A specialized option on the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline for LGBTQ+ callers under 25 resumed Wednesday, Sept. 30, restoring access to counselors trained to support them after a 14-month shutdown. Callers can reach the service by dialing 988 and pressing 3. The option launched in 2022 and handled about 1.6 million contacts nationwide before the Trump administration ended it in July 2025, citing the exhaustion of dedicated federal funding. Its return was required under legislation funding the federal Department of Health and Human Services this year, following a bipartisan push in Congress. Wisconsin U.S. Sen. Tammy Baldwin, who helped establish the 988 hotline, said she added the restoration requirement to federal law after concluding the administration would not reinstate the service on its own. “This lifesaving resource never should have gone away in the first place,” Baldwin said in a statement. The shutdown also increased pressure on crisis providers. Family Services of Northeast Wisconsin handled about 75% of calls and texts to 988 from within the state before the specialized option was discontinued. The organization’s director, Holli Fisher, said calls routed to its center increased 21% over the past year, rising from nearly 9,500 in August 2025 to more than 11,500 this August. Fisher said the nonprofit hired additional staff to handle the increased demand for calls, chats and texts. She welcomed the return of a service that connects LGBTQ+ callers with specialized support, noting that LGBTQ+ people face a higher risk of suicide. Research has found that LGBTQ+ youths are four times as likely as their heterosexual and cisgender peers to consider or attempt suicide. Anyone experiencing suicidal thoughts, emotional distress or a mental health crisis can call or text 988 at any time, or use the 988 Lifeline’s online chat.