by Danielle Gatto, DV Counselor and LifeLine Coordinator
As WIT’s LifeLine Coordinator, I often get asked about the difference between a warmline and a hotline.
Warmlines are focused on offering emotional support and information to individuals who are experiencing distress but are not in immediate danger, whereas hotlines are geared towards providing immediate crisis intervention and urgent support.
Warmline
Emotional support
Empowerment counseling
Safety planning and crisis prevention
Information sharing, resources and referrals
Ongoing support
May refer people in active crisis to a hotline
Usually available during specific operating hours
Hotline
Crisis intervention and assessment
Focused response to immediate and urgent situations
Safety planning
Resources and referrals
Emotional support
May refer people not in active crisis to a warmline
Usually available 24/7
Brief history
Before 2005, each Philadelphia domestic violence agency operated its own hotline. WIT’s hotline was staffed 24/7 by trained volunteers. (Fun fact: Program Director Irene L. Brantley started out as a volunteer on WIT’s hotline!) In 2005, the agencies consolidated the four different hotlines into one: the Philadelphia Domestic Violence Hotline (PDVH).
Today, PDVH is a 24/7 emergency hotline for crisis intervention, safety planning, resources and referrals, and intake to the domestic violence emergency shelters in Philadelphia. Women Against Abuse operates the hotline in collaboration with Congreso de Latinos Unidos, Lutheran Settlement House and WIT.
After PDVH was established, WIT repurposed our hotline into a warmline, named after our LifeLine support group series.
WIT’s LifeLine functions as a warmline
As a warmline, the LifeLine is not an access point to immediate intervention, so we can stay on the line with callers for as long as necessary without concern for keeping the line open. If a caller on the LifeLine is in immediate crisis, we may refer them to PDVH. Additionally, the LifeLine serves as the entry point for accessing ongoing services at WIT, including support groups and individual counseling.
Regardless of the situation, both hotlines and warmlines will provide support to callers and help them understand the resources that may be available to them.