After the federal government cut funding for the service, the county Board of Supervisors directed its Department of Mental Health to develop a pilot program restoring services tailored for LGBTQ+ youth to a suicide-prevention hotline.
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A national suicide-prevention hotline has been accessible by dialing 988 since 2022. The following year, an option was added to the hotline to provide specialized counseling to LGBTQ+ youth, who could press the number 3 on their phones to access the service. The service had been provided locally by The Trevor Project, a nonprofit based in West Hollywood.
In July, however, the federal Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration eliminated funding for the "Press 3" option for LGBTQ+ youth.
"The Press 3 option was a lifeline, and losing it has been devastating," Supervisor Janice Hahn said in a statement following Tuesday's board vote. "It wasn't just a policy change -- it was a message to LGBTQ+ young people that their needs didn't matter. But L.A. County will not turn its back on our LGBTQ+ young people. Not now, not ever. So we are going to work at every level -- local, state, and federal -- to get this lifeline restored and protected for good."
The board approved a pair of motions by Hahn and Supervisor Lindsey Horvath on Tuesday. The first directs the county Department of Mental Health -- which oversees the county 988 call center -- to develop a local "Press 3" option pilot program.
According to Hahn's office, in the year before the option was eliminated, more than 14% of the 5.1 million people who dialed 988 used the Press 3 option for LGBTQ+ services.
The motion also expressed support for state legislation being introduced by Assemblyman Mark González seeking to re-establish the service statewide.
A second motion approved by the board put the county's support behind proposed federal legislation that would codify the Press 3 option into law.
"Eliminating the `Press 3' option on the 988 Lifeline is a dangerous decision, with real consequences for LGBTQ+ youth, who rely on trained, affirming counselors in their darkest moments," Horvath said in a statement. "Young people in our community face disproportionate challenges; taking away this critical resource is unacceptable. We must restore this lifesaving support and make clear that every young person deserves to be heard, supported, and safe. With today's motion, Los Angeles County is joining federal and state leaders in demanding it be restored for every LGBTQ+ youth in need."
González, who attended a news conference with Hahn and Horvath before Tuesday's board meeting, said "lives are on the line" with the absence of the Press 3 option.
"Before this reckless cut, 1.5 million contacts were made to Press 3," he said in a statement after the vote. "That doesn't happen by accident -- that happens because LGBTQ+ youth trust this lifeline and rely on it in their darkest moments. Thanks to the leadership of Supervisor Hahn and Supervisor Horvath, my bill will ensure that California will not abandon these young people. We will step up, we will protect them, and we will make sure that life-saving help is always just four digits away."
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