ReachableWho to call in Victoria
Greater Victoria has dozens of organisations that will help you for free. The hard part is knowing which one. This page sorts them by what you need — not by what they call themselves.
Checked on 3 September 2026
At a glance
- If you are in danger right now
- Call 911. If you are thinking about suicide, call or text 9-8-8, any hour of any day.
- If you do not know who to call
- Dial 2-1-1. A real person searches for you and gives you the name, number and hours.
- What this page is
- A list of Victoria organisations grouped by what you need: food, forms, someone to talk to, help at home, legal help.
- What it costs
- Almost everything here is free. Where there is a fee, we say so.
- The hardest part
- The first sentence on the phone. We wrote one out for you further down.
If it is urgent, start here
These lines are answered around the clock. You do not need a diagnosis, a referral, or a good reason. Being lonely at 3 in the morning is a good enough reason.
| Call | What it is for | Number |
|---|---|---|
| Emergency | Someone is hurt, in danger, or needs an ambulance now. | 911 |
| 9-8-8 Suicide Crisis Helpline | Thoughts of suicide, or worry about someone else. You can call or text. Every day of the year. | 9-8-8 |
| Vancouver Island Crisis Line | Any crisis on the Island — distress, grief, mental health, no one else to call. 24 hours. | 1-888-494-3888 |
| 310 Mental Health Support | BC-wide mental health support, 24 hours. Dial the seven digits with no 1 in front. | 310-6789 |
| Kids Help Phone | Anyone young. Call, or text CONNECT to 686868. | 1-800-668-6868 |
You will not be sent an ambulance for calling a crisis line
People stay silent because they are afraid of what happens next. The crisis line's job is to talk with you. They only involve emergency services if your life is in immediate danger, and they tell you if they are going to.
If you do not know who to call
This is the most common situation, and there is a number for exactly it.
211 — free, confidential, and available in many languages. Tell them what is wrong; they find the service and give you the number and the hours.
Dial or text 2-1-1. Phone and chat are staffed 9 am to 9 pm on weekdays. The directory at bc.211.ca works any time.
Three other places will also point you in the right direction, and they know Victoria well:
| Organisation | What they do | Phone | Where |
|---|---|---|---|
| Victoria Disability Resource Centre | Drop-in centre run by and for people with disabilities. Information, referral, peer support and help with forms. | 250-595-0044 | 817A Fort Street. Monday to Thursday 9 am to 4 pm, Friday 9 am to 2 pm. |
| Seniors Serving Seniors | The Seniors Link line. Seniors helping other seniors find local services. | 250-413-3211 | 602-620 View Street. |
| Office of the Seniors Advocate of BC | Independent office for seniors and families. Explains options and tells you where to complain when something goes wrong. | 1-877-952-3181 | By phone, Monday to Friday 8:30 am to 4:30 pm. |
I need help with a form, a benefit or an appeal
If a form has beaten you, or a government letter said no, this is where you go. These people do this every day and it costs nothing.
| Organisation | What they do | Phone | Where |
|---|---|---|---|
| Together Against Poverty Society (TAPS) | Free advocacy for income assistance, the PWD designation, ministry denials and reconsiderations, and landlord problems. Files taxes free all year. No appointment. | 250-361-3521 | 828 View Street. Walk in Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, Friday, 9 to noon and 1 to 4. Wednesday is phone only. |
| Disability Alliance BC | Advocates for the PWD designation, the Disability Tax Credit, the RDSP, and free tax filing for people with disabilities. Mostly by phone, so Victoria is fine. | 1-800-663-1278 | By phone, Monday to Friday 8:30 am to 4:30 pm. |
| Victoria Disability Resource Centre | In-person help with disability benefit forms and accessible parking permits. | 250-595-0044 | 817A Fort Street. |
| Burnside Gorge Community Association | An income assistance outreach worker on site on Thursdays, and a free 15-minute phone legal clinic on Tuesdays. Call to book. | 250-388-5251 | 471 Cecelia Road. Monday to Friday 8:30 am to 5 pm. |
| Cool Aid REES Centre | Free phones and computers, plus outreach workers who help with ID, income and disability benefits, and housing. | 250-595-8619 | 465 Swift Street. Monday to Friday 9 am to 3:30 pm. |
| Free tax clinics (CRA volunteers) | Filing a return is what starts the GST credit, the climate credit, GIS and much more. TAPS files all year; other clinics run February to April. | 1-800-959-8281 | TAPS at 828 View Street year-round; Burnside Gorge takes drop-offs. |
A "no" letter is not the end
Most benefit refusals can be challenged, and there is usually a deadline measured in weeks. Take the letter to TAPS or Disability Alliance BC the same week it arrives. Do not wait until you feel ready.
