Our HelpLine
Our Service is open from 4:00 to 9:30 PM EST Sunday-Friday
Text Us: 647.694.4275
E-mail: askus@youthline.ca
Chat Online: Click the Chat button at the bottom or top of the page
NOTE: Due to the COVID-19 emergency, we are currently taking texts, chats, and email only. For more information on the re-opening of our HelpLine, you can read the announcement here.
At YouthLine, all our HelpLine volunteers are trained peer supporters aged 16-29, coming from a diversity of 2SLGBTQ+ identities and lived experiences. We serve all of Ontario.
We’re not counsellors, we’re peers who can relate, and we have been trained in active listening and relevant knowledge such as anti-oppression, anti-racism, sex and consent, STIs, HIV, self-care, and more. Some common things people call, text, or chat us to talk about include:
- Questioning gender identity and/or sexual orientation
- Coming out
- Mental health
- Relationships with friends, partners, and family
- Feeling socially isolated
- Seeking referrals to resources and supports online and in your community
- Just to chat
All our services are confidential and anonymous – we only know what you share with us. Our number will not show up on your phone bill. To learn more about our procedures and how to prevent our site from showing up in your computer’s history, click here.
HelpLine volunteers can discuss mental health and chat if you are feeling distressed, but we cannot offer support to you if you are in immediate crisis, as we are not formally trained in crisis support. If you feel you are in crisis, find the contact info of your local distress center here (http://www.dcontario.org/centres.html) or contact Kid’s Help Phone at 1-800-668-6868. If you are trans, you can also contact Trans Lifeline at 1-877-330-6366.
If you have used our services and have a complaint or a suggestion about our HelpLine, please take a look at our Complaints Policy and feel welcome to submit a complaint or suggestion using this form by clicking here.