These numbers are answered around the clock and do not turn people away for lack of papers, insurance, or sobriety. If a number stops working, tell us — there is a button at the bottom of every card.
Text 911 if you cannot speak. Note: SMS does not automatically transmit your location. Lead your first message with where you are.
911 dispatches police, paramedics, or fire. If your concern is mental health and a police response could make things worse, call 988 or a crisis line below instead — they are not first responders.
If this is for someone else
You can call any of these numbers on behalf of another person. Counselors will not require their consent to talk. Be honest about what you're seeing. If the person is in front of you and unwilling, ask the counselor what they recommend before doing anything.
Crisis lines — no gating on status, insurance, or sobriety
Call or text 988. For Spanish call 988 and press 2, or text AYUDA to 988. Counselors are trained listeners — they will not automatically dispatch police.
Help is available in English, Spanish, and 240+ via interpreter. You do not need immigration-status documents to ask for help. Police are not dispatched by this service. There is no charge for this service. You do not need ID or other paperwork to ask for help. What you share is kept confidential and is not reported.
The "Press 3" LGBTQ+ specialized option was defunded by the federal government on July 17, 2025. For LGBTQ+ crisis support, contact the Trevor Project or Trans Lifeline (below).
Text HOME to 741741. Free on major U.S. carriers. Useful if you cannot speak out loud or do not want to.
Help is available in English and Spanish. You do not need immigration-status documents to ask for help. Police are not dispatched by this service. There is no charge for this service. You do not need ID or other paperwork to ask for help. What you share is kept confidential and is not reported.
Trained for distress related to natural disasters, mass violence, fires, public-health emergencies. For Spanish press 2.
Help is available in English, Spanish, and 100+ via interpreter. You do not need immigration-status documents to ask for help. There is no charge for this service. You do not need ID or other paperwork to ask for help. What you share is kept confidential and is not reported.
Call 1-866-488-7386, or text START to 678678. Counselors are trained in LGBTQ+ youth crisis.
Help is available in English and Spanish. You do not need immigration-status documents to ask for help. There is no religious requirement. What you share is kept confidential and is not reported. There is no charge for this service.
Peer support staffed by trans people. They will not dispatch police or emergency services without your explicit consent — a difference from most other lines.
Help is available in English and Spanish. You do not need immigration-status documents to ask for help. Police are not dispatched by this service. There is no religious requirement. What you share is kept confidential and is not reported. There is no charge for this service.
Call 988 and press 1, or text 838255. Counselors are veterans or trained in military culture.
Help is available in English and Spanish. You do not need immigration-status documents to ask for help. Police are not dispatched by this service. There is no charge for this service. You do not need ID or other paperwork to ask for help. What you share is kept confidential and is not reported.
8825 Troost Ave, Kansas City, MO 64131 · directions
Hours: Outreach center hours vary — call first
Transit: RideKC Route 71 (Troost MAX)
Tiny-home village plus an outreach center for VA paperwork, ID recovery, benefits, and basic needs. Any veteran, any discharge.
Serves people in Missouri. Help is available in English. You do not need immigration-status documents to ask for help. This service is for veterans. Pets are allowed. You can reach this service without a car. You do not need ID or other paperwork to ask for help. There is no charge for this service. What you share is kept confidential and is not reported.
National Call Center for Homeless Veterans: 1-877-424-3838 (24/7). KC Vet Center: 816-922-5300 at 4800 Main St Ste 107, KCMO. Readjustment counseling — discharge status not a bar.
Information & referral (211)
211 will not solve a problem on the call. They will tell you what is open and accepting people. The Missouri-side and Kansas-side 211s are separate.
Dial 211 in Missouri. Direct line: 816-474-5112. Referrals for food, rent, utilities, mental health, healthcare.
Serves people in Missouri. Help is available in English, Spanish, and interpreter on call. You do not need immigration-status documents to ask for help. There is no charge for this service. You do not need ID or other paperwork to ask for help.
Dial 211 in Kansas. To text, send your ZIP to 898-211 — that line is staffed weekdays only.
Serves people in Kansas. Help is available in English and Spanish. You do not need immigration-status documents to ask for help. There is no charge for this service. You do not need ID or other paperwork to ask for help.
KC summers are dangerous. Heat index above 105°F is common from June through September. The combination of heat, humidity, and concrete makes heat illness one of the metro's quiet public health emergencies — and gets worse during World Cup weeks when tourist corridors absorb more public attention than residential ones.
KCMO Cooling Centers: KCMO opens designated cooling centers at recreation centers and libraries when heat index hits the threshold. Locations posted at kcmo.gov; or call 311.
Jackson County / Wyandotte / Johnson: similar programs activated by county health departments. Call 211 for the closest open center to you.
Libraries during normal hours: the cheapest cooling center we have — open, air-conditioned, no purchase required, restrooms, water fountains. See libraries.
Hope Faith day shelter:816-471-4673 — air-conditioned day services M-F 7am-3pm.
Salvation Army Operation Heat Wave: distributes fans and bottled water during heat advisories. Call 816-756-2769.
Signs of heat illness: cramps, heavy sweating then stopping sweating, confusion, vomiting, very high body temperature. Call 911 for heat stroke. Move to shade or air conditioning, hydrate, cool the body with water on skin.
During the FIFA World Cup (June 2026 onward), confirm cooling center hours each week — schedules sometimes shift to align with tourist routes rather than residential need.
Once you've made the call
If you need food, shelter, healthcare, legal help, utilities, or any longer-running support after this, keep going:
