United Way BC and the Government of British Columbia are proud to announce the launch of the Racist Incident Helpline – a culturally safe and trauma-informed resource for people who have experienced or witnessed an act of racism. The helpline provides access to information and safe supports from anywhere in BC, in over 240 languages. 

 

Open Monday to Friday, 9 am to 5 pm (PT), the Racist Incident Support Line is available by calling 1-833-HLP-LINE (1-833-457-5463). 

 

Calls are answered by United Way BC Helpline Services professionals who have completed trauma response and cultural sensitivity training, who can:

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• listen to the caller’s experience, 

• provide information about local support services, 

• direct the caller on next steps based on their comfort level, and 

• with consent, refer the caller to the services that best match their needs. 

 

Service is free and confidential. Callers who prefer a language other than English can let the call-taker know their preferred language and an interpreter will be patched into the call. 

Visit racistincidenthelpline.ca for more details.

 

The anonymized data collected from the service will be used alongside insights gathered from other Government of British Columbia anti-racism initiatives to support, guide and enhance the province’s anti-racism programs, services and initiatives. 

Through the insights we gather and our support of the province’s anti-racism initiatives, United Way BC intends to: 

• increase local and provincial organizational capacity to address racism and support diverse communities; 

• increase understanding of capacity and expertise needed to provide anti-racism initiatives and programs; and 

• increase use of data-informed decisions for future anti-racism work through analyses of community needs, strengths and challenges to inform priority areas for intervention.