Mission & History

What We Do 

• We offer hope to individuals and communities on our crisis and emotional support helplines, most of which answer calls 24/7.
• We educate, train, and advocate for prevention in communities and across the region.
• We dispel myths and break stigma around substance use and suicide.

Our Commitment to Equity

Lines for Life is committed to the support of all, and we recognize that in meeting the mental health needs of communities of color, one size does not fit all.

Lines for Life is aware that there are numerous threats to the mental health of communities of color including systemic oppression, racism, deportation, language barriers, and other forms of racism and racial trauma. As a result of these issues, there are crucial disparities in treatment options and outcomes.

We also recognize that the realities of social exclusion, marginalization and stigma often make the pathways to care more complex among people of color; therefore, we focus our programs to work with other community stakeholders to improve the mental health of communities of color.

Our goal is to provide culturally responsive mental health support that addresses the issues that directly affect communities of color.

Land Acknowledgement

Lines for Life would like to acknowledge that the land where our Gala occurs is the occupied homelands of the Multnomah, Kathlamet, Clackamas, Chinook, Tualitin Kalapuya and Mollala tribes. We acknowledge the painful history of genocide and forced removal from this territory, and we honor and respect the many diverse Indigenous peoples still connected to the land where we gather.

Our Story

In 1993, three nonprofit organizations formed Oregon Partnership — now Lines for Life, after a name change in 2012 — around a common need to help Oregon prevent substance abuse and intervene in substance-related crisis.

Crisis Lines were our earliest programs — we knew that our region needed 24/7 access to trained support counselors, and we’ve been answering more calls each year since.

From the beginning, we have earned distinction as a leader in statewide, regional, and national prevention efforts.  Early on, we partnered with regional stakeholders to raise public awareness of substance abuse issues in our area. We began offering direct outreach in schools and created guidelines and reference materials to help parents and teachers relate effectively to teens.

Over our nearly three decades of service, we’ve grown to a team of over 200 professionals, with services spanning prevention, intervention, and postvention, and champions in state and regional leadership.

In 2019, Lines for Life was recognized nationally by the American Association of Suicidology (AAS) with the Crisis Center Excellence and Innovation Award. AAS is a leading national nonprofit dedicated to promoting the understanding and prevention of suicide and supporting those affected by suicide and serves as the accrediting agency for crisis call centers across the United States who answer calls on the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline.

We have developed a national reputation for keeping communities, businesses, and public officials engaged in and informed about the work of our mission.