A local chapter brings free, anonymous peer support into a community that needs it. You bring the relationships. We bring everything else.
A local chapter is a community-anchored affiliate — a group of trained volunteers who run peer support drop-ins, manage intake referrals, and act as a visible local presence for the people who need it most.
Chapters aren't franchises and they're not independent nonprofits. They operate under our national structure, using our training and materials, with our insurance covering their activity. You build the relationships. We handle the compliance, the liability, and the infrastructure.
We currently have 38 active chapters across 22 states. Each one started with a single person who decided their community needed this.
You don't need to figure this out alone. Here's what comes with the chapter model from day one.
Every chapter volunteer completes our 40-hour peer support training before working with service users. Training covers active listening, trauma-informed communication, crisis recognition, and safe messaging around suicide. It's delivered online in modules you can complete at your own pace.
Chapter leads get access to our Ground platform for intake referrals, our resource library, printable outreach materials, and digital assets. All materials are produced centrally and kept current — you don't need to create anything from scratch.
Every chapter has a named support contact at the national organisation — someone who answers questions, joins quarterly check-ins, and helps navigate difficult situations. You're not alone when a volunteer gets overwhelmed or a service user discloses something complex.
All chapter activity — drop-ins, outreach events, one-to-one peer support sessions — is covered under our national general liability and professional indemnity policies. You don't need to source or fund your own insurance. This alone removes the biggest barrier most community organisers face.
We believe in honesty about what this takes. Starting a chapter is meaningful work, and it requires real commitment from you and your founding team.
From first enquiry to first drop-in, most chapters take three to six months to get running. Here's the shape of that journey.
Email us a short note — who you are, where you're based, what you've seen in your community, and who else is on your founding team. We don't use an application form because we want to read what you actually think, not what fits in a box.
A 45-minute call with a chapters coordinator. We'll ask questions about your community and your team, and you should ask us everything you need to know. We'll be honest if we think the timing isn't right or the fit isn't there.
If we're moving forward, your founding team completes the 40-hour online training. All of you, before anything else. You'll also attend a live three-hour cohort session with other new chapter leads from around the country.
We sign an affiliation agreement covering how you represent the organisation, what you can and can't do, and how we support you. We set up your platform access, add you to the chapter directory, and assign your support contact.
You run your first drop-in, and we're available by phone if anything comes up. Most first sessions are small — that's expected and fine. We don't measure success by attendance in month one. We measure it by whether you're still running in month twelve.
Active chapters are spread across urban, suburban, and rural communities. We deliberately do not cluster — if your area has no chapter, that's the point.
If anyone in your community is in crisis right now: call or text 988 — the Suicide & Crisis Lifeline, free and available 24/7.
Tell us who you are, where you're based, and what you've seen in your community. We'll take it from there.
Email our chapters team →Call or text 988 — the Suicide & Crisis Lifeline. Free, confidential, available 24/7.
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