Community Resources

Now that you are aware of what behaviors might be an indication for concern, this section shares with you information about helpful services or resources.  

You may already be aware of trusted resources in your community. These trusted resources may include services available through the following. 

• Local schools or universities. Many local schools and universities have paid mental and behavioral health staff and social workers available to assist enrolled students and their families. Schools may also be able to connect individuals with after school or on-campus activities that assist young people in reducing social isolation and networking with peers as well as educational support services.  
• Religious institutions or leaders. There are many faith-based organizations that provide violence prevention, mental and behavioral health treatment, and crisis counseling services.   
• Youth-serving agencies. There are many different types of youth serving organizations that may be useful resources, some of which may exist in your community. These include programs often that provide youth mentoring, after-school activities, violence prevention programs or other services that aim to connect and engage young people.  
• Workplace services. Some workplaces also offer support services for their employees and/or their families or linkages to these services elsewhere. 
• Crisis Intervention Teams or Co-Responder or Alternative Response Programs. Many local police departments and county sheriff offices also operate crisis intervention teams or co-responder or alternative response programs. Crisis Intervention Teams (CITs) are made up of officers who have received specialized training on how to manage 911 or non-emergency calls for services involving persons who may be experiencing mental health crises. Co-responder programs involve first-responder teams made up of specially trained officers and social workers who respond together to calls for service involving behavioral health concerns. Alternative response programs involve calls handled directly by behavioral health specialists. Your community may have one or more of these initiatives already in place.    

It is your decision whether to reach out to those resources you are already aware of; the decision will likely depend on what you are seeing, hearing, and learning about, the person of concern (adult versus adolescent), as well as your comfort talking with those resources. In some instances, you may choose to speak with more than one resource. 

Below are supplemental tools and resources, many of which can help you locate additional resources in or around your community if needed. Many of these tools and resources offer confidential, free consultation and referral.  

Just remember, before contacting the trusted resource, be prepared to talk about the following: 

• What you saw, heard, or learned about and who is involved. 
• When and where you saw, heard, or learned about the information. 
• Description of the concerning behavior and why you feel concerned. 
• Other questions or issues you would like to discuss in relation to the identified concern 

Additional Resources 

988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline is a three-digit dialing code for confidential, free mental health support. The service is available 24/7/365. Call takers have advanced training in de-escalation and clinical suicide prevention and intervention. The 988 call center connects callers to local community-based crisis resources, including mobile crisis response teams. Center call takers are trained to manage both adult and child concerns.  

Help is Here: Talk to Someone is a website maintained by the Illinois Department of Human Services that provides links, contact information and hours for various state and national hotlines. These include the national suicide prevention hotline, crisis text line, and other online, text, or phone support services that connect individuals to programs that can help with mental health, behavioral health, or substance use concerns.  

Screening, Assessment, and Support Services (SASS) for children and adolescents is a crisis mental health program for young people experiencing a psychiatric emergency. The program provides both intensive inpatient and community-based mental health services to children and youth. This service can be reached by contacting the Crisis and Referral Entry Services (CARES) hotline at: 1-800-345-9049 (voice), 1-772-523-4505 (TTY). 

Service Provider Identification and Exploration Resource (SPIDER) is a database maintained by Northwestern University Hospital, Feinberg School of Medicine. The database, which can be accessed through the website below, allows individuals to search for mental health, domestic violence, substance use, parenting, early childhood, health, and other services in their communities. 

Safe2Help Illinois offers students a safe and confidential resource for the prevention of suicide, bullying, school violence or other threats. Students can report safety concerns 24/7 to the Safe2Help program using a free app, text/phone, or through the website. The website also provides students, parent, and educators with helpful, age-appropriate prevention resources. 

Behavioral Health Treatment Services Locator is a website maintained by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, a federal agency devoted to advancing public health efforts across the United States. Once at the website, individuals simply need to enter an address, city, or zip code to find resources in their area.  

The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs website provides information about the locations and services across Illinois for military veterans.