PONTIAC, Mich. – At the Common Ground Crisis Helpline call center, the calls are coming in.
"You're really brave for reaching out today. It takes a lot of courage to reach out when you're not feeling so good," says volunteer Sara Majoros.
Majoros been volunteering on the hotline for the past seven years. It's a commitment that's very personal.
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"My brother died 2001. He was 33, and he killed himself," explained Majoros. "We try not to say 'commit suicide.' That's what I learned in training. It sort of promotes the stigma of suicide being sinful, like you commit sins, you commit crimes. So he died by suicide."
Majoros says helping others deal with their struggles has helped her too.
"Working here makes me feel like I'm turning that worst thing into my best thing," said Majoros.
Common Ground is a non-profit agency in Pontiac, Mich., devoted to helping people in crisis find hope. But about six years ago, the organization realized they needed a new way to connect.
"It was the beginning of kids not picking up the telephone and using it to make calls. Certainly they use their phone a lot, but it's for other things," said Common Ground CEO Heather Rae. "So we had to prepare for, how are we going to reach the youth in our community in crisis if they're not going to call us?"
They decided to develop a feature that allowed people to text or online chat instead. While it obviously appeals to teenagers, volunteers say people of all ages are reaching out via text and chat.
"It's like a good first step for getting the resources before saying it out loud. If you have to cry, you can cry, and no one will know," said Majoros. "People are thinking about suicide who are hopeless. They could be young, they could be old. We have talked to some senior citizens."
But while the crisis phone lines are staffed 24 hours a day, seven days a week, texting and online chats have been limited to five days a week from 4 p.m. to 10 p.m.
Common Ground estimates they're missing about 12,000 texts and chats per year from people in crisis.
"We asked how we could help, and they said, 'Well, what would really help would be to be able to expand the times of the crisis text line,'" said Dr. David Wood, Chief Medical Officer at Beaumont Health.
At Wood's urging, Beaumont Health is now donating funds to make the chat and text feature much more accessible.
"We're able to expand those hours to seven days a week, 4 p.m. to 2 a.m., which is a really key time for youth to be texting and chatting," said Rae.
"This is a really big deal for us, and we want to see it be very, very successful," said Wood. "If we can help to be even able to save one life, it's well worth it."
Wood actually volunteered at Common Ground as a teenager. He understands all too well the impact of that one life.
"I've been touched by suicide. My mom killed herself when I was 19 and that's a tough thing to go through," said Wood. "You oftentimes wonder what were their last thoughts and if that kind of service had been available for her, you know maybe things would be a little bit different."
The expanded text and chat hours will start in about 60 to 90 days, as soon as additional staff is trained. The ultimate goal is to expand the text and chat feature to 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Common Ground hopes Beaumont's donation will encourage others to give.
"Crisis happens 24 hours a day," said Rae.
Common Ground says no matter how you reach out -- reach out.
"It's like the first door to go to if you need help. You know, people that are struggling, scared, don't know what to do," said Majoros. "Talk to someone that will listen to you, which is the first step, having someone actually hear you and not judge you. And then guide you to resources."
To reach the Common Ground Crisis Hotline, call or text 800-231-1127.
To access the online chat, click here.
To learn more about other services offered by Common Ground, click here.
