Programs & Services > Emergency Response Information
Distress
Call 911 for any situation requiring immediate assistance (police, fire and/or ambulance).
Distress centre of Toronto: 416-408-HELP (4357)
Provides confidential service available 24 hours a day to persons in distress. Access to a confidential interpreter for callers in crisis, offered in 151 languages.
General help with any social service issue
Call 211 or go to 211toronto.ca
Abuse
- Call the Police at 911 in an emergency
- 211 Toronto Abuse and Sexual Abuse services
- Assaulted Women's Helpline: 416-863-0511;
1-866-863-0511 outside 416 area
Toll-free number: 1-888-364-1210
Telephone crisis counselling, information and support * referral to emergency shelters, legal information and community services, as well as culturally appropriate resources for abused women * liaison with diverse communities * confidential and anonymous
- 519 Church Community Centre - Anti-Violence Program: 416-392-6877
It responds to hate crimes based on sexual or gender orientation and to same-sex or pansexual partner abuse *
Bashing Report Line -- for victims or witnesses of homophobic assaults
Food/Drop in Centres
- Food link hotline: 416-392-6655
Linked with Community Info 211 to provide 24 hour assistance for locating food banks or free hot meals.
- Daily Bread Food Bank: 416-203-0050
Provides names and locations of food banks in Toronto Area. Requires an interview. Home address and income statement must be provided.
- 519 CHURCH ST.
Sunday drop-in: 416-355-6783
A year round programme featuring meals, movies, meeting place, and resource information for homeless people.
Meals-trans: 416-355-6778
Meal Trans is a multi-service drop-in primarily for lower-income and street-active transsexual and transgendered people. We provide a place for ts/tg people to get together over a healthy meal, access resources, information and referrals, discuss issues relevant to our lives, learn with and from each other, and build a stronger community.
- Out Of The Cold (OOTC): 416-699-OOTC
Provides safe refuge, hospitality and emergency shelter to the homeless community at diffenernt sites throughout the City of Toronto List of OOTC sites is available online.
- 416 DROP IN: 416-928-3334
Dundas St. (Parliament & Dundas).Offers a range of services for women including meals, recreations, showers, telephones, etc.
- Fred Victor Centre: 416-364-8228.
146 Queen St (Jarvis & Queen) offers a range of services including low cost meals.
Emergency Housing Help
- General Inquiry
To make an inquiry or get information about shelter services, please call Hostel Services' general line at 416-392-8741.
- Assessment and Referral Centre: 416 338-4766
A 24 hour hotline providing information and referrals to shelters for singles.
From a payphone, call the Toll Free number 1-877 338-3398
Nightly walk-in from 8:30pm to 7:30am at 67 Adelaide Street East (temporary location)
- Central Family Intake Line: 416 397-5637
A central referral service for families who are homeless or at risk of losing their home. Information and referral to family shelters
- Street to homes: 416 392 0090
Across the entire City, seven days a week, 365 days a year, street outreach workers from community-based services and the City's Streets to Homes unit help homeless people living outside get a safer place to sleep and find long-term housing.
Housing Help Centres
- Toronto Social Housing: 416-981-6111
- East York Housing: 416-424-2008
- York Housing: 416 653-5400
- Scarborough Housing: 416-285-8070
- Etobicoke Housing help:
North: 416-741-1553
South: 416-252-6471
- Specialized Housing Help:
- Community Resource of Connection Toronto: 416-482-4103
Support/housing referral for persons with mental health problems - Centre for Spanish Speaking People: 416-533-8545
- Evangel Hall: 416-504-3563
- Romero House: 416-763-1303; 416-763-2939
Referrals for refugee claimants new to Canada
Legal Services
- Downtown Legal Services: 416-978-6447; 720 Spadina Ave. #418
Legal advice and representation provided by supervised law student volunteers * deals with many areas of law, including tenant issues, social assistance, pensions, employment rights, minor criminal offences, some small claims actions, Legal Aid appeals, Employment Insurance (EI), academic and student loan appeals, Criminal Injuries Compensation Board * referrals * public legal education workshops * a Student Legal Aid Society clinic, funded by Legal Aid Ontario
- Legal Aid Ontario
To apply for Legal Aid Certificate call: 416-979-1446
To arrange for counselling, please call our Service Access Unit, Tel: 416.595.9618
