Get Help
Emergency & crisis resources
If this is an emergency, stop reading and use one of the numbers below.
Immediate danger, or thoughts of suicide
Call or text 988 — the Suicide & Crisis Lifeline. Veterans and service members press 1 to reach the Veterans Crisis Line. Free, confidential, 24 hours a day, every day of the year.
You can also chat online at 988lifeline.org, or for the Veterans Crisis Line, text 838255.
Medical emergency
Call 911.
Chest pain, difficulty breathing, uncontrolled bleeding, a head injury, overdose, stroke symptoms, or any injury you would not walk away from. Valor Medica is not an emergency department and cannot function as one.
Other lines that are staffed around the clock
| If you need | Contact | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Suicide & Crisis Lifeline | 988 (call or text) | Veterans press 1 |
| Veterans Crisis Line | 988 then 1, or text 838255 | You do not need to be enrolled in VA care |
| Medical emergency | 911 | Ambulance, police, fire |
| Overdose reversal | 911 | Missouri”s Good Samaritan protections apply — call, and stay |
| Domestic violence | 1-800-799-7233 | National hotline, 24 hours; text START to 88788 |
| Sexual assault | 1-800-656-4673 | National hotline, 24 hours |
| Shelter, food, utilities | 211 | United Way referral line for the region |
| Poison control | 1-800-222-1222 | 24 hours |
If you have found someone outside
If they are in immediate medical danger, call 911. If they are in mental health crisis, call or text 988.
If it is not an emergency but they need shelter, food, first aid or a route indoors, contact Valor Villages at (314) 714-0902. Their outreach teams work the camps and the bridges and will know the area.
Please do not post the location of someone sleeping outside on social media. Publishing where unhoused people sleep puts them at risk of assault and of having their belongings destroyed.
In extreme weather
St. Louis opens additional emergency shelter capacity during heat and cold emergencies. 211 has the current list, updated daily — it changes, so a number here would be wrong within a week.
If you are a veteran and hesitating
Discharge status does not disqualify you from the Veterans Crisis Line, and you do not need to be enrolled in VA healthcare to call it. If one bad experience years ago convinced you that you are not eligible for anything, that conclusion is worth re-checking with someone.
When the emergency has passed
Crisis lines end the emergency. They do not treat what caused it. When you are ready, we can start on that part.