Frequently Asked Questions

HearMeWA is a youth-centered crisis-response program that meets youth safety and well-being needs by linking them to existing support systems. This program is available statewide and provides support to youth 24/7/365. It offers an app, text, chat, website, and phone line, and serves youth up to the age of 25. 

HearMeWA started with an idea from then-college student Conner Mertens in 2016. Conner heard about a string of suicides in his hometown of Kennewick, Washington and wanted to do something. He connected with his state senator and, together, they began assessing the gaps in services for young people who were at risk or in crisis. They researched support systems across the country and developed the idea of a statewide reporting system.  

Their research led to a statewide workgroup with stakeholders across Washington who work directly with youth. In 2021, the state Legislature dedicated funds to the Attorney General’s Office to create HearMeWA, a statewide system specifically for reporting and responding to youth in crisis. 

Anyone who has information about risks or potential risks to the safety and well-being of youth can:  

• Call the toll-free, statewide number at 888-537-1634;  
• Make a web report by clicking the Get Help button at the top right of the webpage; 
• Download the mobile app and contact HearMeWA from a smartphone; or   
• Text HearMeWA to 738477.  

Sandy Hook Promise’s crisis counselors receive and triage all reports and connect youth with services and supports in their community.  

You can contact HearMeWA to get help for yourself or someone you know. The program is designed to receive and respond to any youth safety and well-being concerns, including, but not limited to:

• Assault
• Anxiety
• Bullying/Cyberbullying
• Child abuse or neglect
• Depression
• Discrimination
• Domestic violence
• Hazing
• Sexual assault
• Self-harm
• Substance use
• Suicide
• Planned attack

If you have questions or are unsure if HearMeWA can help you, just contact the program and ask. A trained crisis counselor is available to talk to you and provide the support you need.

There are only four required fields in the tip form, they include: a description of the concern, school name (if the tip is related to a school incident), city/county of the incident, and selecting the type of concern. Youth have the option to provide additional information through the tip form, but it is not required.  

Successful and accurate tip triage will be determined by the amount of information youth provide to the crisis counselor. We strongly encourage youth to provide as much information as they feel safe to provide when contacting HearMeWA. 

Do not provide any identifying information about yourself if you wish to remain anonymous (e.g., name, age, race, gender, street address, etc.). If you provide your name and/or contact information, you acknowledge that it will be provided to other tip responder agencies to assist in resolving the concern or threat you are reporting.

When you contact HearMeWA you will talk to a Sandy Hook Promise trained crisis counselor, who is available 24/7/365 to help you with any concern you may have. Sandy Hook Promise’s crisis counselors go through extensive and ongoing training that includes evidence-based best practices, as well as accredited suicide prevention and crisis counseling certification programs. If you want to learn more about Sandy Hook Promise, please visit their website.  

Sandy Hook Promise runs similar programs in other states around the country and is the only crisis center dedicated solely to school-based, anonymous reporting. 

Yes. Sandy Hook Promise’s crisis counselors are mandated reporters in the state of Washington. That means if they have “reasonable cause to believe that a child has suffered abuse or neglect,” they are required by law to make a report to law enforcement or the Department of Children, Youth, and Families (DCYF) as provided in RCW 26.44.040. 

When you contact HearMeWA, you receive a unique tip ID and password. You can use the ID and password to follow up with the crisis center at any time to track the status of your tip or provide additional information by:  

• Logging in to the Reporting Party Login page through your browser on a computer, smart phone, or other mobile device through this link. We encourage you to log in often to see if there are any questions or messages for you; or  
• Calling the toll-free, statewide number at 888-537-1634.  

If parents/guardians want to know if their children contacted HearMeWA, they would have to go through the public records request process, as described here. 

HearMeWA is the only program of its kind in the state. It is a comprehensive tool specifically for young Washingtonians that can address any safety or well-being concern youth may have. While 911, 988 and 211 are focused on specific services, such as public safety, emergency response, behavioral health, and social services, HearMeWA connects youth with a wide range of resources that these other lines may not be able to provide. If 911, 988, or 211 are determined to be the best responder for the caller, HearMeWA will connect them directly.  

Unlike other existing youth helplines in Washington state, HearMeWA is available for youth 24/7/365 via mobile app, text, web form, and phone. When youth contact HearMeWA, they talk to a trained crisis counselor that have the tools and knowledge to get youth the help they need.

Differing from similar programs in other states that only send reports to schools, HearMeWA evaluates reports and sends them to a broad range of responders and services for help, including: behavioral health, public safety and child protective services.  

Youth are involved in this program by providing feedback via surveys, focus groups, at in-person events, participating in the Youth Advisory Group and communicating directly with the Attorney General’s Office Youth Program Team.  For more information about the Youth Advisory Group, please email youthprogram@atg.wa.gov or visit the Youth Advisory Group page.  

Youth can submit a tip to HearMeWA through multiple platforms including an online form, text, phone, or app. All methods are available in multiple languages and fully compliant with the Americans with Disabilities Act visual and hearing guidelines. Crisis counselors use the information submitted in the tip to identify the appropriate tip category and level of urgency before determining where to send the tip.  

The Attorney General’s Office plans to conduct regular evaluations of the program and continuously improve policies and procedures to promote the safety and well-being of users. The Attorney General’s Office’s evaluation plan incorporates after-action assessments to determine whether a referral was successful.   

We commit to using an antiracist, trauma-informed, and youth-centered lens when it comes to the development, implementation, and continuous improvement of HearMeWA. Youth and youth-serving organizations are at the center of this work and their expertise, needs, and experiences inform the work we do.

You can contact the Attorney General’s Office Youth Program Team at infohearmewa@atg.wa.gov, 833-398-0179 or through the HearMeWA Contact Form.