Wisconsin Lifeline
Hotline: 1-800-273-8255
P.O. Box 22308
Green Bay,
WI
54305-2308
- About Us
- Eligibility
- Funding
Wisconsin Lifeline is a National Suicide Prevention Lifeline call center serving all of Wisconsin. Callers who are suicidal or in emotional distress can call for free and receive confidential phone support 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
The phone counselors at Wisconsin Lifeline are trained in crisis intervention and are here to listen and support callers through a crisis. Counselors may also help connect callers with local resources and offer follow-up to help support continued coping needs.
Callers can connect to Wisconsin Lifeline by calling the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-8255 from any phone with a Wisconsin area code.
For COVID-19 crises, you can also connect with help by dialing 211 from a Wisconsin phone number.
There are no eligibility requirements for accessing Wisconsin Lifeline. Wisconsin callers of any age can be connected to Wisconsin Lifeline by dialing the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline number.
Callers with a non-Wisconsin number will be routed to a call center closest to the number’s area code and may not be connect to Wisconsin Lifeline.
Veterans are welcome to access Wisconsin Lifeline services but can also reach the Veteran’s Crisis Line by calling the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 800-273-8255 and pressing 1 when prompted.
Wisconsin Lifeline is funded by a portion of Wisconsin’s Community Mental Health Block Grant Funds. The funding is allocated through a Grant Funding Opportunity issued by the Wisconsin Department of Health Services in April 2020 and awarded to Family Services NEW in May 2020.
FAQs
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Will my call be confidential?
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Calls to Wisconsin Lifeline are anonymous and any information you share will be kept confidential unless one of the following criteria below are met:
- Caller is unable to keep him- or herself safe, is at imminent risk of suicide and emergency services must be contacted for active rescue.
- Caller is unable to keep others safe, imminent risk to others exists and emergency services must be contacted for active rescue.
- We obtain a release of information permitting the sharing of caller’s information.
- A court compels the release of information pertaining to a specific caller.
Wisconsin Lifeline will always pursue the least-restrictive, least-invasive supports for each caller.
Demographic information such as age, gender, ethnicity, veteran status and county of residence may be requested to ensure the best possible supports for each caller. This information can be included in reports determining who accesses Wisconsin Lifeline, but these reports will never include identifying information or anything else shared with counselors.
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I liked the counselor I spoke with. Can I talk to that counselor all the time?
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Wisconsin Lifeline does not offer case management or ongoing counseling so callers cannot be assigned to or request a specific counselor.
To provide smooth and cohesive support of each caller, all counselors are able to access the same records when taking a call.
If a caller feels more comfortable speaking with a counselor of a specific gender, we will accommodate the preference to the best of our ability based on current staffing.
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Does it cost anything to call Wisconsin Lifeline?
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Using Wisconsin Lifeline is free of charge. You may incur charges from your cellular provider based on your individual calling plan.
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I don’t speak English or English is not my first language. Can Wisconsin Lifeline still help me?
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Yes. Wisconsin Lifeline has some bilingual counselors and staff and has access to third party interpreters 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
