401 Suicide Prevention Call Center Enhancement (SPCE)

The Illinois Department of Human Services is seeking applicants to enhance the capacity of its Suicide and Crisis Lifelines. The grant aims to provide funding for the operation of a 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline Crisis Contact Center (CCC) that can respond to calls, chats, and texts 24/7/365. The CCC will provide crisis counseling, utilize a standardized acuity screen, and maintain a high standard of cybersecurity. The grantee will be required to develop and maintain a referral database, provide a warm handoff to ongoing care, and comply with all data collection requirements. The grant will fund activities from September 30, 2026, through June 30, 2027. Key points to consider: • The grant is a performance-based grant, and applicants are expected to demonstrate past performance operating a Suicide and Crisis Lifeline center. • The grantee will be required to establish and maintain a comprehensive set of personnel policies and procedures for contact center operations. • The grantee will be required to report significant staffing and/or operations changes to the DBHR Program Manager promptly. • The grantee will be required to develop and maintain a technical plan to address requirements for text and chat contacts to have access to a warm handoff to Mobile Crisis Response Teams.