Resources Mental health and support groups
Help right now when you are in emotional crisis
If you are in emotional distress or afraid for yourself or someone else: 988 to talk, 911 if there is immediate danger. 988 is free and confidential, doesn't ask about status, and connects a Russian interpreter on a call.
NYC 988 is the City crisis line, operated by Vibrant Emotional Health for the City Health Department. It answers 24/7 by phone, text and chat: for stress, depression, anxiety, alcohol and drug problems, for you and for people you are worried about.
Start here
- If a life is in immediate danger, call 911. If you are not sure, call 988: the counselor will help you decide what to do.
- When the 988 counselor answers, say "Russian" and stay on the line: an interpreter joins in about 20 seconds (voice calls only).
- If you need someone in person, ask 988 for a mobile crisis team: it works daily 8 am–8 pm and usually arrives within a few hours.
Assess whether there is immediate danger
If someone is trying to hurt themselves, holding a knife or other weapon, talking about suicide with a plan, intent and preparations, or talking about killing someone with a plan and intent, it is an emergency: call 911. Police (NYPD) and an ambulance (FDNY EMS) will come. If you are not sure, call 988: the counselor will help you work out whether you need an ambulance or whether help without police is enough.
No danger right now but you are struggling emotionally: call 988
Calling 988 is free from any phone. A call from a cell phone is routed by where you are calling from, not by your area code, so in New York City you reach NYC 988. If you are connected to another state, ask to be transferred to NYC 988.
Say "Russian" and stay on the line
The interpreter comes through Language Line Solutions, usually in about 20 seconds, 24/7, on voice calls only. NYC 988 takes texts only in English and Spanish and chat only in English, so in Russian you need to call.
If you need someone in person, ask for a mobile crisis team
Ask the 988 counselor to send a mobile crisis team. Usually it has a clinician with a master's degree and a staff member with lived experience of mental health problems (a peer). Teams work every day, holidays included, 8 am–8 pm, and usually arrive within a few hours. No insurance or status needed.
If you are sleeping on the street: 311
Mobile crisis teams usually don't go out to people living on the street. For them the City sends homeless outreach teams (HOMESTAT) through 311. Call 311 and say "Russian": an interpreter joins.
911, 988 and a mobile crisis team
| 911 | 988 (NYC 988) | Mobile crisis team | |
|---|---|---|---|
| When it fits | Immediate danger: a suicide attempt happening now, a knife or weapon in hand, thoughts of killing someone with a plan and intent, an urgent medical need | Emotional distress, anxiety, thoughts of suicide or fear for someone close, but no immediate danger; worry about alcohol or drugs | A person in crisis, life not directly at risk, who can't or won't seek help themselves; help is needed where they feel calmer, such as at home |
| Who answers or comes | A dispatcher, then police (NYPD) and an ambulance (FDNY EMS); in parts of the city a B-HEARD team (paramedics and a mental health specialist) may go to mental health calls instead | A trained counselor or a peer; an interpreter joins by phone | Usually a clinician with a master's degree and a peer |
| Hours and speed | Any time there is danger | 24/7, all year | Daily 8 am–8 pm; usually arrives within a few hours |
You hear a recorded message with options
A recording gives options: veterans press 1, Spanish press 2, LGBTQ+ people under 25 press 3. For Russian, press nothing: stay on the line and the counselor will add an interpreter.
Wait while you are connected
Music plays while you are connected to a counselor. Don't hang up.
The counselor introduces themselves and asks whether you are safe
This is the usual first question. Say "Russian" now.
You say what is happening and the counselor listens
The counselor listens, supports you and suggests where else to get help. They may connect you to another service and later check whether you got help.
What stays between you and the counselor
Calls to 988 are confidential: nothing about you is shared without your consent, except when there is an immediate risk of harm to you or someone else or when the law requires it. Confidential is not the same as anonymous, so share only what you want to.
