Emergency
Geometric pattern of mountains

South Mental Health & Substance Use Team

Need help immediately?

If there is a life-threatening safety concern, please call 9-1-1 or go to the Emergency Department at your nearest hospital.

Suicide prevention hotline: 1-800-784-2433

BC Crisis Line: 604-310-6789

Kids Help Phone: 1-800-668-6868

Indigenous Crisis and Support Line - KUU-US Crisis Support Line: 1-800-588-8717

Harm reduction: Toward the Heart 

Services to individuals in Vancouver who experience enduring symptoms of mental illness with limited response to treatment with medications alone.

How to access

  • Check eligibility

    • Adults aged 19 and above with moderate to severe mental health, substance use, and concurrent mental health and substance use disorders or conditions.



      These services support people who typically experience all three of the following:
    1. Mental health symptoms (with limited response to treatment) and/or substance use or related behaviours that are problematic.
    2. Significant functional difficulties with activities of daily living and/or significant risk to personal safety, housing, or the community due to their mental health and/or substance use disorder or condition.



      This may include but does not require high emergency department use, frequent hospital admissions due to their mental health and/or substance use disorder or condition and/or conditions under the BC Mental Health Act.
    3. Financial, structural, health and/or social barriers (i.e., marginalization, stigma, inadequate housing, poverty, etc.) or other vulnerability that limits access to or requires higher intensity support (e.g., case management and psychiatry, assertive engagement) than what is typically provided by family physicians, private pay services and other community supports.

    If you have questions about whether these services are for you or your client, in some cases, people may be considered based on other factors. 

  • Get a referral

    Clients, families and health care providers can contact the Vancouver Access and Assessment Centre (AAC) for referrals.



    The AAC is a central point of access for all team services. The AAC can also help identify other services that may support the client.

Hours of operation

Currently open
  • Monday:   8:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.
  • Tuesday:   8:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.
  • Wednesday:   8:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.
  • Thursday:   8:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.
  • Friday:   8:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.
  • Saturday:   Closed
  • Sunday:   Closed

More about these services

Clients of the team experience continued significant functional impact despite use/attempted use of primary health services and community supports. The team provides interdisciplinary, goal-oriented services both in the clinic and in the community including individual and group treatments. 

Services include

  • case management,
  • employment support,
  • medical management,
  • occupational therapy,
  • peer support,
  • recreation therapy,
  • crisis management, and
  • transition coordination.

Services involve the client and family. 

Harm reduction (including naloxone training and dispensing), needle exchange, acupuncture, SMART recovery, addictions medicine, and addictions counselling are also available on site.

South Mental Health and Substance Use Team

A multidisciplinary mental health team provides interdisciplinary, goal-oriented services in the clinic and community, including individual and group treatments.

Adult Mental Health Teams

Community-based assessment and treatment for adults who are diagnosed with a serious and persistent major mental disorder and experiencing significant problems that interfere with their functioning in daily life.