Our Crisis Centers
Learn more about our network of crisis centers and what you can do to support them.
What is a Crisis Center?
A crisis center is a resource for individuals going through mental health crises. They provide mental health services and emotional support for their state or local communities. Most crisis centers are non-profit and many utilize trained volunteers as well as mental health professionals.
Your local crisis center usually serves your entire community, often 24/7 and free of charge. These centers connect callers to providers in their community that can support their needs.
Crisis centers answer calls for the Lifeline, as well as local helplines, and offer other resources such as text, chat, or mobile services. Crisis centers also provide training and educational resources on suicide prevention and mental wellness. They are also a resource for mental health professionals seeking advice on best practices. All of the services a crisis center offers strengthens their local community and the state as a whole.
Crisis Centers Support the Lifeline
The 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline (formerly known as the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline) is made up of an expansive network of over 200 local – and state – funded crisis centers located across the United States. The counselors at these local crisis centers answer calls and chats from people in distress that the Lifeline receives every day. The Lifeline’s crisis centers provide the specialized care of a local community with the support of a national network.
The Lifeline’s united network provides at-risk individuals across the country with a single, well-known phone number and name. This unity enables the Lifeline to assure that centers are accredited, provide training for counselors, and disseminate best practices.
Calls to the Lifeline are routed to their closest center based on area code, with the goal of connecting callers to counselors in their own state. Local counselors at crisis centers are familiar with community mental health resources, and can therefore provide referrals to local services.
Crisis centers provide local care with national support.
Why Crisis Centers Need Your Help
The 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline is an effective, life-saving safety net for those experiencing mental health crisis, as shown by research. Although the Lifeline is a national program, the funds that sustain the network’s crisis centers come from state and local contributors. Many of the crisis centers in our network require more funding and resources in order to continue operating and growing.
Crisis centers are a key component of mental health care within each county and state across the United States. The centers act as a safety net for those at serious risk, especially those with nowhere else to turn.
How To Support a Crisis Center
There are many ways to support the crisis centers in our network. First, find the Lifeline crisis center nearest to you. Visit our Crisis Center Locator at the bottom of the page and type in your zip code.
Donate
Interested in donating to your local crisis center directly? Go to their web site or contact your nearest Lifeline crisis center directly and see how you can contribute.
Volunteer
Many Lifeline centers have volunteer opportunities, and a number of them depend largely on volunteer help. Reach out directly to your local crisis center and ask them how you can help.
Advocate for Them
If you have been helped by a crisis center or know someone who has, you know how important they can be to people in your community. Let your crisis center know how you appreciate them, and ask how your voice can assist them in advocating for more funds and resources to continue growing and serving your community.
Organize A Fundraiser
Organize a fundraiser in your community to help support your local crisis center and donate a percentage or all of the proceeds. Contact your local Lifeline center and see how your event might benefit their work, and make it happen!
Participate On Social Media
While not all crisis centers in our network have a social media presence, you can still help educate the public online about how important crisis centers are and ways to support them.
