BALTIMORE — The 988 crisis hotline has been used more than 13 million times in the last three years, providing critical mental health support to Americans in need. Now, a specialized service for LGBTQ+ individuals is being eliminated.
When callers press option 3 on the 988 hotline, they're connected with representatives specifically trained to help members of the LGBTQ+ community. This service will end on July 1 due to budget cuts from the Trump administration.
A Baltimore woman who used the service after experiencing domestic violence shared her experience with WMAR. She requested anonymity for privacy reasons.
WATCH: LGBTQ+ support option on 988 crisis hotline to end due to budget cuts
"I was actually a victim of domestic violence, I was referred to them by the Baltimore City Police Department."
She explained that while her experience with police was positive, the specialized support from the 988 option 3 service was invaluable.
"My experience with Baltimore City Police Department was great, but when I had hit that number 3 number for the 988, it was much more specialized," she said.
Erin Meyer, a therapist in Baltimore who has received referrals through the 988 system, emphasized the importance of this specialized service.
"People are reaching out, and especially within the LGBTQ plus community, reaching out for specific therapists that understand what they're going through. So that's why that number 3 option on the 988 line was so important," Meyer said.
Meyer believes compassionate care should be available to everyone seeking help.
"If you are a human being, you deserve care regardless. So I think that we just need to get back into a place where compassion leads, and this is why most of us went into this field," she said.
The woman who benefited from the service questioned the decision to eliminate it.
"If we have something like this that is based around the health of someone's well-being, the health of someone's brain, of their everyday life, and it's specialized to that, then why would we want to take that away," she said.
While option 3 will be discontinued after July 1, the main 988 crisis hot line will remain operational for those seeking mental health support.
This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
