Three years after the launch of the three -digit suicide 988 & Crisis Lifeline, the service is seeing increases in the volume of calls, support at the state level and informed effectiveness, as well as reductions in specialized offers, including one designed to help LGBTQ young people.
“This year, the 988 Lifeline continued to provide help to save lives to millions of people, with approximately 20% higher calls, text messages and chats compared to the previous year,” said Dr. John Palmieri, interim director of Samhsa’s office in the 988 life line, A Abc News per email.
Samhsa is the administration of substance and mental health services, the division of the Department of Health and Human Services that supervises 988.
The Wyoming Central Advice Center is one of the two in the Wyoming state.
Gabriella Abdulhakim/ABC News
“Recent evaluation work affirms the effectiveness of the 988 life line, with studies Showing that the vast majority of people who call suicides say they thought that their crisis call helped them and prevented them from committing suicide, “he added.
A network of more than 200 field calls, chats and text messages from crisis call centers in the name of the life line, offering support to people who call suicidal crisis and other forms of mental anguish. This network has existed in some way for at least a couple of decades, beginning with the precursor of 988, the national life prevention line of 10 -digit suicide, which began in 2005.
During his first mandate, President Donald Trump promulgated the 2018 National Suicide Line to Improvement Law, which designated 988 as the new three -digit number to call in case of a mental health emergency. The new number, intended to be easier to remember and access in times of crisis, officially released on July 16, 2022.
13 million contacts so far
Since that release date, Lifeline has responded more than 13 million calls, chats and text messages in the United States and their territories, according to Samhsa.
“The transition to 988 three years ago caused coordinated efforts throughout the country, inspiring local governments, states, tribes and medical care providers to improve crisis care systems in communities throughout the country,” said Palmieri.
Despite the increase in state support for the life line, recent personnel reduction efforts throughout the federal government have had an impact on the ability to “build a continuum of attention throughout the country,” said Hannah Wesolowski, director of Defense of the National Alliance on Mental Diseases, ABC News.
“Interestingly, the Administration has proposed flat funds for 988 for fiscal year 2026, so it was really encouraging that they propose to maintain financing levels in [$519.6 million]”Wesolowski said.” But with many of the changes within the HHS, we have seen a good number of personnel within the 988 Office of Coordination of Crisis of Behavior Health that leave the Administration. “
On February 10, 2023, a suicide and crisis 988 life signal is photographed at the Taft Bridge entrance in Washington.
Kelly Livingston/ABC News
The Trump administration has implemented important reductions in the workforce for HHS and Samhsa in recent months. The HHS also recently announced a great restructuring effort, which includes plans for additional personnel cuts and the reorganization of some of the department’s agencies, including Samhsa, under a new entity called Administration for a healthy America.
When asked how these changes in the place of Samhsa within the federal government can affect their supervision of 988, Samhsa told ABC News by email that “suicide 988 & Crisis Lifeline will continue daily, the work of saving lives, helping thousands of people every day and millions of people every year. “
In addition to the federal financing of 988, states offer different levels of financing to support the operation of the life line. Many states have chosen to adopt recurrent rates or assignments to maintain efficient service and the availability of directors.
At the moment, Twelve states Load a small tax on telephone invoices every month to finance 988 operations. This financing structure is modeled after the one used to finance 911 call centers. Those twelve states include Washington, Oregon, California, Nevada, New Mexico, Colorado, Minnesota, Illinois, Virginia, Maryland, Delaware and Vermont.
Permanent financing rates range from no cost in New York to $ 0.60 in Delaware.
Five other additional states, Arizona, Utah, Kansas, Georgia, Florida, have implemented recurrent state appropriations, which means that the legislatures of these states offer funds through their annual budget.
“We have seen a greater commitment from the states to create sustainable financing mechanisms for service and a growth in the local response to people in crisis,” Palmieri said by email.
While states have increased resources to support 988, Lifeline offers throughout the country are about to change.
Currently, people who call the life line are requested to press numbered options for certain specialized services: 1 for the veterans’s crisis line, 2 for the subnet in Spanish and 3 for the attention focused on LGBTQ-Youth.
Option ‘Press 3’ for LGBTQ Youth
Samhsa recently announced that the Press 3 option, which provides specialized attention for LGBTQ young people, will no longer be part of Lifeline. This repeal was announced during the LGBTQ pride month, just under three years after the subnet was established for the first time as a pilot program in 2022.
The cut was a surprise for those who work in the specialized line, including the Trevor project, which has been operating this type of service for ten years, according to the interim vice president of defense and government affairs, Mark Henson.
Henson told ABC News that federal funds for service allowed the Trevor project and other organizations “to double our ability to serve young people.”
Since the release of Press 3, Henson says that the option has presented more than 1.3 million calls, chats and text messages. The monthly calls have also increased from 1,752 in the launch of the option to 69,057 contacts answered in their latest reported data from Samhsa in May 2025.
In a letter to the secretary of the HHS, Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., a bipartisan group of representatives of Congress responded to the cutting announcement, noting that the subnet has averaged approximately 2,100 contacts per day.
“These numbers reflect the critical and continuous demand of this directed support.” The members said. “For a young person who feels alone and scared, 988 is really a lifeguard.”
In a statement announcing the interruption, Samhsa said the measure is produced in response to significant operation costs and “to focus on serving all aid applicants, including those who previously attended the Press 3” option.
“The fiscal year 2023 OMNIBUS included a Congress directive for $ 29.7 million to finance specialized services,” said Samhsa. “Federal financing in the fiscal year24 for Press 3 services increased to $ 33 million. As of June 2025, more than $ 33 million have been spent on funds to support the subnets, completely spending the funds assigned for 988 LGB+ Lavely LGB+ Lavely Services LGB+”.
Despite the obvious utility of the specialized option, “the Press 3 option has run out of funds led by Congress,” wrote an HHS spokesman in a statement to ABC News, adding: “The continuous financing of the press 3 threatened to put all suicide 988 suicide. & Crisis Lifeline in danger of mass reductions in services “.
In this archive photo of August 14, 2022, a marker with the suicide emergency telephone number and crisis of suicide and crisis shown in Casper, Wyo.
Patrick T. Fallon/AFP through Getty Images, Archive
The Trevor project remains firm that the change in the program will do more damage than well because it neglects the specific challenges that people face in the LGBTQ community.
“I think there is a fundamental lack of understanding that suicide prevention is risks and not identity,” Henson told ABC News. “It is due to the experiences of life and stigma and bullying associated with young LGBTQ+ who make them more than four times more likely to try to commit suicide.”
“It is their life experiences and the unique drivers who have increased their risk of suicide and, therefore, have customized attention,” he added.
On the part of Nami, Wesolowski said that the organization is “continuing to advocate with Congress”, to reverse the decision to eliminate the press 3, saying that “the members of Congress on both sides of the hall express some concern for this.”
Despite federal changes, Wesolowski says he hopes that the base of 988 be strong enough to resist political changes, both now and in the future.
“The objective has always been for anyone who is in a mental health crisis or emotional anguish to obtain an adequate response of mental health care,” he said. “And I think that right now, the [political] Uncertainty is creating a lot of concern. [But] I think there is still a strong bipartisan support and cross -systems support. “
If you are experiencing suicides, use of substances or other mental health crises, or you are concerned about a friend or loved one, call or send a 988 suicide text message & Crisis Lifeline. He will arrive at a trained crisis counselor for free, 24 hours a day, seven days a week. You can also go to 988LIFELINE.org.
