Nanaimo based Crisis Line reporting record call volumes
NANAIMO — A record number of people are turning to the Vancouver Island Crisis Society for help.
Community Relations Coordinator Heather Owen says their operators have logged more than 32,000 calls island-wide so far this year. Owen says the nature of calls that their operators are hearing are becoming more serious, with many callers reporting multiple problems. She references a job loss and housing issues as examples.
“It starts to roll into a lot of complicated issues and people are becoming more overwhelmed,” said Owen.
With three months still left in the society’s fiscal year, Owen says their operators have already dealt with more calls than the little more than 31,000 last year. She says they’ve seen a steady rise in call volumes since several other crisis line agencies merged with theirs about seven years ago.