Crisis Support Services of Nevada's mission is to provide 24/7, free, confidential and caring support to people in crisis. We work every day to be a beacon of hope in their darkest moments and empower them to see a better tomorrow. For more than 50 years, we have provided an empathetic ear, a caring heart and a helping hand to anyone in need.
We are available 24 hours a day, seven days a week, 365 days a year to help anyone experiencing a personal crisis across Nevada and the U.S. Last year, we helped more than 67,000 people through our hotline, text line and in-person advocacy services.
Formerly known as the Crisis Call Center, Crisis Support Services of Nevada (CSSNV) is considered to be one of the longest continuously-operating crisis centers in the country. We are accredited by the American Association of Suicidology, maintain certification through the Substance Abuse Prevention and Treatment Agency and are a Standard of Excellence Partner with United Way of Northern Nevada and the Sierra.
About Crisis Call Center
Crisis Call Center was established as an outreach program of the University of Nevada, Reno, in 1966 in response to the high rate of suicide in Nevada. Working with Northern Nevada Adult Mental Health, a plan was created to establish a 24-hour suicide prevention hotline through the Department of Psychology.
During those early years, the Crisis Call Center was nicknamed “The Nevada Life Ring.” The need for this service was so great, it was quickly expanded to include support for persons in any type of crisis. We became an independent nonprofit agency in 1985, funded by government grants, individual donations and fee-for-service contracts with local agencies.
Over the years, the Crisis Call Center has continued to grow and evolve in response to community needs, expanding our services to address domestic violence, substance abuse, child abuse and elder abuse. To reflect those expanded services, we rebranded to our current name, Crisis Support Services of Nevada, in 2018, but the Crisis Call Center still exists under the new umbrella for our organization.
About Sexual Assault Support Services
Sexual Assault Support Services (SASS) was founded in 1979 as a victim response program in collaboration with Washoe County and the City of Reno to provide quality care to assault victims and to help navigate the legal system.
For more than 30 years, our highly trained and experienced team of advocates has provided immediate crisis intervention services for survivors of sexual assault. Whether victims call for support at 2 p.m. or 2 a.m., we are available free of charge at any time to be with sexual assault survivors and their family members, loved ones and friends throughout Northern Nevada and the neighboring eastern California communities.
In addition to being an emotional support system for survivors of sexual assault, SASS advocates can assist survivors through the process of reporting an assault to the police, getting a rape kit and finding support groups in their communities.
Our biggest goal is to help sexual assault victims thrive as sexual assault survivors.
44,000+
deaths by suicide in the United States each year
20%
of women will be raped at some point in their lifetime
67,000
