Disclaimer: If you are having a medical or mental health emergency, please call someone you trust, 911, or one of these local or national hotlines first. We still welcome your call after you are in the process of receiving the immediate help that you need.
We are a short-term volunteer peer-counseling service. While we are guided by our Clinical Supervisors, we are no substitute for long-term, professional mental health care. Please visit MTUG's list of vetted providers or SQSHBook (once it launches) to contact a mental healthcare provider in the Greater St. Louis area.
COVID-19: To access mutual aid resources for COVID-19 (Coronavirus Disease), visit STL Mutual Aid.
We are always looking for motivated individuals passionate about the St. Louis community. Apply to become a helpline volunteer, or join a SQSH project team!
Are you a person who people come to when they need support? Ever wanted to hone your listening skills? Interested in improving the lives of LGBTQIA+ folx in St. Louis by connecting them to identity-affirming resources? Join the St. Louis Queer+ Support Helpline as a volunteer! We offer free meals, transportation (metro passes and a year-round carpool system), training in peer support skills, and assistance with career development (resume-building and letters of recommendation). You gain valuable helpline work experience, peer support skills, and crisis intervention techniques. You also join a supportive, empowering community of empathetic, dedicated LGBTQIA+ persons and allies!
Folx who have personal experiences with or strong understandings of multiple marginalized identities (e.g. queer+ & trans folx of color) are especially encouraged to apply! To be considered for membership in the Helpline, please answer the following questions. We encourage you to apply as soon as you can as we accept applications on a rolling basis. Do limit each response to one paragraph. Please fill out either an online application OR print out the written application. Know someone who might be interested in joining? Share and nominate them using the nominate a friend application, and we'll reach out to them.
Note: Applications for Summer 2020 are open from March 16 to April 17, 2020.
Get involved in SQSH! We are a free, confidential, and identity-affirming peer support helpline service run by volunteers in the St. Louis LGBTQIA+ community, for the community. We work to serve and strengthen St. Louis - by providing an empathetic listening ear, by connecting callers safely and reliably to LGBTQIA-affirming resources, and by increasing the visibility of LGBTQIA+ concerns, needs, and resources in the St. Louis region.
We believe in deconstructing mainstream society's power structure and dynamics that perpetuate inequalities both within and outside of the LGBTQIA+ community. As such, we are a non-hierarchical organization that values mutual trust and every member's opinion. When you join SQSH's Project Team, you will gain equal say in SQSH's operations as everyone else on the Project Team.
Note: All roles require availability on Saturday 10AM-12PM at least once a month.
If you enjoy the services we provide to the Greater St. Louis community, please consider a donation. Any amount is welcome and equally appreciated. We take payments through Venmo, GoFundMe, Facebook Donations, Cash, and Personal Check (addressed to "St. Louis Queer+ Support Helpline").
We deeply appreciate your donations, and we take them very seriously. We believe in accountability to those that put their trust and support in us, which is why we are providing the following information. To learn more about the financial and operational structure of our organization, you can read our Community Needs Assessment, our Project Summary, and our Full Project Proposal.
If you would like more information or have a question, please contact us.
Please write your check to "St. Louis Queer+ Support Helpline."
Here are some options for getting your personal check to us:
Email us to figure out a time and place to meet.
We will take care to file your check in a secure place. In addition, we are working on offering paper receipts for your donation, upon request.
Mail in your check.
Since our office location is confidential, please email us for more details.
Here are some options for getting your cash donations to us:
Email us to figure out a time and place to meet.
We will take care to file your check in a secure place. In addition, we are working on offering paper receipts for your donation, upon request.
Find us tabling at a community event near you!
The SQSH table will usually include flyers, some small trinket or giveaway, and a donation box. To keep up with our tabling schedule, please visit our News Page for upcoming events, or join our Newsletter.
Our community partners help us do the work that we do. They include the Metro Trans Umbrella Group (MTUG), Trans Education Service (TES), Black Pride, NCCJ St. Louis, the National Council for Alcoholism and Drug Abuse (NCADA), Behavioral Health Response (BHR), Provident Crisis Services (PCS), and others. If you or your organization is interested in partnering with SQSH, please complete an application. We'll be in touch.
There are more ways to get involved besides volunteering. Any help spreading the word about who we are and what we do is both valued and appreciated. Don't forget to keep up with us! Follow us and share our stuff on social media. Feel free to download or print our flyers below. Put up a SQSH flyer in your workplace, school, or community space to raise visibility for LGBTQIA+ resources, and let the queer folx in your lives know that they have a listening ear available to them!
