This article was written by BenitoLink intern Brea Spencer. Lea este artículo en español aquí.
September is National Suicide Prevention month, and this year, Suicide Prevention Services is hosting a free event Sept. 26 at Gavilan College’s Hollister Campus which will provide resources to the community.
Suicide Prevention Services is a program provided by the Family Services Agency of the Central Coast.
In San Benito County, the number of calls to the 988 Suicide & Life Crisis Lifeline this year is on track to surpass last year’s figure, so Suicide Prevention Services aims to inform residents about the resources available on the Central Coast during National Suicide Prevention month.
Outreach Coordinator Andrea Nunez said that in 2024, there were 304 total calls made to the hotline, but in the first 5 months of 2025 there were 170, more than half of last year’s total.
“San Benito County is the smallest county we serve, so the numbers seem low, but the county is small,” Nunez said.
Nunez said the increase in calls doesn’t necessarily mean there has been an increase in people having mental health crises. But it could also be due to greater awareness about the services available to community members.
According to the California Department of Public Health, between 2018 and 2020, there were 16 deaths by suicide in San Benito County, which ranked 39th out of 44 California counties for suicides per capita.
Though San Benito County’s figures are lower than other counties, the impact of those deaths is not necessarily smaller.
“It’s easy for a family to know a family, to know a family, to know a family,” Nunez said, noting that suicide’s impact can spread widely in a small community with close connections.
“You know the same people throughout different stages of life,” she said.
Nunez said that knowing someone who was lost to suicide puts someone at a greater risk for attempting suicide.
She said the crisis center’s main event this month is the Suicide Prevention Fair on Sept. 26 at Gavilan College’s Hollister campus from noon to 3 p.m.
The gathering will include raffles, free snacks, resources and the organization’s “Let’s Talk About It” presentation, which Nunez describes as an overview of suicide prevention including information about the 988 hotline number and how to start a conversation with someone about suicide.
Nunez has been with Suicide Prevention Services for almost a year, and said that she was interested in supporting the Central Coast’s “tight-knit community” after previously working in education in the Bay Area. She said her passion comes from her background in education, and she wants to support students going through mental health crises.
“It makes my day when students tell me they’ve passed on the information we presented to other people in their lives,” she said.
The Central Coast, with its geographic isolation of communities, can also be a factor in suicide, Nunez said. Rural isolation, she noted, can lead to a lack of physical resources and feelings of loneliness and stigma.
Nunez said that “fear in the current political climate” leads many undocumented and migrant workers to be under a lot of pressure.
If you or a loved one are struggling with thoughts of suicide, please call Suicide & Life Crisis Lifeline at 988. To learn more about Suicide Prevention Services, visit the website here.
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