
HOTLINES + SUPPORT
Dealing with the COVID-19 pandemic can be very stressful for all of us, especially individuals with underlying health conditions, parents of special needs children, parents who are working remotely and homeschooling their child/children, caregivers, individuals with disabilities, people living with a mental illness, those with substance abuse issues or individuals who are in recovery for addiction. During these challenging times, many of the support services and programs that so many count on are temporarily unavailable. For ongoing help and support services, we’ve put together a list of resources for you.
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NJMentalHealthCares: NJ’s behavioral health information and referral service providing emotional support 7 days a week from 8AM to 8PM. Call 866-202-HELP (4357) or email help@njmentalhealthcares.org.
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SPAN Parent Advocacy Network: Resources presented in a user-friendly chart format, which address the categories of national information, state information, county information, education resources, health resources, parenting resources, activities for children and youth, self-care information, and multilingual resources. Family Resource Specialists, Parent Group Specialists and Community Health Workers are available to support families, educators, and health professionals by phone and email; Call 973.642.8100 or email info@spanadvocacy.org.
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SAMHSA’s Disaster Distress Helpline (DDH): 24/7, national hotline dedicated to providing immediate crisis counseling and support for anyone in the U.S. who is experiencing emotional distress or other behavioral health concerns related to a natural/human-caused disaster (including public health emergencies); Call 1-800-985-5990 or text TalkWithUs to 66746 (TTY 1-800-846-8517).
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Dial 2-1-1: If you need assistance finding food, accessing free childcare, paying for housing bills or other essential services, visit 211.org or call 211 to speak to someone who can help (run by the United Way).
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Rutgers University Behavioral Health Care Call Center: 24/7 free peer support helplines for New Jersey residents; 1-800-969-5300.
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American Association of Poison Control: 24/7 free confidential help and accurate Poison Control answers online or by phone; call 1-800-222-1222 or complete the prompts online (click here).
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Care2Caregiver: Support for caregivers who are caring for a family member with memory loss, Alzheimer’s, dementia or a related disorder 8AM-8PM: 1-800-424-2494. For tips for Caregivers managing COVID-19, please click here. For tips on how to stay engaged while social distancing, click here.
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Caregiver Help Desk: Contact the Caregiver Action Network’s Care Support Team to find information to help you navigate complex caregiving challenges; Caregiving experts are available by phone between 8AM and 7PM; Call 855-227-3640
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MOM2MOM: 24/7 hotline that provides mental health and peer support for mothers of special needs children; 1-877-914-6662.
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New Jersey Peer Recovery: For individuals with substance abuse problems or those in recovery needing support, Monday through Friday from 8AM-10PM; 1-833-422-2765.
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In the Rooms: A Global Recovery Community: Free online recovery tool providing 130 weekly online meetings for individuals recovering from addiction and related issues.
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Vets4Warriors: 24/7 peer support and resource connection network for any service members, veterans, family member or caregivers; 1-855-838-8255.
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NJVet2Vet: 24/7 support for NJ veterans facing any challenges and local resource network; 1-866-838-7654.
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Veterans Crisis Line – Suicide Prevention: 24/7 support for all veterans, service members, National Guard and Reserve, their family members and friends; Call 1-800-273-8255 (Press 1), text 838255. For those that need support for deaf/heard of hearing call 1-800-799-4889.
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COP2COP: 24/7 peer support program for NJ Law Enforcement Officers and their families; 1-866-267-2267
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Worker 2Worker: Support for DCP and P workers from 8AM-8PM; 1-855-327-7482
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Aid NJEA: 24/7 support for school staff members and their families; Counselors are on the line Monday through Thursday 12PM-8PM, Fridays 12PM-6PM; Mental health professionals from University Behavioral Health Care answer the helpline during all other hours; Call 1-866-243-6532 or email helpline@njea.org.
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The Trevor Project: 24/7 toll-free confidential hotline providing support for LGBTQ+ youth in crisis, feeling suicidal or in need of counseling services; Call 866-488-7386 or text START to 67878.
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Trans Lifeline: 24/7 hotline, peer support service and resource network, run by trans people for trans and questioning callers; Call 877-565-8860.
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National Suicide Prevention Lifeline: 24/7 free support for individuals/their families in distress, prevention and a network of resources; Call 800-273-8255
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NJ Hopeline: 27/4 peer support and suicide prevention hotline for individuals/families providing counseling, support and referrals to local resources; Call 1-855-654-6735 or text njhopeline@ubhc.rutgers.edu
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Crisis Text Line: 24/7 free text-based support to anyone in any type of crisis; text START to 741-741 to connect with a Crisis Counselor
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Child Abuse/Neglect Hotline: 24/7 anonymous hotline providing support for any person having reasonable cause to believe that a child has been abused or neglected; 1-877-652-2873 or TTY 1-800-835-5510
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Children’s System of Care: 24/7 toll-free access line for children and adolescents under the age of 21 years old; 1-877-652-7624
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The Partnership for Drug-free Kids Helpline: Hotline for anyone who is having difficulty accessing support for their family or a loved one struggling with addiction resulting from COVID-19 circumstances. Support is available in English and Spanish, weekdays from 9AM to midnight or weekends from 12PM to 5PM; Call 1-855-378-4373
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2NDFLOOR Youth Helpline: 24/7 anonymous youth hotline for teens and young adults. Call 1-888-222-2228 or email info@2ndfloor.org.
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National Domestic Violence Hotline: 24/7 support for anyone experiencing domestic violence, seeking resources or information, or questioning unhealthy aspects of their relationship; Call 1-800-799-7233, text LOVEIS to 22522 or log onto thehotline.org
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National Sexual Assault Hotline: 24/7 hotline that offers counseling, helpful information, local resources and referrals for long-term support; Call 1-800-656-4673
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National Runaway Safeline: 24/7 support for runaway and homeless youth, their parents/families, teens in crisis and others who may benefit from its services; Call 1-800-786-2929 or text 66008
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LGBTQ National Hotline: Free support to the LGBTQ community, Monday through Friday from 4PM to 12AM; Saturday from noon to 5PM; Call 1-888-843-4564 or email help@GBThotline.org.
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LGBTQ National Youth Talkline: Free and confidential peer support for the LGBTQ and questioning community ages 25 and under. Call 1-800-246-7743 Monday through Friday from 4PM to 12AM; Saturday from noon to 5PM, or email help@LGBThotline.org.
ADDITIONAL RESOURCES
Additional resources for families including a list of educational activities for all ages to maintain your mental, emotional and physical health and well-being during this time can be found by clicking on the buttons below. Explaining COVID-19 to children and individuals with disabilities can be challenging which is why we put together a list of helpful tools and resources for you to use.
