What should I do if I can’t reach the Hotline?
We do our best to answer as many calls as possible from our trans community. Here’s why you might not have gotten to speak with someone when you called and what you can do next:
Why wasn’t my call answered?
We often experience high call volumes, and the number of calls we receive has greatly increased since the start of the pandemic and the rise in anti-trans violence in recent years. Because we guarantee trans/nonbinary-identified operators, we have a limited number of operators. We’re always working on expanding coverage to meet our community’s needs better.
Why didn’t I get put in a hold queue?
We cannot support a queue at this time due to unprecedented community demand.
Why wasn’t my call forwarded to another national hotline with available operators?
Unlike other hotlines, we don’t forward our calls to other services when all our operators are busy. Because we offer peer support from trans people, we cannot guarantee trans operators on other lines. We’re a peer support line, not just a crisis line, so we don’t forward calls to crisis lines. Lastly, we do not practice non-consensual active rescue or call 911, so we do not forward to other lines who do.
What should I do now?
If you didn’t get through, please keep trying because we want to talk with you.
In the meantime, here are some resources that may be helpful:
- First, you may want to ground, center, or do some breathing. These self-care resources can guide you through some ways to do that.
- Do you need immediate help? Reach out to these community-based crisis supports.
- Use these finder tools to find financial resources, shelter, and public benefits, or visit our categorized resource library.
- Try calling us again.
- Try another hotline or warmline: Please be aware that most other lines engage emergency first responders and law enforcement and have differing levels of trans competency.
Note: Periods of high call volume may also mean that if you are having a casual conversation, an operator may need to wrap up the call to get to other callers. Please know you are welcome to call back any time.