LGBTQ+ crisis support hotline shut down

CHICAGO (WGN) — The 988 National Suicide and Crisis Hotline no longer includes specific support for young LGBTQ+ people.

The Trump administration cut access to counselors trained to help queer and transgender individuals under the age of 25.

In Chicago, staff at the Center on Halsted – an LGBTQ+ community center – are concerned about the cuts. Starting Thursday, July 17, LGBTQ+ youth will no longer have the option to “Press 3” to connect with specially trained counselors.

“People’s anxiety and fears and depression is spiking. Who wants to be bullied from the federal administration?” Behavior Health Director at the Center on Halsted Ing Swanson said. “We’re prepared for the worst. Our line here has seen an uptick.”

The “Press 3” option started as a pilot program in 2022 under the Biden administration, with the federal government spending nearly $30 million to fund it in 2023 and $33 million last year.

Since its 2022 launch, 988’s specialized service for LGBTQ youth has received nearly 1.5 million calls, texts and online chat messages. Counselors fielded roughly 70,000 crisis contacts in April, the latest month for which such data is available, marking an all-time high. 

About half of the calls went to “The Trevor Project,” which is now trying to raise money in anticipation of surges in demand.

“I think it’s increasing a fear already there. Sadly, we don’t hear a lot of great things about trans or queer anything. This makes it more real,” Swanson said.

In a 2024 Trevor Project report, 39% of LGBTQ 13- to 24-year-olds in the U.S. said they had seriously considered suicide over the past year, including 46% of transgender and nonbinary youth. Half of LGBTQ+ young people who wanted mental health care said they were unable to access it. 

The Federal Substance Abuse and Mental Health Service Administration said it will focus instead on “all who are seeking help,” keeping the 988 stand-alone number available.

“Every 45 seconds, an LGBTQ+ youth attempt suicide,” U.S. Rep Raja Krishnamoorthi (D-Illinois) said. “Every 45 seconds, a family is about to be shattered. Every 45 seconds, we have a chance to act.”

In June, Krishnamoorthi and some bipartisan colleagues sent a letter to Health and Human Services Secretary Robert Kennedy, calling on him to reverse the decision.

“Regardless of where you stand on these issues, as Americans, as people, we must all agree there is purpose and worth to each and every life,” U.S. Rep. Mark Lawler (R-New York) said.

This fall, the Center of Halsted will be doubling its behavioral health staff. They also provide drop-in hours every Wednesday from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. for young adults ages 18 to 24.

TransSafe also hosts drop-ins from 2 p.m. to 5 p.m. Mondays at its Northalsted location. Their crisis hotline can be reached at 773-472-6469 ext. 460.

The Trevor Project’s free and confidential crisis services will still be available 24/7 for any LGBTQ+ young person by calling 1-866-488-7386. Crisis services are also available via chat clicking here or by texting START to 678678.