Skip to content
Porch Light Dads

Find help

Crisis and mental health support for dads

If you're in a hard season, this page is a place to start. The national lines below work anywhere in the U.S., any hour. Below them, pick your state for local support.

Right now this directory covers crisis and mental health support. More categories are being added as each one is verified.

Safety comes first: A general community resource cannot determine whether a situation is safe. If another person is threatening, controlling, stalking, or hurting you or a child, do not use a shared or monitored device if that could increase risk. If danger may be immediate, contact the emergency service for your current location.

Available everywhere in the U.S., any hour

These work from anywhere in the country. If nothing else on this page fits, start here.

  • Emergency Services (911)

    Emergency response hotline

    Call 911

    Call 911
    Hours:
    For emergencies
    Who it's for:
    United States; use for immediate emergencies or imminent danger

    Visit website

  • 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline

    Crisis hotline / text / online chat

    Call or text 988; chat at 988lifeline.org

    Call 988Text 988
    Hours:
    24/7/365
    Who it's for:
    Everyone in the United States; emotional distress, mental-health or substance-use crisis, suicidal crisis, or concern for someone else

    Visit website

  • Crisis Text Line

    Crisis text service

    Text HOME to 741741

    Text 741741
    Hours:
    24/7
    Who it's for:
    United States; free, confidential text-based support for people in crisis or emotional distress

    Visit website

  • SAMHSA's National Helpline

    Treatment referral and information hotline / text

    Call 1-800-662-HELP (4357); TTY 1-800-487-4889; text a 5-digit ZIP code to 435748 (HELP4U)

    Call 1-800-662-4357TTY 1-800-487-4889Text 435748
    Hours:
    24/7, 365 days a year
    Who it's for:
    Individuals and families in the United States facing mental-health and/or substance-use disorders; treatment referral and information service, not counseling

    Visit website

  • Veterans Crisis Line

    Specialized crisis hotline / text / online chat

    Dial 988 then press 1; text 838255; chat via Veterans Crisis Line website

    Call 988Text 838255
    Hours:
    24/7/365
    Who it's for:
    Veterans, service members, National Guard and Reserve members, and people who support them; VA enrollment is not required

    Visit website

  • 211

    Community resource navigation hotline / website

    Call 211; use local resource search at 211.org

    Call 211
    Hours:
    Availability varies by local 211 provider
    Who it's for:
    United States; local referral and community-resource navigation, including behavioral-health supports

    Visit website

Support in your state

Every state page also repeats the national lines above, so you never land somewhere with nothing.

Can't reach something here, or not finding what you need? National resources are always available →

Where this list comes from

This list is put together by hand by Josh Moore, who runs Porch Light Dads — a community of fathers, not clinicians. Every entry was checked against the organization's own site before it went up, and the date it was last checked is at the bottom of this page. We don't accept payment for a listing and we don't rank anyone.

Last verified: August 15, 2026.