3/22/22 4:30 a.m.
Oregon Lines for Life, a youth mental health crisis and suicide hotline, will receive $432,000 in extra federal funding to help reduce the risk to state children and teens.
Oregon Senator Ron Wyden released a statement over the weekend that said, “I have never seen the mental health challenge greater.”
Due to the pandemic, Wyden said that young people in the state face greater mental health stressors than any generation prior.
Wyden said, “Long stretches of isolation, upending of school, risks to physical health, we have heard that call loud and clear.”
The federal money will go toward Oregon’s YouthLine, which is operated in part by 170 adolescent volunteers.
Dwight Holton, the Lines for Life CEO, said, “Young people reach other young people better.”
Volunteers take calls and text messages from people experiencing a mental health crisis, referring them to professional support and treatment options.
Oregon consistently rates at the bottom of Mental Health America rankings, which evaluates mental health issues, as well as access to care.
Wyden said the breakdown of the $432,000 will be as follows:
- $135,000 will be allocated to training and development
- Just under $123,000 will go to help establish an East Portland Mobile Satellite Team
- $100,000 will go to the Central Oregon Call Center
- $50,000 will be used for “mini-grants” for the Schools for Youth Suicide Prevention program.
- $25,000 will be funneled into the Work Study Program
Wyden said the Senate is working to secure ongoing funding and to expand more services nationwide.