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Crisis center First Link urges funding to meet surge in 988 volumes, requests 8–10 staff
Summary
Jennifer Illich, executive director of First Link, told the appropriations panel that 988 and 211 usage has risen sharply and that the center needs 8–10 additional full-time employees in 2025 to keep answer rates low and maintain life-saving response capacity.
Jennifer Illich, executive director of First Link, told the House Appropriations Committee’s Human Resources Division that 988 (the national suicide and crisis lifeline) and 211 (information and referral) demand in North Dakota has risen sharply and that state budget decisions should prioritize ongoing funding for these services.
"These services are quite literally lifelines for community members in North Dakota who are struggling in the most desperate painful moments of their life," Illich said. She advised the committee her organization operates both the state’s 988 lifeline center and the 211 helpline and asked members to support House Bill 1012, which she said would…
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