New York Gives $1.8M to Create LGBTQ+ Youth Crisis Line
It comes a year after the Trump administration ended a specialized service for LGBTQ+ youth in crisis.
New York state announced that it will establish a dedicated crisis lifeline for LGBTQ+ youth and young adults by allocating $1.8 million to fund it.
It comes after the Trump administration eliminated a specific option to support LGBTQ+ youth from the federal 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline last year.
The investment was funded by New York Democratic Gov. Kathy Hochul’s 2027 budget. The state notes in a press release that before the federal lifeline was shut down, up to 60,000 young people used the service a year.
LGBTQ+ youth who contacted the 988 Lifeline via phone, text, or chat had the option of being connected with a specially trained LGBTQ+ focused counselor by phone 24/7 by pressing 3. In the 24 hours following Trump’s election, the Trevor Project reported a near 700% increase in lifeline calls, the most dramatic surge the hotline has ever seen.
“My priority will always be to invest in the safety and wellbeing of our youngest New Yorkers,” Hocul said in the announcement. “We’re leading the nation in protecting our children’s mental health and through this funding we’re expanding on that promise, making sure our kids have access to care and the necessary support in their communities.”
The office is providing $1.2 million each year for the next five years for an organization to operate the service, which already has such a line. The announcement linked to a call for proposals for organizations with such services. The other $600,000 will go toward training clinical counselors across the state in working with LGBTQ+ youth in crisis.
About 36% of queer young people seriously considered suicide in the past year, including 40 percent of transgender and nonbinary young people with about 10 percent of them following through with an attempt, according to The Trevor Project.
The organization also reports that many queer youth have concerns about using crisis lifelines because of how they fear their identity might be received. It also found that 28 percent of them who wanted mental health support but couldn’t get it said they didn’t feel like their sexual orientation or gender identity would be understood by the service.
“The LGBTQIA+ youth and young adults in crisis deserve access to a crisis lifeline that meets their immediate and specific needs, ensuring they do not face barriers to critical support,” New York’s Office of Mental Health Commissioner Dr. Ann Sullivan said.
