Overview

• On June 17, President Trump’s administration directed SAMHSA to end funding for the 988 lifeline’s LGBTQ+ Youth Specialized Services by July 17, citing its $33 million annual cost.
• The Trevor Project notified New York’s CWA Local 1180 that 212 unionized crisis counselors will be laid off on July 17, and a dozen state‐funded workers in New York and New Jersey also face job cuts.
• Since its 2022 launch, the LGBTQ+ subnetwork has served more than 1 million crisis contacts, with The Trevor Project handling over half of those calls, texts and chats.
• A Trevor Project spokesperson reported a 20% increase in crisis contacts from LGBTQ+ youth in the week following the shutdown announcement.
• New York City’s budget adds $5 million to 988 crisis intervention and establishes an LGBTQ+ Emergency Support Fund, and state lawmakers have earmarked $14 million for transgender health services.