Representatives of 180 Turning Lives Around Inc. were joined recently by New Jersey Department of Children and Families (DCF) Commissioner Kimberly Ricketts to announce the successful statewide rollout of the 2nd Floor Youth Helpline.
The event was held at Trenton Central High School.
The 2nd Floor Youth Helpline is part of Gov. Jon S. Corzine’s Strategy for Safe Streets and Neighborhoods and was funded in large part by DCF.
Prior to the press conference, Corzine said, “Improving the well-being of our children is the most important investment we can make. The 2nd Floor youth helpline gives young people a place to turn to before violence or tragedy occurs. It’s important for kids to know that they can call about anything, anytime, from anywhere.”
2nd Floor is part of 180 Turning Lives Around, a private Monmouth County nonprofit organization dedicated to ending domestic violence and sexual assault. The youth helpline provides young people with a tollfree number connecting them with adult counselors trained to offer non-judgmental advice.
Since 2nd Floor went statewide on Sept. 1, it is available to more than 1 million young people between the ages of 10 and 24.
According to a press release, in less than four weeks after the program went statewide, 2nd Floor had already received nearly 3,000 calls from children living in each of the state’s 21 counties. An even larger call volume is anticipated as schools and nonprofit organizations continue to spread the word about the helpline.
“Before the statewide launch of 2nd Floor, there was no one place youth could call where no topic was off limits,” DCF Commissioner Kimberly Ricketts said. “Now youth can call to talk through any challenges they might be facing – whether the issue is substance abuse, domestic violence, self-esteem, eating disorders, family conflict, racism, bullying, gangs or peer pressure.”
The telephone number for the 2nd Floor is 888-222-2228.
Trenton School District Superintendent Rodney Lofton expressed his support for the 2nd Floor Youth Helpline.
“This program is not a substitute for what we have in school,” Lofton said, “but sometimes you cannot always see your counselor on the drop of a dime.”
New Jersey Natural Gas Chief Director of Consumer and Community Relations Tom Hayes took the opportunity to announce that New Jersey Natural Gas has donated $100,000 to 2nd Floor.
Hayes said that the donation from the company had two purposes: to help fund 2nd Floor and as a challenge to other corporations to follow their lead.