Amid a $7 million deficit to Texas’ suicide hotline, thousands of calls are abandoned monthly

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.