988 SUICIDE & CRISIS LIFELINE MARKS ONE YEAR PROVIDING HOPE AND HELP​

Sunday (July 16) marks one year of the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline being a safe place for anyone experiencing thoughts of suicide, a mental health or substance use crisis, or any other kind of emotional distress.

Most calls, texts, and chats to 988 from Wisconsin-based phone numbers and locations are answered by trained counselors who work for the 988 Wisconsin Lifeline, which is operated by Family Services of Northeast Wisconsin under a grant from the Division of Care and Treatment Services.

From July 2022 through June 2023, the 988 Wisconsin Lifeline received 91,834 contacts, far exceeding initial projections. Over 98% of the contacts were resolved through the conversation, reducing pressures on the state’s system of emergency services for mental health and substance use concerns. View the DHS news release on the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline's one-year anniversary.

For more information on this free service and tools to promote the 988 Wisconsin Lifeline in your community, visit https://www.dhs.wisconsin.gov/crisis/988.htm.