FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: October 26, 2009

CONTACT:  DCF Press Office, 609-633-8507 Lauren Kidd

 

2NDFLOOR Youth Helpline Celebrates One-Year Anniversary
Statewide helpline has received nearly 170,000 calls from youth ages 10-24

TRENTON – Department of Children and Families (DCF) Commissioner Kimberly Ricketts joined representatives from 180 Turning Lives Around at the Boys & Girls Club of Hudson County in Jersey City today to celebrate the first anniversary of New Jersey’s 2NDFLOOR Youth Helpline.  Since its statewide launch in last year, the helpline has received over 168,000 calls and 98,000 Web site hits.

“This statewide youth helpline has proven to be a valuable tool for our state’s youth, who are often facing far more challenges than generations before them,” Governor Jon S. Corzine said. “Thanks to the expansion of this resource, we are giving young people a place to go before violence or tragedy occurs.”

“Having a place to turn - that offers the right support and assistance for the daily challenges facing youth today - can go a long way in making a young person’s life a little easier, and that is just what the 2NDFLOOR Youth Helpline does,” DCF Commissioner Kimberly Ricketts said. “The expansion of 2NDFLOOR statewide is a perfect example of Governor Corzine’s efforts to prevent crime and enhance prevention efforts targeted at youth and families in New Jersey.”

The helpline - 1-888-222-2228 - is available 24-hours-a-day, seven-days-a-week to children and young adults ages 10-24. The program’s slogan is:  “Anything, Anytime, Anywhere,” and it is designed to provide universal, toll-free, confidential telephone assistance that offers immediate interactive, respectful helpline services with linkage to appropriate information and resources. 2NDFLOOR Youth Helpline operates from 180 Turning Lives Around, Inc. in Hazlet, NJ.

“The numbers prove that 2NDFLOOR Youth Helpline is filling an important need for young people throughout our state,” 180 Turning Lives Around Executive Director Anna Diaz-White said.

Calls over the last year to 2NDFLOOR Youth Helpline have varied from issues with peer relationships and sexuality to domestic violence and substance abuse.

In addition to celebrating the success of the statewide youth helpline’s first year, DCF and 180 Turning Lives Around urged communities across the state to help raise awareness and spread the word about the helpline to reach even more youth. The state and 180 Turning Lives Around is focusing raising awareness in specific areas including urban cities like Jersey City, and targeted counties including Atlantic, Cape May, Cumberland, Salem, and Sussex Counties.

To help raise awareness, you can visit the 2NDFLOOR Youth Helpline Web site at 2NDFLOOR.org.

2NDFLOOR Youth Helpline is supported by a unique partnership of state, federal and private funding sources. In 2008, 2NDFLOOR Youth Helpline was awarded $626,000 to support a statewide teen helpline as a part of Governor Corzine’s Safe Streets and Safe Neighborhoods initiative last year. That broad plan was rolled out to help prevent crime and deter gang involvement in New Jersey by investing in key prevention programs serving at-risk youth in communities experiencing a high incidence of violence and gang activity. 

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