Amid a $7 Million Deficit to Texas’ Suicide Hotline, Thousands of Calls are Abandoned Monthly

The state’s 988 suicide had the nation’s fifth highest rate of abandoned calls in August, the latest data available, amid a multi-million funding deficit that could worsen as federal dollars expire.

A sign for 988, the national suicide and crisis hotline number, is posted at a North Austin parking lot on Jan. 3, 2025. Credit: Eddie Gaspar/The Texas Tribune

Thousands of Texans in need are abandoning the state’s suicide hotline mid-call every month as call centers struggle under a $7 million funding deficit and a growing suicide rate statewide.

The 988…