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Operators, peers and callers urge state to fund California Peer‑Run Warm Line as volumes surge
Summary
Peer counselors, providers and people who use the service urged the Legislature to fund the statewide California Peer‑Run Warm Line and affiliated multilingual hotlines, citing sharply increased demand and an estimate that the warm line diverts thousands of potential 911/ED contacts each year.
Multiple peer‑run crisis‑alternative programs and providers testified at the end of the subcommittee hearing, urging the Legislature to sustain and expand funding for the California Peer‑Run Warm Line, CalHOPE and the statewide Spanish warm line. Operators said volume has surged and that peer‑run services prevent many callers from entering emergency systems.
Scale and impact reported
- Peer‑run network leaders said call, text and chat volumes have risen dramatically; one witness said March call volume neared 40,000 interactions in a single month. - MHASF (Mental Health Association of San Francisco) and other warm‑line partners estimated that the warm line prevents roughly 14,000 potential 911/ED contacts annually —…
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