When you need a supportive voice - Where do you call?

Old fashioned red rotary phone with the word, HELP, on the front — Help is as close as your phone

Everyone has experienced occasional problems in their life – sometimes not knowing where to turn. There are resources in Vermont and nationally that directly address some of the difficulties in life – and well as crisis situations. Vermont 211 has a wide range of hotlines and helplines in its database, ready to refer to callers who need someone to talk to or who have urgent needs.

Of course, for emergencies, call 988 for suicide urges or a mental health crisis and 911 for medical and other emergencies.

Hotlines are crisis intervention phone numbers or texting services that are for urgent needs. They offer direct intervention and referrals to appropriate services. They are usually staffed by trained professionals and often are provided 24/7.

Helplines, also known as warmlines, provide a helpful voice on the phone, support, and connection to resources. Vermont 211, itself a helpline, refers callers to the wide range of resources, including hotlines and helplines. Helplines are usually staffed by volunteer peers who have experienced similar problems or by paid staff, and are offered during certain hours of the day.

Hotlines range from Child Abuse help and reporting, Dating Abuse, Domestic Violence, Elder Abuse, Sexual Assault and Human Trafficking. There are also hotlines for people with Substance Use Disorder, Mental Health issues, Veterans/Military, and Post-Disaster and other related hotlines.

Helplines/warmlines also have a wide range, from focusing on Parenting, LGBTQ2+ Issues. Mental Health Concerns, Eating Disorders, Gambling Disorder, Runaway/Homeless Youth, and People with Alzheimer’s Disease, among many others.

To find out more about these hotlines and helplines, search our online community directory https://www.navigateresources.net/211vermont/ using keywords of Hotlines, Warmlines, and/or Helplines. Entering one of those words will show a list of different kinds of services – click on one and view the results.

You can always call or text Vermont 211 – 24/7 for calls; 8am-10pm Monday-Friday for texts (Text your zip code to 898211).