Today (May 6), is a day of celebration for organizations province-wide who interact with victims of sexual violence and assault. 

Danielle Aubry, CEO of Calgary Communities Against Sexual Abuse says for years organizations around the province have had this initiative on the agenda and finally their dream has come to fruition. "About three or four years ago the staff within the ministry of human services thought this was an idea they would like to get behind and so they funded the project and after three years of planning, working together, collaborating, and working out all the bugs...here we are today, launching the line."

'One Line' is a province-wide first-response platform that connects survivors to local and regional services. Anyone who has been victimized can call-text-chat by contacting 1-866-403-8000 and Alberta’s One Line responders will listen, provide non-judgmental support and information and resources to aid in the caller’s healing journey.

Aubry says dealing with sexual abuse and violence is already a specialized area and this technology is crucial in connecting victims with the support they need within their area. "We are very fortunate that a line like this provides that kind of specialized, non-judgemental kind of support service to people who are very much entitled to when they have experienced sexual assault or sexual abuse."

One Line will be staffed by trained, specialized responders, both staff and volunteers with support being available 9:00 am to 9:00 pm seven days a week with access to interpretation services in over 200 languages, including Cree, shares Aubry, but also connecting those who call in with the help they need. "One of the things that are part of the new software platform that we had specifically created for this was project was that it has a very robust resource guide that is available online to our staff and volunteers that are dealing with that call so they can look up communities within Alberta and the services that are available. We, of course, will look at referring people to the closest sexual assault service because they are the experts within that community, but it also lists different types of services that people might need."

While this service may help reduce the stigma when it comes to reporting sexual violence, Aubry says for many victims it will become the first line of support. "A lot of our callers are not involved in the criminal justice system and so they may be phoning and texting more for support and exploring what their options are and what they might be. I think that any service or conversation that we continue to have around sexual violence will hopefully make a change around how people feel around coming forward to report to police or authorities."

Based on a successful pilot out of the Central Alberta Sexual Assault Centre in Red Deer, text and chat proved to be a highly effective means of support. Aubry shares besides those who support victims; funders and organizations will be also keeping a close eye on the new service. "We are looking very forward to the response we get from people, watching it, and how it all unfolds."

Based on similar crisis response lines in other jurisdictions, the anticipation is that One Line could easily double current volumes of care. 

Again, anyone can call-text-chat by contacting 1-866-403-8000. Alberta’s One Line responders will answer your questions, call for help, and point you in the right direction.