What each service says about confidentiality and calling emergency services; if this worries you, ask at the start
| 988 (NYC 988) | Mobile crisis team | The Trevor Project | Trans Lifeline | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Confidentiality | Confidential; nothing is shared without your consent | Ask what stays confidential; the team collects insurance details and bills your insurer if you have one | Confidential; share as much as you want | Fully anonymous and confidential |
| When they may contact others | When there is immediate risk of harm to you or someone else, and when the law requires it | Tries to avoid police; police or an ambulance may help take someone to hospital against their will only within New York State law (Mental Hygiene Law) | In rare cases of child abuse or a clear threat of suicide happening or about to happen, they may contact child protective or emergency services | Does not call 911, an ambulance or police without your clear request; may report threats of violence against others and follows the law on suspected child abuse |
911
Any status
Emergency services: when you or someone near you is in danger or needs urgent medical care. Say "Russian" and an interpreter joins. In parts of the city, for mental health calls with no weapon and no immediate threat, a B-HEARD team may come instead of police: Fire Department paramedics and a mental health specialist from NYC Health + Hospitals. They work 16 hours a day, every day, in four of the five boroughs; you can't request them, the dispatcher decides. If there is a weapon or immediate danger, police and an ambulance come.
NYC 988
Any statusFree
The free, confidential City crisis line; it doesn't ask about status. Call and say "Russian": an interpreter joins in about 20 seconds. Text and chat don't work in Russian.
Samaritans 24-hour Crisis Hotline
Any statusFree
In Russian, call 988 and say "Russian" for an interpreter. The Samaritans line is in English: a free, anonymous and confidential line from a New York suicide prevention organization; call or text any time and trained volunteers answer. It is there for loneliness, feeling low or thoughts of suicide.
Crisis Text Line
Any statusFree
In Russian, call 988 and say "Russian": an interpreter joins. Crisis Text Line answers only in English (or in Spanish if you text HOLA): text HOME to 741741 and a live volunteer counselor replies. Free and confidential.
Mobile Crisis Team through NYC 988
Any status
The team comes to a person in crisis who is not in immediate danger: it listens, assesses, calms the situation and arranges further help. You can call it through 988 for yourself, a friend, a relative or someone you know: call and say "Russian" for an interpreter. If a hospital evaluation is needed, the team can take the person to a psychiatric emergency room. It tries to avoid police; it turns to police or an ambulance to take someone to hospital against their will only if the person has a mental illness (or appears to) and is a danger to themselves or others, as defined by the state Mental Hygiene Law. Teams also go to shelters, where in-house clinicians may know you better. No insurance or status needed.
Comprehensive Psychiatric Emergency Program (CPEP)
Any status
A hospital psychiatric emergency room (CPEP): walk in at any time, and every borough has one. Staff do triage, observation, evaluation, treatment and referral. CPEPs in Queens and Staten Island are listed in the NYC 988 Find Services directory. If there is immediate danger, call 911.
The Trevor Project
Under 25Free
In Russian, it is more reliable to call 988 and say "Russian" for an interpreter. The Trevor line for LGBTQ+ young people under 25 is in English: call, text START to 678-678, or chat on the website, free and confidential. TTY (for Deaf and hard-of-hearing people): 1-866-803-3699.
Trans Lifeline
Any statusFree
In Russian, call 988 and say "Russian" for an interpreter. The Trans Lifeline line is in English (for Spanish, press 2). Trans and nonbinary people answer. You can call even without a crisis or if you are not sure you are trans. They don't call police or an ambulance without your clear request, except for threats of violence against others. The line closes on some holidays, and Trans Lifeline has not yet posted its 2026 dates; if no one answers, call 988.
988, option 3 (LGBTQ+ people under 25)
Under 25Free
Call 988 and press 3 to reach a counselor who works with LGBTQ+ people under 25. The option was shut down in July 2025 and restored on September 30, 2026, but without The Trevor Project and, as the federal agency SAMHSA said, under Executive Order 14168, under which federal agencies do not recognize gender identity. So for trans and nonbinary people, Trans Lifeline is the safer choice. In Russian, call 988 without pressing 3 and say "Russian".
