988 — Suicide & Crisis Lifeline
Call or text 988, or start a chat first at chat.988lifeline.org (the Lifeline's pre-chat survey — helps route you to the right counselor before you're connected).
988 is for suicidal crisis, mental health crisis, or emotional distress — for the person in crisis or someone calling on their behalf. Free, confidential, 24/7.
211 — Community & Human Services
Dial 211 or visit il211.org.
211 is the free, confidential referral line for health and human services statewide — food, housing, utility assistance, mental health and substance use services, childcare, and more. It's a good starting point when you know someone needs help but aren't sure which specific agency to call. Available 24/7 in most of Illinois, multilingual support included.
311 — City & Municipal Services
Dial 311 (within Chicago) or visit chicago.gov/311.
311 handles non-emergency city services — potholes, garbage pickup, building code complaints, non-emergency police/fire requests, and general city information. 311 is a City of Chicago service. If the person you're helping lives in a suburb (DuPage, Kane, Lake, McHenry, Will, or suburban Cook), their municipality may have its own non-emergency line instead — check that city or village's website, or call their local police non-emergency number.
In a crisis right now?
911 for immediate danger. 988 for suicide or mental health crisis (call or text). Neither 211 nor 311 is an emergency line.