Get Immediate Support
Call the Warm Line by phone
Proudly serving all of California!
View the full video of our Warm Line Press Conference announcing that our Peer-Run Warm Line is available throughout the entire state of California. This press conference included Assemblymember Phil Ting, State Senator Scott Wiener, our executive director Mark Salazar, and our Warm Line Manager/Counselor Sarah Jean Flynn.
The Peer-Run Warm Line (1-855-845-7415) is a non-emergency resource for anyone in California seeking emotional support. We provide assistance via phone and webchat on a nondiscriminatory basis to anyone in need.
Some concerns callers share are challenges with interpersonal relationships, anxiety, panic, depression, finance, and alcohol and drug use.
28,204 calls and chats
Average of over 4,000 calls per month
Referrals to 250
unique resources
2,002
service linkages
"I am enthusiastic about your line existing, the Warm Line has a much different, better energy than other mental health services I have used in the past."
Why a "Warm Line" and not a "hotline"?
Think of a pot that's been left unattended and has started to boil over. Things are burning and smoke is filling the room, and we have to act now to prevent the damage from getting worse. Distress left for too long can be like that pot--suddenly boiling over into a crisis.
But it takes time and a lot of heat to get to that boiling point. What if we'd done something sooner, while things were warming up but not yet dangerously hot?
The Warm Line aims to be a highly accessible, low-threshold mental health resource that people can use to seek support before they've reached the crisis point, in the hope that support now will prevent crisis later.
We also call ourselves the Warm Line because we aim to bring the warmth of authentic human connection to every conversation. Because our counselors are all peers, with their own lived experiences of mental health challenges, we speak from a place of empathy, understanding, and hope for recovery.
Warm Line in the Press Coverage
USA Today - It's not a hotline, it's a 'warmline': It gives mental health help before a crisis heats up
ABC San Francisco - California launches 1st statewide mental health line which will be toll-free, staffed daily
CBS San Francisco - ‘Warm Line’ Mental Health Phone Line Expands To Cover All Californians
East Bay Times - What you can and cannot expect from California’s new mental health line
The Hill - California creates first toll-free statewide mental health line
KALW - How Can We Improve Access To Mental Health Care In The Bay Area?
KRON News - FIRST STATEWIDE MENTAL HEALTH LINE
NBC Bay Area - Need Someone to Talk to? California Launches Mental Health Hotline for Calls or Instant Messaging
San Francisco Public Press - S.F. Warm Line Expands Peer-Run Mental Health Support Statewide
Want to support our cause?
Donate, Work at the Warm Line, or Share a Testimonial
The Peer-Run Warm Line has been in operation since 2014. We need new staff members to help us operate our call center and keep this vital Bay Area resource alive and thriving.
The successful candidates for our Warm Line Coordinator and Warm Line Counselor positions will have their own lived experience of mental health challenges, will be ready to share their own experiences with others, and will thrive in a setting that requires ongoing communication, multitasking, problem-solving, cooperation, and commitment to recovery values.
If you love connecting with people and are passionate about peer-to-peer mental health, check out our open Warm Line positions and apply!
Warm Line Testimonials
Mark, Santa Clara County Caller
"I work for CPS Child Protective Services, and you guys have been an absolute Godsend, an absolute Godsend to help me process some of the things that I am walking into when I'm investigating child abuse so when I get a referral or something that strikes a nerve or a chord, I can call you guys… I can't thank you guys enough for being supportive of me. God, I wish I could call you every day or as often as needed - you’re that invaluable to me and the community… I have given your number out as well. So you guys. God bless you all and I really, really, really hope you get your funding restored. "
Colin, Alameda County Caller
"I'm not always suicidal, sometimes I just need to talk and so I don't necessarily want to call the crisis line, the suicide prevention line, and also the people there are not peers and I don't feel as comfortable. I feel more comfortable talking to people on the warm line because they've been through what I've been through so I don't feel so much that like the other person is trying to be above me, or can't share anything about themselves like on the crisis lines. On the Warm Line, I feel like more equal, and I appreciate that. I want to have an equal conversation with somebody… that makes me feel more comfortable and the Warm Line is extremely helpful and extremely important, and I think critical to people's well-being in the Bay Area. So I pray to God there is some way that this thing can continue to be funded. The people that work the Warm Line are great people."
Clarissa, Southern California Caller
"I have always since the middle of college found the San Francisco Peer Run Warm Line to be a particularly good resource for me. My experience up until that point quite frankly, was that I would call into crisis lines or warm lines, and in particular despair and usually walking away from the call I would feel often more misunderstood. That was my perception of these kinds of Crisis lines. What completely flipped my experience is San Francisco Warm Line. I always have felt incredibly grateful, and wish that I could give financially, too. I’m not in a position to do so at this moment, so this is my small way of lending my support. I really hope that you can extend services back to the entirety of California at least again and what they do is amazing."
Suzanne, California Caller
"I’m actually a licensed psychologist in California, and I generally do well and I have a lot of resources to help myself but there's times when life’s pressures are very hard and I can reach out to the Warm Line, and I have found the support crucial to my mental health and my ability to offer support to other people who are going through suffering mentally. So, I hope you'll fund this program. It's crucial for these times and will save so much money ultimately in the ER rooms and down the line. Thank you to all the people who work at the warm line."
Adrian, San Mateo County Caller
"Hi, I've been calling the Warm Line for at least 6 months, if not longer, and all your counselors have voices like angels and are so intelligent and wonderful listeners, and they could always summarize the stress that I'm going through, and it enables me to keep working to support myself… Truthfully they have helped me more than some psychotherapists. So I hope that you'll continue to fund this service. Thank you."
Leave us a testimonial
We'd love to hear from you! If you'd like to voice your support for the Warm Line please call and leave us a voicemail expressing your experience with the Warm Line and how it has made a difference in your life. Please remember to use only your first name or an alias and the city you are from. Example: “Hi, This is John from San Francisco. I support the Warm Line. It changed my life…” You can also send us a video or message expressing your support via email to fundthewarmline@mentalhealthsf.org. We do not post testimonials of callers without their expressed permission.
