Austin resources LGBTQ+ youth can turn to as 988 specialized service shuts down

Content Warning: This article discusses suicide. Please return to the homepage if you are not comfortable with the topic.

If you are in distress and need someone to talk to, please call 988, text HELLO to 741741, or visit the crisis hotline’s website. For LGBTQ-specific support for ages 13-24, call The Trevor Project at 866-488-7386 or text START to 678-678.

AUSTIN (KXAN) -- Thursday marked the official end of a national specialized crisis service for LGBTQ+ youth. This comes after the Trump administration ordered the National Suicide and Crisis Lifeline, 988, to end the service.

The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, or SAMHSA, which manages the 988 service, announced in a press release last month that it would "no longer silo LGB+ youth services … to focus on serving all help seekers."

The release said that "everyone who contacts the 988 Lifeline will continue to receive access to skilled, caring, culturally competent crisis counselors who can help with suicidal, substance misuse, or mental health crises, or any other kind of emotional distress."

The Hill reported that the service for LGBTQ youth had received nearly 1.3 million calls, texts and online chat messages since its launch in 2022, according to data from SAMHSA.

While other resources, like the Trevor Project -- the leading suicide prevention organization for LGBTQ+ young people -- are still available, mental health and LGBTQ+ advocates and organizations, along with several celebrities and political leaders, have spoken out against the order to end the 988 Lifeline’s LGBTQ+ Youth Specialized Services.

The Trevor Project's senior director of communications, Jackson Budinger, spoke with KXAN Thursday about the ending of the service.

"It's really crushing that this proven resource that has been so successful for the last three years is kind of just evaporating overnight," Budinger said.

Budinger said the Trevor Project supports about half a million LGBTQ young people every year, nationally, and about half of those were through the 988 network.

"So essentially, this just cuts our impact in half overnight," she said.

Budinger emphasized the fact that the Trevor Project is still available and does not plan on going anywhere, but the organization struggles with reach and awareness.

"The biggest challenge for us right now is to remind people that we're here, and in some cases, let you know, educate folks that this exists," Budinger said. "Because the success of the 988, hotline, of course, was that it was this really easy to remember a three-digit number, essentially a 911 Federal Service for mental health and suicide prevention. So not everybody knows about the Trevor Project, and might not know that the same type of care that they were getting through the press three option on 988, still exists."

Budinger told KXAN last month that the Trevor Project saw a 72% spike in calls following the SAMHSA announcement.

Budinger said some of the challenges LGBTQ+ young people face could include homelessness, extreme bullying, gender dysphoria, living in an unaccepting community, not having the language for what they're experiencing, and extreme social isolation.

Budinger compared the 988 Lifeline LGBTQ+ Youth Specialized Services to 988's Veterans Crisis Line.

"Also important to note, there is a veteran sub network as well, because, we know both veterans and LGBTQ young people are at higher risk of suicide than other populations, so that veteran sub network still remains there that has not been touched," she said.

"I think something that is really an unfair mischaracterization of this moment is that the LGBTQ youth sub network was providing like special treatment to a certain population," Budinger said. "From a care perspective and from a public health perspective, this is not about identity, it's about risk... When this launched in 2022 there was, you know, a recognition of the fact that there are a few higher-risk groups that may need more specialized care than the general population reach that would contact 988."

Resources for LGBTQ+ youth in Austin

The 988 hotline is still an option, but there is no longer a line dedicated for LGBTQ+ youth to connect to a counselor trained in LGBTQ-specific crisis care.

The Trevor Project has trained crisis counselors available 24/7 and can be reached by calling 866-488-7386, texting 'START' to 678-678, or online at trvr.org/get-help.

The LGBT National Help Center also has a National Youth Talkline available certain hours daily at 800-246-7743 as well as Moderated Youth Chatrooms.

There are also several resources in the Austin area that LGBTQ+ youth can turn to for help, listed below.

OutYouth

OutYouth is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization. Its website states that it "serves Central Texas LGBTQIA+ (lesbian/gay/bisexual, transgender, queer and questioning, intersex, and asexual) youth and their allies with programs and services to ensure these promising young people develop into happy, healthy, successful adults."

OutYouth has various programs for different age groups. Find more information online at OutYouth.org.

PFLAG Austin

PFLAG Austin is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization that is an approved chapter of PFLAG National, supporting Central Texas. The organization hosts confidential support group meetings and participates in several educational, fundraising, and political activism events throughout the year to help drive awareness and community focus, according to its website.

More information can be found online at PFLAGAustin.org.

Transgender Education Network of Texas (TENT)

TENT is the largest statewide, BIPOC trans-led, trans-focused policy, education, and advocacy organization in the state of Texas, according to its website. TENT has resources for parents of transgender kids and information about education, advocacy, and empowerment for transgender youth and allies.

More information is available online at TransTexas.org.

The Q Austin

The Q Austin is a program of Vivent Health, community health clinic and resource center in Austin. The Q Austin "mobilizes LGBTQIA+ individuals to build a safe & affirming community."

The organization has a LinkTree with several different tabs of information on things like events, Vivent Health, appointment requests and more.

Equality Texas

Equality Texas is the "largest statewide nonprofit fighting for equality for LGBTQIA+ Texans," according to its website.

According to the organization's communications director Johnathan Gooch, their help desk has seen a steady increase in calls and expects a continual rise in those calls.

"While it can be daunting to see state and federal leaders rollback services and support for the LGBTQIA+ community,  I’d like to remind all the young people struggling that we’ve been here before," Gooch said in a statement sent via email Thursday. "I survived along with a whole generation of advocates who learned to support each other, when the government failed to step up. Things may be tough, but queer Texans are tougher. If you’re feeling weak right now, reach out to community, we’re here to be a shelter until the storm passes.”