GOAL

• Commitment to Mental Illness

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Mental Illness

Our community is in a mental health crisis. All across Greenville County, people of every age, income and background struggle to find access to consistent mental healthcare. With wait times for services often exceeding six months, many people only receive care once they are already in crisis. 

While there is a long way to go until all have access to the mental healthcare they need, one vital lifeline is the newly launched 988 crisis line. This lifeline provides a crucial alternative to calling 911, and can connect people to vital resources in the community. However, the State of South Carolina is not adequately funding it.  

The only 988 call center in the state is right here in Greenville, and is operated by Mental Health America of Greenville County. Right now, nearly 130 people a day contact 988 and only 50 get an in-state response because of the lack of adequate staffing. To fully staff the call center would require $3.9MM in the 2023-24 SC Budget, one tenth of one percent of the projected surplus. GOAL is calling on our state representatives to ensure that everyone who reaches a point of crisis has someone on the other end to answer. 

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