Our future
Life can be wonderful. But life can be tough. 1 in 4 of us have had suicidal thoughts and, tragically, every 90 minutes someone takes their own life in the UK or Ireland. These are statistics we are determined to change.
Samaritans is the charity that prevents suicide through the power of human connection. But right now, we are spread too thin. We must change how we operate to ensure that Samaritans can always be here, day or night, for those most at risk of suicide.
Our futureproofing programme will be a long-term evolution of how we work to make sure we are a sustainable organisation, fit for the future and here for everyone who needs us. Every hour. Every day. Every life.
What does this mean for me?
What does this mean for me if I need your help?
If you have called Samaritans, or are thinking about making that first brave call – we are here.
Over time, some of the ways in which you can contact us will change, but right now you can call us free any time, from any phone, on 116 123.
Every 10 seconds a Samaritan answers a call for help. But we know that sometimes, especially in the middle of the night, you might have to wait longer. We want to change that and our commitment to you is that in the future you will never have to wait more than 5 minutes at any time of day or night.
What does this mean for me as a volunteer?
Samaritans will always be built on compassion, confidentiality and the power of human connection. If you are one of our dedicated 23,000 volunteers, we want to reassure you that trained volunteers are and will always be at the heart of Samaritans.
It is your skill, time and care which make our service unique. The changes we are introducing will be gradual and your feedback is helping to shape the decisions we make over our future service, our branch locations and ways of volunteering.
What does this mean for me if I’m thinking about becoming a volunteer?
If you’re thinking about joining us, we would love to hear from you. As we go through change it is possible that what we can currently offer will change as our branch locations evolve and we introduce other, more flexible ways to support us – whether that’s being a listening volunteer or offering your time in other ways.
What does this mean for me as a supporter?
Our vision that fewer people die by suicide cannot be achieved without your generous support and commitment.
Together, we make suicide prevention a priority. The work we are doing now will ensure that Samaritans continues to provide the life-saving service long into the future as well as being more focused on preventing suicide today. Because for many, tomorrow is too late.
If you believe the power of human connection can prevent suicide, join us.