Safe Horizon NYC Hotline
Any statusFree
A 24/7 line for survivors of domestic or partner violence, crime, abuse or sexual violence: crisis support, safety planning, finding a shelter and other resources. In Russian, the simplest route is the 24/7 SafeChat on the website: www.safehorizon.org/safechat/ (Russian is one of its languages). The phone line has interpreters in 25+ languages: say "Russian".
NYC Anti-Violence Project (AVP)
Any statusFree
Supports LGBTQ+ people and people affected by HIV who survived hate violence, intimate partner violence or sexual violence: free, confidential short-term counseling and support groups. The hotline is only in English and Spanish, so use the online form instead: avp.org/get-help/report-violence/ and a counselor will reach out within 48 hours. You can also walk in on Tuesdays and Wednesdays, 12–4 pm (these hours may be canceled).
Notice the signs
Warning signs: the person says they want to die, feels hopeless or trapped, calls themselves a burden, looks for ways to hurt themselves, gives away valued things, withdraws, drinks or uses much more, has sharp mood swings. Especially if this is new or came after a painful event.
Ask directly
Talk about suicide openly and calmly. Don't argue about whether it is right or whose feelings are valid.
Listen, and do not promise to keep it secret
Let the person tell their story and say that you care. Don't promise silence: both of you need support.
Call 988 for this person
You can call 988 on someone else's behalf. Have ready: what worries you in their behavior, where they are, how to reach them and how long you have noticed it.
Put away what could be used to cause harm
If you can, remove weapons and stocks of pills and help the person make a plan with people they trust. If the danger is right now, call 911.
- 988
- The US crisis line: free and confidential; from New York City you reach the City's NYC 988.
- LGBTQ+
- Lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer and other people.
- Mobile crisis team
- A team that comes to a person in crisis; usually a clinician with a master's degree and a peer. Requested through 988.
- Peer specialist
- A person with their own experience of mental health problems or addiction, trained to support others.
- CPEP
- Comprehensive Psychiatric Emergency Program: a hospital psychiatric emergency room, walk-in, any time.
- B-HEARD
- Behavioral Health Emergency Assistance Response Division: paramedics and a mental health specialist respond to 911 mental health calls. You can't request this team.
- Crisis respite center
- A warm, home-like place to stay during a crisis, free to come and go, staffed 24/7 by peers and professionals. Ask a 988 counselor how to get in.
- Vibrant Emotional Health
- The organization that operates NYC 988 for the City Health Department.
- Language Line Solutions
- The company through which 988 counselors add a phone interpreter.
- AVP (NYC Anti-Violence Project)
- An organization that helps LGBTQ+ people and people affected by HIV who have survived violence.
- Mental Hygiene Law
- The New York State law that sets out when a person can be taken to a hospital against their will.
- 311
- The City's information line. Use it to request a homeless outreach team and find many City services.
This is general information, not legal advice: QARAVAN has no lawyers. QARAVAN does not help anyone enter the US and cannot arrange visas, invitations, sponsorship or evacuation. For your own case, talk to a licensed immigration attorney or a representative accredited by the U.S. Department of Justice.
All pages: Mental health and support groups
Sources, checked November 2026
- thetrevorproject.org/get-help
- translifeline.org/hotline
- avp.org/get-help/get-support
- nyc988.cityofnewyork.us/en
- nyc988.cityofnewyork.us/en/crisis-services/mobile-crisis-teams
- mentalhealth.cityofnewyork.us/b-heard
- mentalhealth.cityofnewyork.us/how-to-access
- safehorizon.org/hotline
- samaritansnyc.org/get-support
- crisistextline.org
- samaritansnyc.org
- safehorizon.org/safechat
- avp.org/get-help
- avp.org/get-help/report-violence