Mental-health line calling for assistance

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This article was published 15/03/2021 (2029 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

A mental-health call line that has helped thousands of Manitobans get through the pandemic is in danger of closing unless new funding can be found.

Since March 17, 2020, more than 11,000 people have called the Seneca Warm Line operated 24 hours a day by Sara Riel Inc., an organization supported by the Catholic Health Association of Manitoba.

Funding provided by the Winnipeg Regional Health Authority, the federal government and the United Way runs out March 31.

“It has been really important during the pandemic,” said Sara Riel executive director Tara Brousseau Snider.

“There was nowhere else for many people to turn to, especially at night. It was a lifesaver for a lot of people who were feeling anxious, lonely and isolated.”

Prior to the pandemic, the Warm Line operated four hours a day, from 7 p.m. to 11 p.m. About 125 calls were received a month.

“As the pandemic took hold, we saw a large increase in the number of calls,” said Brousseau Snider, explaining why the hours were expanded.

Now 16 part-time staff work at Warm Line answer more than 900 calls a month. All are trained in suicide and crisis prevention, cultural awareness and sensitivity, and in dealing with trauma and addiction.

Additionally, they have “lived experience with mental-health issues or substance abuse, and can relate to the callers,” Brousseau Snider said.

“They offer support, a listening ear, understanding and reassurance. They provide a human connection.”

Concerns raised by callers include worries about loss of employment, finances, family struggles and more. “There is a wide range of concerns,” she said.

Sara Riel also created a special call line for employers who were feeling the strain of the COVID-19 pandemic.

“They felt the stress of having to lay off employees, the loss of finances, worrying about their staff,” she said. “The pandemic has been hard for them. For many, their staff are like family to them.”

Staff at Warm Line also are tired, she added, noting they are checked on regularly to make sure everyone is OK.

In addition, Sara Riel conducted a survey of personal care home staff last year, and found they were experiencing a lot of mental stress.

In response, a program was created to help with coping skills — something applicable to anyone on the front lines of responding to the pandemic, Brousseau Snider said.

“In addition to dealing with trauma, grief, and all the dreadful things they had to deal with on a regular basis, they also had worries about their own families.”

As for the future, even though the end of the pandemic seems in sight, many people are still burned out and facing serious mental-health challenges.

“It will take a long time for the impacts of the pandemic to pass,” she said.

The Warm Line needs about $113,000 a year to operate.

“We will have to figure out something. This is too important to close down. We can’t let it go. Too many people need it right now,” Brousseau Snider said.

Founded in 1977 by the Grey Nuns, Sara Riel Inc. is rooted in the Roman Catholic Church, Brousseau Snider said, adding its service “grows out of our Catholic compassion for the vulnerable.”

People needing help can call the Warm Line at 204-942-9276.

Those who want to donate can do so by visiting sararielinc.com or calling 204-237-9263.

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