{"id":2170,"date":"2026-06-17T07:33:38","date_gmt":"2026-06-17T07:33:38","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/tucsonmovingreport.com\/?p=2170"},"modified":"2026-06-17T07:33:38","modified_gmt":"2026-06-17T07:33:38","slug":"211%e2%80%b2-crisis-hotline-set-to-lose-live-operators-due-to-arizona-budget-cuts","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/tucsonmovingreport.com\/?p=2170","title":{"rendered":"\u2018211\u2032 crisis hotline set to lose live operators due to Arizona budget cuts"},"content":{"rendered":"
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PHOENIX (AZFamily)<\/b> \u2014 Budget cuts are about to make it tougher for people experiencing crisis in our state to find the services they need.<\/p>\n

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Crisis hotline\u2019 211\u2032 will stop its live services come August because there\u2019s no money to keep it going. That number connects people to a human, who then directs them to the services they need.<\/p>\n

However, the new state budget, signed by Gov. Katie Hobbs, doesn\u2019t fund this crisis hotline. If this hotline is something you use, don\u2019t panic.<\/p>\n

The \u2019211\u2032 hotline will still be available, but callers will now reach an automated system, rather than a live human. Valley nonprofits say the change will only make their work more difficult.<\/p>\n

Some Phoenix residents who have used that crisis hotline say they\u2019re scared for what the future of help looks like for the most vulnerable.<\/p>\n

\u201cHomelessness here is terrible. I have never been homeless a day in my life. Never. But last July, I lost my home with my kids, and a mother who\u2019s in hospice. There is no help out there. Call 211? Don\u2019t call 211. Nothing pans out, and everything is tapped; everything is exhausted,\u201d one woman told Arizona\u2019s Family.<\/p>\n

The new state budget, passed by Republican lawmakers and signed by Gov. Hobbs, did not list funding to pay live operators for 211.<\/p>\n

While the resource itself isn\u2019t going away completely, the nonprofits that give folks the services they need are now left trying to figure out how those calls will be handled.<\/p>\n

\u201cEspecially for people in crisis, not being able to get to a person,\u201d Tanner Swanson said. <\/p>\n

Swanson works with A New Leaf, an organization that provides homelessness and domestic violence services in Phoenix. He says they get 700,000 calls per year.<\/p>\n

All the calls live operators would take may now go directly to the organizations providing the help.<\/p>\n

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\u201cThe nonprofits are going to get those calls, and we are not set up to receive those calls. We don\u2019t have people just at the ready to handle hundreds of calls,\u201d Swanson explained.<\/p>\n

Just a few weeks ago, a hotline for domestic violence survivors, known as SafeDVS, was also cut for the same reason \u2014 lack of funding. <\/p>\n

Swanson says the loss of just one more resource is squeezing the nonprofits tighter than ever.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s one of those situations where something that shouldn\u2019t happen is happening, and we\u2019re going to have to deal with it,\u201d he explained.<\/p>\n

Arizona\u2019s Family will keep tabs with Valley nonprofits to keep you updated.<\/p>\n

Leaders with Solari, a Tempe-based crisis group that runs 211, say they are working to get this resource back.<\/p>\n

In a statement, a spokesperson for Solari says:<\/p>\n

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\u201cFor 10 years, Solari has operated the 211 Arizona information and referral services program as a lifeline for individuals and families across our state, connecting people to critical resources during life\u2019s most challenging moments. More than 1.1 million referrals to services were provided. We are incredibly proud of that impact and we are deeply saddened to see live-answer services come to an end,\u201d said Justin Chase, Solari CEO.<\/i><\/p>\n

\u201cWe explored every possible path to sustain live-answer service but ultimately were unable to secure the long-term funding required to continue operating the program at its current level. While this chapter is closing, we know that the need for connection to care remains as urgent as ever.\u201d<\/i><\/p>\n

\u201cBeginning August 14, Arizonans will still be able to access the regularly updated 211 Arizona resource database at <\/i>211arizona.org<\/u><\/i> and through the automated phone system by calling 2-1-1. Solari remains committed to supporting communities through our broader network of services, including operating the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline for Arizona, and to advocating for sustainable, accessible pathways to care across our state.\u201d<\/i><\/p>\n