3 years later, 988 Lifeline saw a higher volume but a special option for cutting LGBTQ youth

Three years after the launch of the three -digit suicide 988 & Crisis Lifeline, this service sees an increase in call volume, state level support and reported effectiveness, as well as a reduction in special offers, including those designed to help LGBTQ youth.

“This year, 988 Lifeline continues to provide assistance that saves lives to millions of people, with around 20% of the volume of calls, texts, and chatting higher than the previous year,” Dr. John Palmieri, Director of Acting Office of Lifeline 988 Samhsa, told ABC News via email.

Samhsa is the administration of substance abuse and mental health services, the Division of the Ministry of Health and Humanitarian Services that oversees 988.

“The latest evaluation work confirms the effectiveness of 988 Lifeline, with studies Showed that most of the callers killed themselves say that they thought their crisis calls them to help them and stop them from suicide, “he added.

The network of more than 200 field call crisis, chat and text on behalf of Lifeline, offers support for callers who have a suicide crisis and other mental pressure forms. This network has existed in several forms for at least a few decades, starting with precursors up to 988-10 national digits committing national prevention, which began in 2005.

During his first term of office, President Donald Trump signed the Law on the National Suicide Hotline in 2018, which established 988 as the number three new digits contacted in the event of a mental health emergency. The new number, which is intended to be more easily remembered and accessed at the time of the crisis, was officially launched on July 16, 2022.

13 million contacts so far

Since the launch date, Lifeline has answered more than 13 million calls, chat and text throughout the US and its region, according to Samhsa.

“The 988th transition three years ago triggered coordinated efforts throughout the country – which inspired local governments, states, tribes and health care providers to improve the crisis treatment response system in society throughout the country,” Palmieri said.

Despite the increasing state-level support for Lifeline, recently streamlining efforts throughout the federal government have an impact on the ability to “build a crisis care continuum throughout the country,” Hannah Wesolowski, Head of Advocacy for the National Alliance on Mental Diseases, told ABC News.

“Interestingly, administration has proposed flat funds for 988 for fiscal year 2026, so it is really encouraging that they propose to maintain the level of funding in [$519.6 million]”Said Wesolowski.” But with many changes in HHS, we have seen a number of staff in the 988 Crisis of the Behavioral Health Crisis that coordinates the office departing from the administration. “

Trump administration has implemented a significant reduction in labor for HHS and Samhsa over the past few months. HHS has also recently announced a large restructuring effort, which includes plans for cutting additional staff and and reorganizations of several departmental institutions, including Samhsa, under a new entity called administration for healthy America.

Asked how changes in the samhsa place in the federal government could affect the supervision of 988, Samhsa told ABC News via email that, “Suicide 988 & Crisis Lifeline will continue every day, work that saves lives, helps thousands of people every day and millions of people every year. “

In addition to Federal Funding 988, the state offers various levels of funds to support Lifeline operations. Many countries have chosen to adopt the cost or allocation of repeated countries to maintain the services and availability of efficient counselors.

At the moment, Twelve states Filling small tax on telephone bills every month to fund 988 operations. This funding structure is modeled after which is used to fund the 911 call center. The twelve states include Washington, Oregon, California, Nevada, New Mexico, Colorado, Minnesota, Illinois, Virginia, Maryland, Delaware and Vermont.

Permanent funding costs range from no cost in New York to $ 0.60 in Delaware.

Five additional states – Arizona, Utah, Kansas, Georgia, Florida – have implemented repeated state allocation, which means the state legislative offered funds through their annual budget.

“We have seen an increase in commitment by the state to create a sustainable funding mechanism for the services and growth of local responses to people in the crisis,” Palmieri said via email.

While the state has increased resources to support 988, lifeline offers will change nationally.

At present, the caller to Lifeline is asked to press the numbered option for certain special services 1 for the veteran crisis line, 2 for the Spanish-language subnetwork and 3 for LGBTQ-Youth centered treatment.

‘Press 3’ option for LGBTQ youth

The new Samhsa announced that the Press 3 option, which provides special care for LGBTQ youth, will no longer be part of Lifeline. The revocation was announced during the LGBTQ Pride, only under three years after the Subnetwork was first established as a pilot program in 2022.

The deduction was surprising for those who worked on a special lane, including the Trevor project, which had operated this type of service for ten years, according to the Vice President while the Advocacy and Government Affairs Mark Henson.

Henson told ABC News that federal funds for this service allowed Trevor projects and other organizations to “duplicate our capacity to serve young people.”

Since the launch of Press 3, Henson said the option had submitted more than 1.3 million calls, chat, and text. Monthly calls also increased from 1,752 at the launch of the option to 69,057 contacts answered in the latest data reported from Samhsa in May 2025.

In a letter to Secretary HHS Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., a group of representatives of the Bipartisan Congress responded to the announcement of cutting, noting that the subnetwork had averaged around 2,100 contacts per day.

“These numbers reflect critical and sustainable demand for this targeted support,” said the member. “For a young man who feels alone and scared, 988 is really alive.”

In a statement that announced termination, Samhsa said the move came in response to significant operating costs and “to focus on serving all assistance seekers, including those previously served through the Press 3. option.”

“The fiscal year 2023 Omnibus included a congress instructions of $ 29.7 million to fund special services,” Samhsa said. “Federal funding in FY24 for press services 3 increased to $ 33 million. In June 2025, more than $ 33 million funds were spent to support the subnetwork, fully spending money allocated for 988 LIFELINE LGB+ Subnetwork Services.”

Apart from the clear use of the special option, “Press 3 option has run out of funds directed at a congress,” a HHS spokesman wrote in a statement to ABC News, added, “Funding continues from the press 3 who threatened to place the entire suicide committed suicide. & Lifeline crisis in the danger of major reduction in service. “

The Trevor project still insists that changes in the program will be more dangerous than good because they ignore the specific challenges faced by people in the LGBTQ community.

“I think there is a lack of fundamental understanding that suicide prevention is about risk and not about identity,” Henson told ABC News. “That’s because of life experiences and stigma and intimidation associated with LGBTQ+ young people that make them more than four times more likely to try to commit suicide.”

“This is their life experience and unique drivers who have increased the risk of suicide and therefore, have designed treatment,” he added.

For the Nami section, Wesolowski said the organization, “Continue to advocate with the congress,” to reverse the decision to delete press 3, saying that, “Congress members on both sides of the alley revealed some concerns about this.”

Apart from federal changes, Wesolowski said he hoped that the 988 foundation was strong enough to withstand political changes, both now and in the future.

“The goal is always so that anyone who is in the mental health crisis or emotional pressure gets the right mental health care response,” he said. “And I think now, [political] Uncertainty creates a lot of concerns. [But] I think there is still strong bipartisan support and system cross support. “

If you experience suicide, drug use or other mental health crisis, or worry about a friend or a loved one, please contact or send a suicide SMS 988 & Lifeline crisis. You will reach the trained crisis counselor for free, 24 hours a day, seven days a week. You can also go to 988lifeline.org.