WoodGreen supports move to make Toronto Community Crisis Service permanent part of city’s response to mental health issues

By AMARACHI AMADIKE

The City of Toronto is accelerating its response to mental health related issues with the city-wide expansion of the Toronto Community Crisis Service (TCCS).

The program, which is dedicated to offering community-based mental health support to Torontonians, was launched in 2022 as a pilot program but is now a permanent fixture within the city following its success.

“People in crisis need the right kind of response, one that helps them access the services they need,” said Mayor Olivia Chow in a recent news release.

According to the city, the TCCS’s mobile crisis teams, operating 24/7, provide “free, confidential, in-person mental health support” to Toronto residents 16 years of age or older.

“Toronto Community Crisis Service is essential because it provides that caring response,” said Chow. “Its city-wide launch reflects the tremendous efforts and commitment of the Toronto Community Crisis Service partners and their staff.”

Earlier this year, the City of Toronto and the TCCS partners hired and trained more than 100 community crisis workers in preparation for the crisis service’s city-wide expansion. 

Although the city provides financial and logistical support, as well as performance monitoring and community engagement to ensure the program is run in a manner that fully serves the community, TCCS workers who respond to mental health crisis calls are employed by partner organizations.

These include 2-Spirited People of the 1st Nations; Canadian Mental Health Association; Findhelp I 211; TAIBU Community Health Centre; and Gerstein Crisis Centre.

WoodGreen Community Services, an active supporter of TCCS and long-time partner of the Gerstein Crisis Centre, has praised the City of Toronto for its continued dedication towards providing mental health support.

“I think as part of it being one of the few entirely non-police led interventions when it comes to crisis, it’s been a really amazing demonstration project to show the value of what community crisis teams can do,” said WoodGreen’s Director of Mental Health, Addictions & Developmental Services Irina Sytcheva. 

Sytcheva told Beach Metro Community News that TCCS now goes beyond supporting individuals in crisis as it also diverts them from more costly emergency responses.

WoodGreen’s support of TCCS, through its partnership with Gerstein Crisis Centre, involved provision of psychotherapy for individuals who require follow up support after coming out of crisis.

These supports could include help with mental health, substance use, or housing issues.

“But, (with the new expansion) we’re also adding a component to it to create pathways connections and better communication between (WoodGreen’s Crisis Outreach Service for Seniors) and the Toronto Community Crisis Service,” said Sytcheva.

“So between the two crisis programs, we would have more fulsome coverage, but also just better coordination amongst ourselves to ensure that we’re filling in the gaps that may exist there.”

Although grateful for the current investments in Toronto’s mental health services, Sytcheva said that community mental health with substance use support programs require much more financing.

Like many others who work within the mental health support field, Sytcheva believes that services have historically been underfunded because there needs to be “greater awareness about just how prevalent mental health or substance use issues are.”

“Hopefully (officials) are paying more attention and more of this funding will be coming down to continue to expand on non-police interventions for crises within Toronto and beyond,” she said.

Joining Toronto Paramedic Services, the fire department, and Toronto police, TCCS is now the city’s “fourth emergency service”, deploying 12 emergency response teams consisting of two crisis workers to provide mental health support across the city.

With many arguing that police responses sometimes intensify mental health crisis situations rather than de-escalating them, the addition of a mental health support team has received a warm welcome from Torontonians, including councillors who voted unanimously in support of the TCCS expansion.

“It really marks a crucial step forward in truly addressing the systemic gaps in mental health care, but also providing a really compassionate community driven response to individuals who otherwise often do fall through the cracks and are often not able to get the support that they need to live well and to be well,” said Sytcheva.