Advocates Urge California Lawmakers to Restore Funding for Parent and Youth Helpline

Supporters of the California Parent and Youth Helpline are pleading with lawmakers to restore its funding after Gov. Gavin Newsom left it out of his May budget proposal, released May 14.

Last year, lawmakers initially approved the funding but cut it at the last minute. Parents Anonymous, which runs the helpline, is asking the legislature to commit $5 million a year for the next three years.

Lisa Pion-Berlin, president and CEO of Parents Anonymous, which runs the helpline, said the loss of state funding means fewer counselors manning the phones and longer wait times.

"We have a 40% abandonment rate," Pion-Berlin pointed out. "That means that 40% of the Californians who try to call us, text us, or live chat, they abandon the call or the text because they're holding too long because we don't have the capacity to respond to them."

People can still call the National Parent Youth Helpline at 855-427-2736, which gets $2 million a year in federal funds and can go to the hotline's website. Trained counselors guide families as they confront a wide range of crises, including bullying, domestic violence and thoughts of suicide. Since 2020, the helpline has supported almost 130,000 callers and made close to 90,000 referrals.

Pion-Berlin argued the state should consider good mental health and emotional support to be a basic need.

"This program works," Pion-Berlin asserted. "It's the only helpline that's proven that from the beginning to the end of the call, 85% of the callers feel more positive, more hopeful and have a solution-focused attitude."

The program no longer offers online support groups but funds from the Los Angeles County Department of Mental Health support in-person therapy. The legislature has until June 15 to approve a balanced budget.