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

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. The state’s 988 hotline had the nation’s fifth highest rate of abandoned calls in August, the latest data available. That comes amid a multi-million funding deficit that could worsen as federal dollars expire this year. The tightened resources are occurring as the suicide rate in Texas jumped 37% from 2000 to 2022. In the upcoming legislative session, one lawmaker has filed a bill that aims to create a state trust fund for the hotline that would be supported by a surcharge collected from cellphone bills.