The environment and support offered are individualized, responsive to the needs and wishes expressed by the service user, and respectful of the autonomy, dignity and ability of the service user.

The Gerstein Centre provides crisis intervention to adults, living in the City of Toronto, who experience mental health problems. The Centre provides supportive counselling for immediate, crisis issues and referrals to other services for on-going, non-crisis issues. Our service is a community mental health service and is non-medical. Crisis calls of a medical nature (psychiatric assessment, severe self-harm or suicide attempts) are referred to a hospital.

The service has three aspects, telephone support, community visits and a ten-bed, short-stay residence. All three aspects of the service are accessed through the crisis line, (416) 929-5200. It is preferred that anyone wishing to use the Centre's service call the crisis line personally. A referral line, (416) 929-9897, is available for workers who would like to make a second party referral.

All services are provided free of charge to the service user. The Centre is funded by the Ontario Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care, Mental Health Programs and Services Group.