D.C.'s 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline answered just 56% of calls at one point in 2026, one of the lowest pickup rates in the country.

The low rate stems from chronic understaffing at the D.C. Department of Behavioral Health (DBH), which runs the local crisis call center, City Cast DC reported on Monday, Aug. 31. For most of 2026, roughly 40% of crisis calls were either transferred to a national backup center or abandoned before anyone picked up.

D.C. was tied for the nation's third-lowest 988 pickup rate in July, according to state-based reports from the national 988 program cited by City Cast DC.

"The Department of Behavioral Health has failed here," D.C. Councilmember Christina Henderson, who chairs the Council's Committee on Health, told City Cast DC. "They haven't had a staffing mechanism or model that works for what's necessary."

The staffing numbers tell the story. DBH's 988 team had just four employees in fiscal year 2024, according to oversight reports cited by City Cast DC. The department reported 16 budgeted positions to the D.C. Council, but most stood empty in fiscal years 2024 and 2025.

By fiscal year 2026, nine positions were filled. But when City Cast DC asked DBH directly, a spokesperson said the team had seven full-time positions, six filled. The department did not explain the gap between that figure and what it reported to the Council.

Four recent hires helped push the pickup rate to 73% in July. A DBH spokesperson told City Cast DC the current answer rate is 80% and that the department expects to reach the 88% national average as hiring continues. The spokesperson also said no job offers were made after the department's most recent recruitment attempt.

When local operators cannot answer, calls are rerouted to a national backup network. Those counselors do not know D.C.-specific resources such as the District's Access Helpline or mobile crisis response teams, City Cast DC reported. Hannah Wesolowski, director of advocacy at the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI), told City Cast DC that unanswered crisis calls do not make the crisis disappear. They push it elsewhere, often with worse outcomes.

The problem is not unique to D.C. A Government Accountability Office report published in August found that the federal office coordinating 988 experienced staff reductions during fiscal year 2025. Nationally, 71% of crisis call center directors said their centers were understaffed, according to a survey cited by City Cast DC. But national pickup rates held relatively steady, suggesting D.C.'s shortfall is more severe than average.

The D.C. Council passed legislation in 2026 establishing a 15-cent fee on phone lines to fund 988 and other crisis mental health services. About a fifth of the revenue will go to the crisis line. Most will fund other services, including a mobile crisis response unit for children and adolescents called CHAMPS.

Henderson, who championed the legislation, said the dedicated funding could bring consistency to the system. In November 2024, D.C.'s call center answered only 33% of calls locally as crisis call volume hit a record high.

A DBH spokesperson did not answer City Cast DC's detailed questions about 988 operations.

If you are having suicidal thoughts, call or text 988 to reach the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline.