LGBTQ+ Youth Can Again Press 3 on the 988 Lifeline as Specialized Crisis Counseling Returns After 14 Months

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Tammy Baldwin’s office, more than 14 months after the federal government ended it on July 17, 2025.

Help through 988 never stopped during the pause. Only the specialized menu option did. Anyone in emotional distress, or worried about someone else, can call or text 988 or chat at 988lifeline.org at any time, for free. The Lifeline’s website now states that the LGBTQ+ youth service “has been restored pursuant to funding and congressional direction.”

For parents, teachers and friends, the return restores a direct path to a counselor trained in the pressures LGBTQ+ young people may face. The instruction is simple: contact 988, then press 3.

The Press 3 option launched in 2022, with The Trevor Project, a national LGBTQ+ youth crisis organization, as its pilot provider. The service received nearly 1.6 million calls, texts, and chats from its rollout until mid-2025, according to Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) figures reported by KFF Health News.

In June 2025, SAMHSA announced the option would close. Its published statement said that on July 17, the Lifeline “will no longer silo LGB+ youth services, also known as the ‘Press 3 option,’ to focus on serving all help seekers, including those previously served through the Press 3 option.”

Congress reversed course in the fiscal 2026 spending package. The Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2026, which became law on Feb. 3, 2026, mandated that Press 3 be restored and funded with $33.1 million, according to The Trevor Project. Baldwin’s office said the law provides $535 million for 988 overall.

The restart came nearly eight months after the law was signed. Baldwin’s office said the administration had “dragged their feet” on following the law, and that she secured commitments from Health and Human Services nominees at a September Senate hearing that the option would return by the end of the month.

“When I realized the Trump Administration was not going to do it on their own, I wrote it into federal law to require them to restore the Press 3 option,” Baldwin, a Wisconsin Democrat who wrote the law creating 988, said in the Sept. 30 release. “I am glad the lifesaving support Press 3 provides is once again there for people who need it.”

One important change is that The Trevor Project, which helped build the original service, is not part of the restored version. The group said it was formally notified on Aug. 3, 2026, that it was ineligible to participate, after a June 2026 federal letter said the services must comply with what Trevor described as an anti-transgender executive order. Public announcements reviewed by MedicalDaily do not identify which crisis centers are now answering Press 3 contacts, and federal officials have not publicly detailed how the new service is structured.

“We are grateful to see that the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline’s ‘Press 3’ specialized services for LGBTQ+ youth have been restored,” Jaymes Black, CEO of The Trevor Project, said in the group’s statement. Black added that “The Trevor Project’s own 24/7 crisis lines remain available to directly support any LGBTQ+ young person in crisis.”

That means young people have more than one place to turn. Trevor’s free, confidential counselors can be reached by calling 1-866-488-7386, by texting START to 678-678, or through chat on its get help page. Any option is a valid first step.

Some states also stepped in during the pause. KFF Health News reported that California signed a $700,000 contract with The Trevor Project to train its 988 counselors.

Baldwin’s office notes that LGBTQ+ youth are more than four times as likely to attempt suicide as their peers. No single factor explains suicide risk, which is shaped by many circumstances together. Support from family, friends, schools, and trained counselors can make a real difference, and recovery is possible.

Adults may notice changes such as withdrawal from friends or activities, talk about feeling hopeless or like a burden, sharp changes in sleep or mood, or giving away belongings. Those signs are reasons to start a calm, private conversation and to ask directly how the young person is doing.

Parents and caregivers can call or text 988 themselves for guidance on how to help, even when a child is not in immediate danger. If someone is in immediate danger or has been seriously hurt, call 911 or go to the nearest emergency room.

Contacts with 988 and The Trevor Project are free, and 988 also offers text and chat in Spanish. Families seeking ongoing therapy can ask their insurer about covered providers or check community mental health centers with sliding-scale fees.

Demand for crisis help keeps rising. Baldwin’s office said Lifeline contacts are running 15% higher than a year earlier and that 988 has handled more than 27 million contacts since its 2022 launch. In Wisconsin, Family Services of Northeast Wisconsin, which answers most of the state’s 988 contacts, reported calls and texts rising from about 9,500 in August 2025 to more than 11,500 in August 2026, according to the Cap Times.

Next, watch for SAMHSA to publish details on who operates Press 3, whether the service is open to all LGBTQ+ youth, and how the $33.1 million will be spent. Congress will also set 988 funding again in the fiscal 2027 budget.

For now, the message is simple. Help is available, and recovery is possible. Anyone who is struggling, or worried about someone they love, can call or text 988, press 3 for LGBTQ+ youth support, or chat at 988lifeline.org.

It is a menu choice within the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline that connects LGBTQ+ young people with counselors trained to support them. Callers and texters reach it by contacting 988 and pressing 3.

When did Press 3 stop, and when did it return?

The option ended on July 17, 2025, and resumed on Sept. 30, 2026, a gap of a little more than 14 months.

Congress required its return and funded it with $33.1 million in the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2026, which became law on Feb. 3, 2026.

Could LGBTQ+ youth still get help during the pause?

Yes. General 988 counselors continued answering every call, text, and chat, and The Trevor Project kept its own 24/7 crisis lines open.

Is The Trevor Project running the restored service?

No. The group said it was told in August 2026 that it was ineligible to take part, though its own crisis services remain available at 1-866-488-7386 or by texting START to 678-678.

What should I do if I am worried about a young person?

Talk with them privately and calmly, and call or text 988 for guidance. Call 911 if someone is in immediate danger.