April 6, 2024 | By Emilie Jacques
Closure comes after long-term drop in use and launch of many new hotlines
The always-available Crisis Line at Copper Shores Community Health Foundation will be discontinued on June 1, 2024. This decision comes after much deliberation, and a long-observed consistent drop in use.
“I’m proud of the innovative and meaningful work that’s been done here, but it’s time for us to make the hard decision to discontinue our local crisis line,” Senior Program Director Rebecca Crane said. “The mental health hotline industry has expanded so much since we started the crisis line more than 50 years ago, and we’re confident this will result in better service for people in need.”
As the hotline industry has matured, most of the calls that the Copper Shores Crisis Line once received are going elsewhere, with local call volume decreasing by more than 85 percent in the last seven years. Increased salience and short easy-to-remember numbers like the national suicide hotline 988, have grown in prevalence. These hotlines are often highly specialized and staffed with dispatchers trained for specific areas in mental health.
“Because the people who answer help lines are often trained in specific fields, they are able to provide better care and services that are more appropriate for the type and level of trauma,” said Crane. “They are knowledgeable of the most up-to-date coping techniques, laws and resources available to victims of a particular type of trauma.”
When the Crisis Line was created more than a half century ago, crisis lines were much less common, and most often covered general crises. Throughout the years the local crisis line, run by what was then Dial Help, went through many changes to best serve our community. That often included 24/7 staff and/or volunteers at the office in downtown Houghton. A couple years ago the crisis line transitioned to utilizing a call center located in downstate Michigan.
“We’re thankful for all of the people who kept our crisis line going throughout the years,” Crane said. “We helped so many people get through difficult times, and it wouldn’t have been possible without selfless people who wanted to help.”
Today, there are hotlines for both specific audiences and specific trauma. Many hotlines are created to serve particularly vulnerable groups like seniors, children and people living with chronic illness, as well as those who have experienced a particular type of trauma such as PTSD, sexual abuse or financial fraud.
“People will need to adjust to calling other crisis lines,” said Crane. “We have a robust listing of reputable crisis and texting lines both in Michigan and nationally on our website that gets updated regularly.”
Community partners who provide mental health services have already received a letter explaining the closure and new plans put in its place. Businesses that listed the crisis line numbers on their websites will need to transition that information to other crisis lines moving forward. The line will be actively receiving calls until May 31, 2024. One June 1 a recording will begin playing instructing people where to go if they are in crisis.
While the crisis line is being phased out, all other programming that was formerly offered by Dial Help (now Copper Shores) remains in place. That includes a robust Victim Support department with a Child Advocacy Center, Sexual Assault Response Team, LOSS Team, and Outreach & Education programming that includes the Safety Net Program, School-Based Prevention Education and Family & Community Support. A new 24/7 Sexual Assault Hotline is also launching this spring.
A list of resources and call centers available to the community can be found at coppershores.org/resources. Additional information on the Copper Shores Crisis Line, including a FAQ, can be found at coppershores.org/crisis-line.
