The Samaritans mission–implemented by professional staff and over 100 caring volunteers–is to prevent suicide by providing immediate and ongoing support to those in crisis, providing solace and support to those who have been touched by suicide, teaching caregivers and health providers the most effective ways to identify and respond to those at-risk for suicide, and making the public more aware of the extent of the current suicide epidemic and the keys to addressing it.

Providing services to people of every age, sex, culture, socio-economic standing, religion and sexual identity, Samaritans responds to every kind of personal, emotional or health-related problem imaginable, from a bad day or a broken heart to mood disorders and mental illness to a chronic or life-threatening disease, trauma or loss.

Samaritans is often the first place those who are depressed turn for help, since it is the only hotline in NYC that practices absolute confidentiality, which research has found to be a preference for many people at risk for suicide.

Hotline Mission

The mission of Samaritans confidential 24-hour Suicide Prevention Hotline is to provide immediately accessible and ongoing emotional support and/or appropriate crisis responses to individuals who are in distress, depressed, experiencing trauma or other overwhelming, self-destructive or violent feelings by making caring volunteers who are professionally trained in active listening and suicide assessments available on an as-needed basis to assist those individuals in coping during their times of crisis.

To learn more about our 24-hour Crisis Hotline, click here.

Public Education Mission

The mission of Samaritans Public Education, Training and Awareness Program is to provide lay and professional caregivers and health providers with the skills, tools, information, resources and awareness they need to increase their comfort, confidence and competency in effectively identifying, responding to, caring for and treating those individuals who are in distress, depressed, in crisis or suicidal.

To learn more about our Suicide Awareness and Prevention Education Program, click here.

Survivors of Suicide Support Mission

The mission of Samaritans Survivors of Suicide Support Program is to provide those who have lost a loved one to suicide with a supportive and caring environment–a “safe place”–that offers solace, acceptance and understanding to assist them as they attempt to cope with their loss and deal with their personal healing process in the company of others who have had a similar experience.

For more information on our Safe Place Program, click here.

To explore our programs and learn more about how Samaritans of New York helps individuals and communities in need, click here.