Building on local success, California launches first statewide mental health hotline

California launched its first statewide mental health phone line on Monday for callers seeking to talk with someone about their mental health or emotional challenges.

The state budget allocated nearly $11 million over the next three years to expand the Warm Line, a toll-free, non-emergency, peer-run emotional support service that offers referrals as well as a compassionate ear to those in need.

The Warm Line office and call center is based in downtown San Francisco, where it has served the nine-county Bay Area since 2014. Assemblyman Phil Ting, D-San Francisco, and state Sen. Scott Wiener, D-San Francisco, spearheaded the push to fund the service expansion, making it possible for Warm Line to increase staffing and to begin taking calls from the public across the state.

Wiener said at a press conference that the phone line is designed to bridge the support gap for the many Californians at risk of a mental or emotional crisis.

Wiener said:

“They feel alone and isolated and they don’t necessarily want to go to the emergency room or they maybe don’t have the resources to seek out mental health care or counseling, but they need support.”

According to Ting, the Warm Line receives approximately 24,000 calls per year.

Ting said:

“Those are 24,000 people who just need someone to talk to.”

The staff who answer calls are people who have lived through some of the same mental and emotional challenges that callers are experiencing in the moment, Warm Line’s Program Manager Sarah Jean Flynn said.

Mark Salazar, the executive director of the Mental Health Association of San Francisco, which runs hotline, said there are number of benefits to the peer structure.

Salazar said:

“They can really relate to individuals who call. We really value that as an organization. We believe by having that experience you can relate better. You can truly understand what someone else is going through.”

Currently, Warm Line operates Mondays to Fridays from 7 a.m. to 11 p.m., Saturdays from 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. and Sundays from 7 a.m. to 9 p.m. With help from the new budget, staffing will be ramped up and the hotline is expected to be available 24/7 by the end of year.

Anyone in need can speak with a peer counselor free of charge by calling (855) 845-7415.

Jerold Chinn

Jerold serves as a reporter and San Francisco Bureau Chief for SFBay covering transportation and occasionally City Hall and the Mayor's Office in San Francisco. His work on transportation has been recognized by the San Francisco Press Club. Born and raised in San Francisco, he graduated from San Francisco State University with a degree in journalism. Jerold previously wrote for the San Francisco Public Press, a nonprofit, noncommercial news organization. When not reporting, you can find Jerold taking Muni to check out new places to eat in the city.