The Trump administration is working to bring back the specialized LGBTQ+ youth suicide prevention option on the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline by the end of 2026, after abruptly ending it with a month’s notice last July. But the nonprofit that helped pioneer the service, the Trevor Project, may be shut out of the relaunch, raising concerns among lawmakers and mental health experts about the program’s future quality and reach.
The 988 hotline, often described as the 911 for mental health emergencies, offers specialized routing for certain groups including military veterans and Spanish speakers. Last July, the administration terminated the “press 3” option that connected LGBTQ+ youth to counselors trained specifically on issues affecting that population, saying the funding had run out. The specialized service fielded 1.6 million contacts while it was in operation, according to data from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration. The Trevor Project handled about half of those contacts.
Congress later directed $33 million toward LGBTQ+-specific youth suicide prevention interventions, spurring the administration to restart the service. Vibrant Emotional Health, the nonprofit that administers the 988 Lifeline, has called for applications to manage the return of the “press 3” lines.
But the application process limits eligibility to crisis centers that are “current and active” members of the 988 network, according to the nonprofit. The Trevor Project is not currently active in the program — only because the administration cancelled the service it specialized in. The six other crisis centers that worked on the LGBTQ+ youth program remain active in the 988 network, but they also serve the general population. The Trevor Project’s mission is specifically to serve LGBTQ+ youth.
Dr. Christine Yu Moutier, chief medical officer for the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention, said it “would not make sense” to keep the Trevor Project ineligible to help, describing the organization as a “longstanding, high-quality and trusted resource” for LGBTQ+ people.
Jaymes Black, CEO of the Trevor Project, said in a statement that “this troubling development indicates a dangerous step toward degrading the clinical standards to serve high risk groups that the ‘press 3’ specialized services were founded on.” Black said the next iteration of the services “may exclude transgender and non-binary youth entirely.”
The Trevor Project continues to independently operate its own 24/7 crisis line for LGBTQ+ young people.
Senator Tammy Baldwin, a Wisconsin Democrat who has led a bipartisan push to restore the service, called on President Donald Trump to restore the option “without needless limitations and with the most qualified, experienced people answering the phone calls and text messages from these vulnerable young people.”
A spokesperson for the Department of Health and Human Services did not directly respond to questions about the Trevor Project’s eligibility for the relaunch.
When the administration cancelled the “press 3” option last year, federal officials said LGBTQ+ youth could still access help through 988’s general services and that the change would “no longer silo” services but instead “focus on serving all help seekers.” Mental health experts have said the specialized services are critical because LGBTQ+ youth attempt suicide at higher rates than the general population.