Portland’s peer-to-peer teen crisis line is staring down a sudden budget hit, with roughly $240,000 in annual Multnomah County funding on the chopping block. Advocates say losing that money would gut outreach, volunteer training and daily coverage that connects young people with trained peers when things get rough.
On Tuesday, a group of Oregon lawmakers urged Multnomah County to keep the $240,000 a year flowing to YouthLine’s outreach and crisis support, according to KOIN. The letter was signed by U.S. Sens. Ron Wyden and Jeff Merkley and Reps. Suzanne Bonamici, Maxine Dexter and Janelle Bynum, the outlet reported.
County leaders, meanwhile, say the math simply is not pretty. Multnomah County is staring at a $15.5 million shortfall in its General Fund and has already trimmed about $3.75 million from the Department of County Human Services budget, which touches youth and family programs. Commissioners have framed the process as a series of painful choices aimed at protecting core health and homelessness services, according to a Multnomah County news release.
What YouthLine Does
YouthLine is a peer-to-peer crisis and support line for people ages 10 to 24, staffed by trained youth volunteers who are supervised by clinicians. The program runs evening shifts for youth volunteers, operates call centers in Portland and Bend, and offers school outreach and workforce-development training for its volunteers, according to YouthLine.
Local advocates say the proposed cut would pull back work that now reaches thousands of young people. Emily Moser told reporters the program typically has outreach or education conversations with around 3,000 youth in Multnomah County each year and that YouthLine works with about 150 volunteers from the tri-county area annually, with roughly half living in Multnomah County, as reported by KOIN. Volunteer trainer Devin Thongdy told the outlet that “no problem is too big or small,” describing calls that range from school stress to suicidal thoughts.
Why It Matters
National research suggests crisis lines are not just feel-good add-ons. A JAMA study published this month found suicide deaths among adolescents and young adults were lower than expected after the launch of the national 988 lifeline, and the authors noted that lifeline contacts more than doubled in the years after rollout. The paper concluded that investment in 988 corresponded with measurable reductions in suicide mortality among young people and warned that keeping those gains depends on sustained funding, according to JAMA.
Local advocates and lawmakers argue that losing the county’s allocation would put immediate crisis coverage at risk and weaken the volunteer pipeline that helps prepare young people for behavioral-health careers. Commissioners say they are still considering amendments and hearing a wide range of feedback as they work to close the county’s budget gap, according to the county’s statement.
If you or someone you know needs help, YouthLine is reachable at 1-877-968-8491 and texts teen2teen to 839863 during youth-volunteer hours. The national Suicide & Crisis Lifeline is available by calling or texting 988. For more about YouthLine’s services see YouthLine.