I need food today
You do not need ID, a referral, or proof of anything to eat at these places. Nobody will ask you why you are there.
| Organisation | What they do | Phone | Where |
|---|---|---|---|
| Our Place Society | Three meals a day, seven days a week, plus showers, clothing, storage and outreach workers. | 250-388-7112 | 919 Pandora Avenue. Breakfast 7 to 8 am, lunch noon to 1 pm, dinner 5 to 6 pm. |
| The Mustard Seed | Food bank, a coffee house, and free lunches Monday to Saturday. | General 250-953-1575, food bank 250-953-1588 | 625 Queens Avenue. Food bank 9 am to 1 pm; lunch Monday to Saturday noon to 1 pm. |
| Rainbow Kitchen | Meals for anyone, in Esquimalt. | 250-384-2069 | 500 Admirals Road, Esquimalt (entrance off Lyall Street). Weekdays 7 am to 1 pm. |
| Salvation Army Victoria Citadel | Community Resource Centre with food and practical help. | 250-727-3770 | 4030 Douglas Street, off McKenzie Avenue. |
| Victoria Cool Aid Society | Meals, shelter, a community health centre and a dental clinic for people who are homeless or nearly so. | 250-383-1977 | 101-749 Pandora Avenue. |
Hours at food programs change with funding and with the season. Phone first if you are travelling any distance, or dial 2-1-1 and ask what is open today.
I need someone to talk to
Loneliness is a real reason to phone someone. So is worry, grief, or a week that has simply been too much.
- Vancouver Island Crisis Line, 1-888-494-3888 — 24 hours, and not only for emergencies.
- 310 Mental Health Support, 310-6789 — 24 hours, no area code, no 1 in front.
- 9-8-8 — call or text, any time, if you are thinking about suicide.
| Organisation | What they do | Phone | Where |
|---|---|---|---|
| Foundry Victoria | Free, confidential health and mental health services for young people and their families. | 250-383-3552 | 546 Yates Street, Victoria. |
| Canadian Mental Health Association, Victoria office | Mental health information, wellness programs and training. This office is not a crisis line. | 250-216-4228 | #101-612 View Street. Monday to Friday 9 am to 4:30 pm. |
| Silver Threads Service | Two seniors' centres with classes, meals and events, plus an outreach worker who will visit your building. | Victoria 250-388-4268, Saanich 250-382-3151 | 1911 Quadra Street and 286 Hampton Road. Monday to Friday 9 am to 3:30 pm. |
| James Bay Community Project | Neighbourhood hub with seniors' programs, volunteer visits and a tax clinic. | 250-388-7844 | 547 Michigan Street. Monday to Friday 8 am to 4 pm. |
I need help at home
Housekeeping, groceries, a ride to an appointment, a walker while you heal. None of this needs a hospital stay to arrange.
| Organisation | What they do | Phone | Where |
|---|---|---|---|
| Better at Home | Housekeeping, grocery shopping, rides to appointments, friendly visits, yard work and small repairs for seniors. Some free, the rest on a sliding scale by income. | 250-388-7844 ext. 334 | Victoria and Oak Bay, through James Bay Community Project. Other municipalities have their own programme. |
| Red Cross Health Equipment Loan Program | Short-term loan of walkers, wheelchairs, bath seats and commodes, on a donation basis. A health professional signs the referral form. | 250-382-2043 | 909 Fairfield Road. Monday to Friday 9:30 am to 4:30 pm. |
| Beacon Community Services | Home support, seniors' services, childcare, housing and thrift shops across the Peninsula and Greater Victoria. | 250-658-6407 | 2723 Quadra Street. Monday to Friday 8:30 am to 4:30 pm. |
| Community Living BC | Funds supported living, respite, employment support and homemaker help for adults with a developmental disability. | 1-877-660-2522 | By phone. A facilitator explains what assessments are needed. |
| handyDART | Door-to-door transit for people whose disability makes regular buses hard. Register first, then book rides up to 14 days ahead. | 250-727-7811, press 0 | Greater Victoria. |
For grab bars, ramps and other changes to the building itself, see our guide to housing and home changes.
