LAist, August 2026
California 988 suicide and crisis lifeline contact centers — including the one in Los Angeles — say they are struggling to keep up with increased demand because of a lack of funding.
Providers report that 65% of crisis chats and texts were rerouted to other states last year because they didn’t have enough counselors. The more than 246,000 contacts handled in 2025 is up by about 43,000, nearly 20% higher than in 2024.
