MARY LOUISE KELLY, HOST:
Anyone calling 988, the Suicide & Crisis Lifeline, can be connected to a trained counselor. The line offers specialized help to some groups at higher risk of suicide, like veterans and those who identify as LGBTQ+. Now, a leaked document shows that the Trump administration plans to cut 988 funding specifically for services for LGBTQ+ youth. NPR's Rhitu Chatterjee has more.
RHITU CHATTERJEE, BYLINE: When teens and young adults identifying as LGBTQ+ call 988, they are routed to a specialized service line.
HANNAH WESOLOWSKI: And what they get with that specialized services line is they get somebody who cares - somebody who's been there with them, who has shared experiences, who can understand where they're coming from.
CHATTERJEE: That's Hannah Wesolowski, chief advocacy officer at the National Alliance for Mental Illness, or NAMI.
WESOLOWSKI: We know that LGBTQ+ youth are more than four times as likely to make a suicide attempt than their peers, and we know that crisis services geared towards LGBTQ+ youth and young adults works. You know, these services save lives.
CHATTERJEE: Data from 988 shows that the number has responded to nearly 1.3 million calls and texts from such youth since its launch three years ago. Psychologist Ben Miller is an adjunct at Stanford School of Medicine.
BEN MILLER: Just this year alone in January and February, it's about 100,000 contacts with the line. Those trends have been going up steadily since the line's launch.
CHATTERJEE: Losing the service, Miller says, could be devastating for gay and trans youth.
MILLER: Cutting this might mean that that person doesn't have a place to call or to go with someone that understands their unique needs.
CHATTERJEE: The advocacy group Trevor Project is 1 of 7 organizations funded by the federal government to provide the service for LGBTQ+ youth through 988. Jaymes Black is the CEO of the organization.
JAYMES BLACK: We are talking about potentially defunding suicide prevention - a suicide prevention program that has strong bipartisan support. And it is a result of legislation that President Trump himself signed into law during his term.
CHATTERJEE: That was in 2020. And while the potential loss of LGBTQ+ services on 988 is concerning, Black stresses that the proposed defunding is in a leaked document.
BLACK: This is only a draft. Nothing is finalized.
CHATTERJEE: And any budget proposal from the White House would need to make its way through Congress. NPR contacted the Department of Health and Human Services to comment, but they suggested contacting the Office of Management and Budget, which did not respond. Should the specialized service on 988 go away, Black wants gay and trans youth to know that they can still reach out to Trevor Classic. That's the Trevor Project's own helpline.
BLACK: We will ensure that they know that Trevor Classic is there 24/7, accessible and ready for them.
CHATTERJEE: A recent poll by NAMI shows that 61% of respondents supported specialized mental health services through 988 for high-risk groups like LGBTQ+ youth.
Rhitu Chatterjee, NPR News.
KELLY: And if you or someone you know is in crisis, call or text the Suicide & Crisis Lifeline at 988. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.
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