I need legal help
A lawyer is not the only answer, and it is rarely the first one. Start with an advocate — they are free and they know the system.
| Organisation | What they do | Phone | Where |
|---|---|---|---|
| Together Against Poverty Society (TAPS) | Benefits and tenancy problems: denials, reconsiderations, eviction notices, rent increases. | 250-361-3521 | 828 View Street. Walk in. |
| Access Pro Bono | A free half-hour with a volunteer lawyer on almost any legal problem, if your income is low and you do not qualify for legal aid. Usually by phone. | 1-877-762-6664 | By phone, Monday to Friday 9:30 to 12:30 and 1:30 to 4:30. |
| Community Legal Assistance Society | A non-profit law firm for losing your housing, human rights complaints, mental health detentions, and benefit appeals (income assistance, PWD, CPP disability, EI, WorkSafeBC). | 1-888-685-6222 | By phone from Vancouver; Victoria residents can use it. |
| Burnside Gorge Community Association | A free 15-minute phone appointment with a lawyer, Tuesdays 2 to 3 pm. Call to book. | 250-388-5251 | 471 Cecelia Road. |
| Disability Alliance BC — Disability Law Clinic | Free legal advice on disability-related problems. | 1-800-663-1278 | By phone. |
I am being treated unfairly because of my disability
In BC it is against the law to refuse someone housing, a job, or a service because of a disability. That includes refusing to make a reasonable change so you can use the service — a ramp, a different appointment time, a form read out loud, a service animal allowed inside.
You do not need to be certain it was discrimination before you phone. That is what these people work out with you.
| Organisation | What they do | Phone | Where |
|---|---|---|---|
| BC Human Rights Clinic | Free help with human rights complaints in BC, including advice and representation at the Human Rights Tribunal. | 1-855-685-6222 | By phone across BC. |
| Community Legal Assistance Society | Human rights complaints, mental health detentions and housing loss. | 1-888-685-6222 | By phone. |
| Inclusion BC | Advocacy for people with intellectual disabilities and their families, including help when supports or school placements go wrong. | 1-844-488-4321 | By phone across BC. |
| Office of the Seniors Advocate of BC | If the unfair treatment is in care, housing or a seniors' service, they know which office can act. | 1-877-952-3181 | By phone, weekdays. |
There is a time limit
Human rights complaints in BC must be filed within a set time after the event. Do not spend months deciding whether it was "bad enough". Phone the clinic and let them tell you.
I want someone who knows my condition
General services are good at general problems. For some things you want people who live with the same thing you do.
| Organisation | What they do | Phone | Where |
|---|---|---|---|
| Victoria Brain Injury Society | Support, programmes and case management after a brain injury, for the person and the family. | 250-598-9339 | 633 Courtney Street, Victoria. |
| Spinal Cord Injury BC | An InfoLine for anything to do with spinal cord injury, plus a peer support specialist based in Victoria. | InfoLine 1-800-689-2477; Victoria peer support 250-812-0773 | By phone, and in person on the South Island. |
| Garth Homer Society | Day programmes, employment support and community activities for adults with developmental disabilities. | 250-475-2270 | 813 Darwin Avenue, Victoria. |
| Community Living BC | The provincial body that funds adult supports for developmental disabilities, autism and FASD. | 1-877-660-2522 | By phone. |
| CNIB | Programmes and support for people who are blind or have low vision. | 1-800-563-2642 | By phone across Canada. |
| Greater Victoria Public Library | Free audiobooks, large print, the CELA and NNELS collections and DAISY players to borrow if reading print is hard. You say so yourself — no doctor's note. | 250-940-4875 | Any branch. Main branch 735 Broughton Street. |
We looked for a current phone number for the Island Deaf and Hard of Hearing Centre and could not confirm one on their own website on 3 September 2026, so we have left it out rather than print a number that might be dead. If you need Deaf or hard-of-hearing services, dial 2-1-1 and ask for what is running now.
I am First Nations, Inuit or Métis
| Organisation | What they do | Phone | Where |
|---|---|---|---|
| Victoria Native Friendship Centre | Culturally safe services: a primary care clinic, housing help, food security, family services, employment and cultural programmes. | 250-384-3211 | 231 Regina Avenue. Monday to Friday 8:30 am to 4:30 pm. Clinic 250-940-2669. |
| Indigenous Disability Canada / BCANDS | Indigenous-specific help with disability benefits, the PWD designation, the nutritional supplement, and RDSP navigation. | 250-381-7303 or 1-888-815-5511 | #6-1610 Island Highway, Victoria. Monday to Friday 8:30 am to 4:30 pm, closed noon to 1 pm. |
I came to Canada from another country
Settlement workers explain Canadian benefits in your language and help fill in the forms. It does not matter how long ago you arrived.
