The closure for the LGBTQ+ specialized services program is effective July 17, according to a statement released Tuesday by Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration.
The administration said the move was to focus on “serving all help seekers.”
National LGBTQ+ groups are asking Congress to intervene and prevent the shutdown.
The Trevor Project has launched a petition online to direct SAMHSA to maintain the subnetwork.
“Congress can still act to reverse this fatal decision,” said Jaymes Black, CEO of The Trevor Project. “We are asking everyone to join the overwhelming public support for evidence-based crisis services, and urge Congress to act.”
In September 2022, The Trevor Project began providing its best-practice crisis services to LGBTQ+ youth through the 988 Lifeline. When individuals contact the 988 via phone, text, or chat, they are given the option to “press 3” or “reply PRIDE” to be connected with counselors trained specifically to assist LGBTQ+ contacts up to age 25.
Initially, The Trevor Project served as the sole provider for the pilot phase of 988 LGBTQ+ youth specialized services, before transitioning to serve as one of seven centers that currently make up the LGBTQ+ Youth subnetwork. The Trevor Project serves nearly 50 percent of the LGBTQ+ youth specialized services’ contact volume.
In 2024, The Trevor Project directly served more than 231,000 crisis contacts and trained and supported nearly 250 crisis counselors and operational support staff to support the 988 Lifeline.
“Suicide prevention is about people, not politics. The administration’s decision to remove a bipartisan, evidence-based service that has effectively supported a high-risk group of young people through their darkest moments is incomprehensible,” Black said.
In another blow to to the queer community, SAMHSA removed trans and queer from its statement, referring to the subset only as LGB+.
“The fact that this news comes to us halfway through Pride Month is callous – as is the administration’s choice to remove the ‘T’ from the acronym ‘LGBTQ+’ in their announcement. Transgender people can never, and will never, be erased.”
The National Alliance on Mental Illness, or NAMI, also released a statement saying it is deeply troubled by this change.
“The 988 Lifeline has been one of the most impactful mental health and suicide prevention innovations in recent years — connecting millions of people in crisis to immediate, lifesaving care,” said CEO Daniel H. Gillison, Jr. “It has also played a key role in building awareness, reducing stigma, and making support more available to people who need it most.
“As we mark Pride Month, we at NAMI are incredibly disheartened that the administration has announced the elimination of these services for America’s LGBTQ+ youth, a community that tragically is at high risk for suicide.”
Research shows that LGBTQ+ young people are more than four times as likely to attempt suicide than their peers.
“These specialized services save young people’s lives. The importance of talking to someone who understands your experience or has a shared experience with you is invaluable,” said Hannah Wesolowski, NAMI’s chief advocacy officer.
“For our LGBTQ+ young people, having a safe, supportive space that they can trust and talking with someone who understands and validates you is critical. We want our LGBTQ+ kids to know that we stand with them.”
If you or someone you know needs support now, call or text 988 or chat at 988lifeline.org
Related stories: LGBTQ and Lifeline
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- 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline sees increase of 2 million contacts, adds Spanish, LGBTQI+ outreach
- $1 million allocated to expand 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline in Virginia
- 988: ‘More than a number, it’s a message: we’re there for you’
- HHS Deputy Secretary will visit Virginia Crisis Center to discuss transition to 988 hotline
- Bipartisan message to Senate: ‘We cannot afford to wait’ on support for 988 lifeline
- 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline three-digit dialing set to begin
- 988 phone response designed to be source of ‘hope, connection, empathy and care’
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Crystal Graham
