Mission Statement: Provide crisis support, connect people to resources, share vital data and insights, and advocate to meet community needs.
VISION: A community where everyone can access crisis support, trusted knowledge, and vital resources.
VIA LINK is a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization that provides a range of services to the people of Louisiana. We provide counseling to those in crisis, help people connect with critical services, give suicide intervention, offer opioid counseling and more. These services are provided over phone, text, and online chat services 24/7, 365 days a year.
Core Values:
- Compassion: We lead with empathy, are people-centered, build community, and seek to treat every person with dignity and respect in all situations.
- Collaboration: We work together and build trust with each other, partners, and the community to benefit those in need.
- Creativity: We bring optimism and resourcefulness to challenges and foster innovative solutions.
- Quality: We show up with passion and honesty to provide responsive, reliable, best in-class service, grounded in evidence-based practices.
- Data-Driven: We seek to use and understand data and the insights it brings to improve everything we do.
1920s
Roots of VIA LINK’s began in Southeast, Louisiana when the region faced the hardships of the Great Depression. A group of citizens recognized the need to connect people with resources that could help them and begin to create lists of resources and help people reach out to them.
1972
An organization known as the Volunteer and Information Agency formed to help individuals with health and human services needs.
1995
Suicide intervention and crisis services were added to further assist the community.
2000
The organization modified its name and mission to focus on the provision of information and crisis services for the Southeast Louisiana.
2000
The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) designated 2-1-1 as a nationwide number that could be dialed to access human services information and referrals
2001
The organization began providing 2-1-1 services and began operating as VIA LINK, a non-profit 501c3 organization.
2004
The agency was certified by the American Association of Suicidology.
2011
In May of 2011 VIA LINK was awarded Agency Accreditation by AIRS (Alliance of Information and Referral Systems)
2013
VIA LINK established a Contact Center Specialist Volunteer / Internship program for students and others seeking to serve the community through Information & referral and crisis intervention services.
2015
VIA LINK launched the Crisis Teen Textline to provide emotional support to youth by text message.