- Victoria Immigrant and Refugee Centre Society (VIRCS), 250-361-9433, 1004 North Park Street — settlement help, English classes, benefit applications and digital literacy classes for seniors.
- 211 answers in many languages: dial 2-1-1.
I want to get out of the house
Isolation makes everything else worse. Getting out is not a luxury.
| Organisation | What they do | Phone | Where |
|---|---|---|---|
| LIFE programme (Leisure Involvement For Everyone) | A two-year low-income pass for recreation centres and pools. Victoria, Saanich and Oak Bay each run their own. | Victoria 250-361-0732; Saanich 250-475-5422; Oak Bay 250-595-7946 | Apply at your municipality's recreation centre. |
| Silver Threads Service | Classes, clubs, meals and outings for older adults. | 250-388-4268 | 1911 Quadra Street, Victoria; 286 Hampton Road, Saanich. |
| handyDART and Taxi Saver | Door-to-door rides, and $80 of taxi coupons for $40 each month once you are a registered rider. | Booking 250-727-7811; Taxi Saver 250-995-5618 | Greater Victoria. |
| Greater Victoria Public Library | Free programmes, warm rooms, computers and staff who will help you look something up. | 250-940-4875 | Any branch. |
More on fares, passes and bus training is in our guide to getting around Victoria.
I need to reach a government office
| Office | What it handles | Phone | Where |
|---|---|---|---|
| Service Canada | CPP, Old Age Security, GIS, CPP Disability, Employment Insurance, Social Insurance Numbers, passports, the dental plan. | CPP, OAS and GIS 1-800-277-9914; general 1-800-622-6232 | 1150 Douglas Street, 4th floor, Suite 450. Monday to Friday 8:30 am to 4 pm. |
| Service BC | MSP, the BC Services Card, income assistance, birth certificates, tenancy forms. | 1-800-663-7867 or 250-387-6121 | 403-771 Vernon Avenue, near Uptown. Monday to Friday 9 am to 4:30 pm. |
| Canada Revenue Agency | Tax slips, the Disability Tax Credit, benefit payments tied to your return. | 1-800-959-8281 | By phone. |
If a government line has beaten you twice, stop and phone an advocate instead. That is what TAPS and Disability Alliance BC are for.
What to say when you phone
The hardest part of asking for help is the first ten seconds, when you do not know the words for what you need. You do not have to know. Here is a script that works at almost any of these organisations.
If you do not know what to ask for
"Hello. I'm not sure if you're the right place, and I'm not sure what this is called. Here's what's going on: [say the plain fact — I have no food until Thursday / I got a letter saying my assistance is cut off / I can't get up the stairs any more / I haven't spoken to anyone in a week]. Can you tell me who I should be talking to?"
Three things to know about that script:
- "I'm not sure if you're the right place" is a good opening, not a weak one. It tells the person their first job is to route you, and they are good at that.
- Say the plain fact, not the category. "I have no food until Thursday" gets a faster answer than "I'd like to enquire about food security supports."
- Ask for a name and a direct number before you hang up. Then, if the call drops or the transfer fails, you are not starting over.
If you are handed on to someone else
"Before you transfer me — can I have your name, and the number I've reached you at, in case we get cut off? And who am I being transferred to?"
If your hearing, your voice or your nerves make phone calls hard, most of these organisations take email, and many will accept a call from a friend or family member on your behalf. Say so at the start of the call.
Why people never make the call
- "Someone else needs it more than me." These services are funded to be used. An empty chair does not go to someone else.
- They do not know the word. "Advocacy" is the word for someone who argues with the government on your behalf, for free. Almost nobody knows that, so almost nobody asks for it.
- One bad experience years ago. Staff change, programmes change, funding changes. A closed door in 2019 is not a closed door now.
- They tried the main number, got voicemail, and stopped. Leave the message. Most of these organisations are small and do call back.
- They think it will cost money. Everything in the tables above is free, except the recreation and taxi programmes, which are cheap by design.
- They are ashamed. Nobody at Our Place, TAPS or the Disability Resource Centre thinks less of anyone who walks in. Many of the staff have been in the same chair.
If none of this fits
211 — the fallback for everything. Free, confidential, and they will find the service even when you cannot name it.
Or call the Reachable Line. We will look it up with you, out loud, at your pace, and we will stay on the line while you decide who to phone next.
