offers family and adult literacy programs in the Edmonton region and provides training for literacy professionals.

  • Edmonton Community Adult Learning Association – This agency offers literacy programs for adults in the Edmonton region.

  • Edmonton Literacy Coalition – This website provides links to numerous agencies that offer literacy programs for adults.

  • Edmonton Public Library – EPL carries books, CDs, and DVDs about English grammar, pronunciation, spelling, and vocabulary. It also carries picture dictionaries, read-along books, CD sets, easy-reading books for adults, workplace literacy materials, and GED resources. It also provides programs to assist with writing resumes, computer skills, and job interviews.

  • Literacy Alberta – This Calgary agency offers literacy programs for adults

  • Literacy for Life Foundation – Literacy for Life is a High River organization that offers literacy programs for people of all ages.

  • Renfrew Educational Services – This Calgary agency offers workshops that assist parents and caregivers of children with special needs. They also offer support services for families of children with Autism, motor disabilities, and Fetal Alcohol syndrome.

  • The Learning Centre – The Learning Centre, an Edmonton organization, provides programs to assist adults with reading, writing and math skills.

Emergency Resources

• • Child Abuse and Family Violence. Students who are being abused or neglected and individuals who have reason to believe a child is being abused or neglected can call the Alberta Child Abuse Hotline at 1-800-387-5437. The Child Abuse Hotline is a toll-free number for people living inside of Alberta.

  • Family physician. A family doctor can help with medical needs and can refer young people to counselling services in the community.

  • Hospital. In some Alberta communities, mental health counsellors work in hospitals. Nurses, physicians, and counsellors know of local community agencies providing emergency assistance.

  • Municipal police or Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP). The RCMP website has addresses and phone numbers for their detachments. Select the province and then click on detachments for a list of RCMP detachments.

  • The Support Network. This Edmonton area agency has a data base of community agencies for the Edmonton region. It also offers walk-in counselling, youth crisis chat, caregiver support, and a distress line. The distress line has an easy to remember telephone number: 482-HELP (482-4357).

  • Youth at Risk. Site has information about how to support people who are at risk of suicide. The site has phone numbers Albertans can contact when they are in crisis. People living in other regions of Canada can find crisis phone numbers for their area on the website.

Food Resources

• • Alberta Food Bank Network Association – This website provides a list of food banks in Alberta.

  • Bissel Centre – Bissel is an Edmonton organization that offers a wide range of services, including temporary child care, support programs for parents, employment services, services for the homeless (showers and laundry facilities, for example), lunch programs, Fetal Alcohol services, recreational activities, a thrift shop, and inner-city victim services.

  • Calgary Foodbank – The Calgary Foodbank offers assistance such as emergency food hampers for the homeless.

  • Edmonton Food Bank –   In addition to providing food hampers, the Edmonton Food Bank has programs that include a day-old bread program, collective kitchens, community meals, and discount groceries.

  • Hope Mission – This Edmonton agency provides emergency accommodations, meals, a thrift shop, and other services.

  • Mustard Seed – a The Mustard Seed assists people in Calgary and Edmonton with food, clothing, emergency shelter, and spiritual care.

  • St. Vincent de Paul – This Canadian society offers assistance with food, furniture, clothing, transportation, and finances. It also provides advocacy and referrals to community. St. Vincent de Paul Edmonton has its own website; for information about work being done in communities outside of Edmonton, visit the Canadian website.

  • Salvation Army – The Salvation Army provides numerous services in Alberta, including thrift stores, addictions treatment programs, transitional housing, emergency accommodations, emergency materials, daily assisted living, and food banks. The website includes a list of services provided in various Alberta communities.

General Resources

• • Addictions counselling from Alberta Health Services. Counselling is offered for people with alcohol, drug, tobacco, and gambling addictions. There is an addictions hotline for people living inside Alberta. The phone number is 1-866-332-2322.

  • Canadian Mental Health Association. The website for the Alberta division of the Canadian Mental Health Association has articles about stress, anger, unemployment, parenting, divorce, mental illness, and mental wellness.

  • Centre for Youth Crime Prevention on the Royal Canadian Mounted Police website.

  • Churches, mosques, synagogues, and other places of worship are sources of assistance. Some larger congregations have professionally trained counsellors. Members of the clergy are often aware of different community resources.

• Family physician. A family doctor can help with medical needs and can refer young people to counselling services in the community.

  • HealthLink Alberta. This agency provides 24 hour telephone advice and health information. The toll-free number for residents of Alberta is 1-866-408-5465. The website has links to each of the health regions in Alberta. Clicking on the appropriate part of the Alberta map links to a website for that health region. The health region websites have phone numbers and addresses for hospitals in that region.

  • Inform Alberta. Website has an online directory for agencies through Alberta.

  • Kids Help Line. The Kids Help Line has a bilingual (English and French) website. According to the Kids Help Line website, "Each of our counsellors has access to a database of more than 36,000 community and social service agencies that allows us to refer callers to services in their own area - right across the country." The Kids Help Line has a 24-hour toll-free line for students living in Canada: 1-800-668-6868.

  • Mental Health Hotline. 1-877-303-2642.

  • Money Mentors. This non-profit agency helps Albertans with budgeting and debt management strategies. The website has an online tools.

  • PFLAG (Parents and Friends of Lesbians and Gays). This organization provides information and support for family and friends of gay, lesbian, bisexual, and trans-identified people.

  • School officials. A teacher, counsellor, or principal may know the social service agencies or the names of people who can provide youth with the assistance.

  • The Support Network. This Edmonton area agency has an online directory of community agencies for the Edmonton region and northern Alberta. A phone number is provided for people who are unable to find the service they need in the online data base. They also offer walk-in counselling, youth crisis chat, caregiver support, and a distress line. The distress line has an easy to remember telephone number: 482-HELP (482-4357).