Crisis & Support Resources

Help is available, and reaching for it is an act of courage, not weakness. Every number and link below is free to use. Bookmark this page, print it, or send it to someone who needs it.

Call 988 Text 988

The three numbers to remember

If you only keep three numbers, keep these. All three are free, and all three work from any phone.

988 — Suicide & Crisis Lifeline

Free, confidential support from a trained crisis counselor, anywhere in the U.S.

Best for: Thoughts of suicide, a mental health or substance use crisis, overwhelming anxiety, or any moment that has become too much to hold alone.
Availability: 24/7

Available in Spanish by call, text, and chat. People who are Deaf or hard of hearing can connect by videophone at 988lifeline.org/deaf-hard-of-hearing-hearing-loss.

911 — Emergency services

Immediate dispatch for police, fire, and ambulance.

Call 911

Best for: Someone is in immediate physical danger, has overdosed, is seriously injured, or a crime is in progress.
Availability: 24/7

If the emergency is a mental health one, say so when you call, and ask whether a crisis-intervention-trained responder or mobile crisis team can be sent.

211 — Essential community services

One call connects you to local help with the practical things that pile up in a hard season.

Best for: Rent and housing help, utility bills, food assistance, health coverage, child care, disaster recovery, and job resources.
Availability: Varies by region; many centers answer 24/7

Spanish at es.211.org.

Good to know

988 is not only for suicide

It is for any high-stress emotional moment — a panic attack, a relapse, a night when the weight of a job, a bill, or a relationship is more than you can carry alone.

988 can be texted

A lot of people in crisis find typing easier than speaking out loud. Texting reaches the same trained counselors as calling.

You reach someone local

988 and 211 both route by the area code of the number you are using, so you are connected to a crisis center or resource desk near you.

You can call about someone else

You do not have to be the one in crisis. Counselors will talk through how to help a friend or family member, and how to take care of yourself while you do.

Specialized crisis lines

Staffed by counselors trained for a particular experience. Reach them directly — you do not need to go through 988 first.

Crisis Text Line

Crisis support by text with a trained volunteer counselor.

Best for: Anyone who would rather type than talk, on any kind of crisis.
Availability: 24/7

Also serves Canada (text 686868), the UK (text 85258), and Ireland (text 50808).

Veterans Crisis Line

Crisis support from responders who understand military service, many of them veterans themselves.

Best for: Veterans, service members, National Guard and Reserve members, and the people who love them.
Availability: 24/7

You do not need to be enrolled in VA benefits or VA health care to connect.

The Trevor Project

Crisis counseling from people trained to support LGBTQ+ young people.

Best for: LGBTQ+ young people, and anyone worried about one.
Availability: 24/7

TTY 1-866-803-3699. The 988 Lifeline's "press 3" option for LGBTQ+ youth was discontinued in July 2025, so contact The Trevor Project directly — older printed guides still list the old instructions.

National Domestic Violence Hotline

Confidential support, safety planning, and local referrals for anyone experiencing abuse.

Best for: Domestic violence, dating abuse, and figuring out how to help someone who is being hurt.
Availability: 24/7

If the person hurting you might check your devices, call rather than browse. Internet history can be monitored and is difficult to erase completely.

Food, housing, bills, and work

A crisis is often a practical problem before it is anything else. Start with 211 above; these directories cover the same ground online.

findhelp.org

A searchable directory of free and reduced-cost programs near you.

Search at findhelp.org

Best for: Food, housing, transit, health care, money, care, education, work, and legal aid — searchable by ZIP code.
Availability: Online, any time

Available in more than 100 languages.

Understanding mental health and finding care

For the questions that come after the crisis passes: what this diagnosis means, how to find a therapist, and what to do when treatment is not affordable.

NAMI HelpLine

National Alliance on Mental Illness. Trained staff and volunteers who help you work out the next step.

Best for: Understanding a diagnosis, finding a provider or treatment program, navigating insurance and cost, and supporting a family member.
Availability: Mon–Fri, 10 a.m.–10 p.m. ET, closed federal holidays

An information and referral line, not a crisis line. If it is urgent, call or text 988.

The Jed Foundation — Mental Health Resource Center

Plain-language guides on mental health, written for teens and young adults.

Visit the Resource Center

Best for: High school and college students, and the parents, coaches, and friends trying to understand what a young person is carrying.
Availability: Online, any time

Alcohol, drugs, and recovery

Be careful with treatment "hotlines" that surface in search ads — many are run by for-profit marketers who refer callers to facilities they own. Every line below is federal or nonprofit.

SAMHSA National Helpline

The federal treatment referral and information line for mental health and substance use.

Best for: Finding treatment, support groups, and community organizations — including options for people with no insurance.
Availability: 24/7, 365 days a year

Free and confidential, in English and Spanish.

Alcoholics Anonymous

Free peer support meetings for anyone who wants to stop drinking.

Find a meeting at aa.org

Best for: In-person, phone, and online meetings almost anywhere, most days of the week.
Availability: Meetings daily, worldwide

There are no dues or fees. The meeting finder also lists local AA offices, many of which answer the phone around the clock.

Al-Anon Family Groups

Support for the families and friends of someone who drinks.

Best for: Partners, parents, siblings, children, and friends carrying someone else's drinking. Alateen serves teens.
Availability: Phone line Mon–Fri, 8 a.m.–6 p.m. ET; online and phone meetings run 24/7

Grief and loss

Losing someone to suicide is its own kind of grief. These organizations exist because other families have walked it first.

AFSP — I've Lost Someone

The American Foundation for Suicide Prevention's support for people bereaved by suicide.

Best for: The first weeks, the first year, and the years after. Healing Conversations pairs you one-to-one with a trained volunteer who has lost someone too.
Availability: Free, nationwide

AFSP also maintains a directory of clinicians trained in suicide bereavement.

Good Grief Group

A community of volunteers partnering with children, teens, and families to navigate the journey of grief and the continuation of life.

Best for: Grieving kids and teens. Programs include a four-day Kids Camp, a three-day Tween Camp, and a one-day Holiday Camp.
Availability: Northwest Montana — based in Kalispell