Related guides
Where these numbers come from
Every phone number on this page was read from the organisation's own current website, or from a research note we checked against it, on the date shown. Small organisations move and change hours. If a number does not work, dial 2-1-1 and tell them who you were trying to reach.
- 9-8-8 Suicide Crisis Helpline (call or text, 24 hours): 988.ca (read 3 September 2026)
- Vancouver Island Crisis Society, Crisis Lines (1-888-494-3888 and 310-6789): vicrisis.ca — crisis lines (read 3 September 2026)
- Foundry Victoria (546 Yates Street, 250-383-3552, Kids Help Phone details): foundrybc.ca — Victoria (read 3 September 2026)
- 211 British Columbia: bc.211.ca (read 1 September 2026)
- Victoria Disability Resource Centre: drcvictoria.com (read 1 September 2026)
- Together Against Poverty Society: tapsbc.ca (read 1 September 2026)
- Disability Alliance BC, Contact: disabilityalliancebc.org (read 1 September 2026)
- Victoria Cool Aid Society: coolaid.org (read 1 September 2026)
- Our Place Society, Contact: ourplacesociety.com (read 1 September 2026)
- The Mustard Seed, Contact (625 Queens Avenue, 250-953-1575, food bank 250-953-1588): mustardseed.ca (read 3 September 2026)
- Rainbow Kitchen, Contact (500 Admirals Road, 250-384-2069): rainbowkitchen.ca (read 3 September 2026)
- Salvation Army Victoria Citadel, Contact and Location (4030 Douglas Street, 250-727-3770): salvationarmyvictoria.ca (read 3 September 2026)
- Beacon Community Services, Contact (2723 Quadra Street, 250-658-6407): beaconcs.ca (read 3 September 2026)
- Victoria Brain Injury Society, Contact (633 Courtney Street, 250-598-9339): vbis.ca (read 3 September 2026)
- Garth Homer Society, Contact (813 Darwin Avenue, 250-475-2270): garthhomersociety.org (read 3 September 2026)
- Spinal Cord Injury BC, Contact (InfoLine 1-800-689-2477; Victoria peer support 250-812-0773): sci-bc.ca (read 3 September 2026)
- Indigenous Disability Canada / BCANDS, Contact (250-381-7303, 1-888-815-5511, 1610 Island Highway): bcands.bc.ca (read 3 September 2026)
- Canadian Mental Health Association, Victoria office (612 View Street, 250-216-4228): victoria.cmha.bc.ca (read 3 September 2026)
- BC Human Rights Clinic, Contact (1-855-685-6222): bchrc.net (read 3 September 2026)
- Inclusion BC, Contact (1-844-488-4321): inclusionbc.org (read 3 September 2026)
- CNIB (1-800-563-2642): cnib.ca (read 3 September 2026)
- Access Pro Bono, Get Legal Help: accessprobono.ca (read 1 September 2026)
- Community Legal Assistance Society: clasbc.net (read 1 September 2026)
- Community Living BC, eligibility and local offices: communitylivingbc.ca (read 1 September 2026)
- Office of the Seniors Advocate of BC: seniorsadvocatebc.ca (read 1 September 2026)
- Seniors Serving Seniors, Contact: seniorsservingseniors.bc.ca (read 1 September 2026)
- Silver Threads Service: silverthreads.ca (read 1 September 2026)
- James Bay Community Project: jbcp.bc.ca (read 1 September 2026)
- Burnside Gorge Community Association, Community Services: burnsidegorge.ca (read 1 September 2026)
- Victoria Native Friendship Centre: vnfc.ca (read 1 September 2026)
- Victoria Immigrant and Refugee Centre Society: vircs.bc.ca (read 1 September 2026)
- Greater Victoria Public Library, Accessibility: gvpl.ca (read 1 September 2026)
- Red Cross Victoria Health Equipment Loan Program: redcross.ca (read 1 September 2026)
- Better at Home, Victoria and Oak Bay: capitalcityvolunteers.org (read 1 September 2026)
- City of Victoria, L.I.F.E. Program: victoria.ca (read 1 September 2026)
- BC Transit Victoria, handyDART and Taxi Saver: bctransit.com (read 2 September 2026)
- Service BC: gov.bc.ca/servicebc (read 1 September 2026)
- Service Canada, Victoria Centre: offices.service.canada.ca (read 1 September 2026)
- CRA free tax clinics: canada.ca — free tax clinics (read 1 September 2026)
Reachable is not a bank, a lawyer, or the government. This guide explains public programs in plain language so you can go and claim them. It is not financial advice about your own situation.