Resources
At 9-Step Foundation, we believe healing begins when people know they do not have to carry pain, grief, crisis, or hardship by themselves. This resource page connects individuals and families in Sumter, South Carolina and surrounding areas with mental health support, crisis help, grief support, youth and family services, food assistance, domestic violence resources, and community-based support.
If you are in immediate danger or someone’s life is at risk, call 911.
988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline
If you or someone you know is struggling, in emotional distress, thinking about suicide, grieving deeply, or facing a mental health or substance use crisis, call or text 988. You can also chat with a trained crisis counselor online through the 988 Lifeline. The 988 Lifeline provides 24/7 support across the United States.
Call or Text: 988
Chat: 988 Lifeline online chat
Available: 24 hours a day, 7 days a week
Use 911: If there is immediate danger, violence, a medical emergency, or someone’s safety is at immediate risk.
South Carolina Mental Health Crisis Support
South Carolina Statewide Crisis Response
South Carolina’s Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Disabilities lists statewide mental health crisis response support. For a mental health emergency, South Carolina residents may call the statewide crisis response number, 988, or 911 when immediate emergency intervention is needed.
SC Statewide Crisis Response: 1-833-364-2274
988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline: Call or text 988
Emergency: 911
Local Mental Health Support
Santee-Wateree Community Mental Health Center
Santee-Wateree Community Mental Health Center serves Sumter, Clarendon, Kershaw, and Lee counties, making it one of the most important local mental health resources for the 9-Step Foundation service area.
Services may include mental health assessment, treatment support, referrals, and community-based behavioral health services.
Prisma Health Tuomey Hospital
Prisma Health Tuomey is listed among Sumter-area resources and may be appropriate for urgent medical or hospital-based needs. For mental health emergencies, individuals should use 988, SC crisis response, or 911 depending on urgency.
Emergency: 911
Hospital resource: Prisma Health Tuomey, Sumter, SC
Grief and Loss Support
Local Grief Support
Grief can feel overwhelming, especially after the death of a loved one, suicide loss, family loss, or traumatic loss. In Sumter, community-based grief resources include local faith-based and funeral home support options such as grief support information through Palmer Memorial Chapel and Life After Loss grief support through CCC Sumter.
Message for Families
You do not have to “be strong” every moment. Grief deserves space, support, and care. If your grief becomes overwhelming or you begin having thoughts of harming yourself, call or text 988 immediately.
Youth and Family Support
Sumter Behavioral Health Services
Sumter Behavioral Health Services provides adolescent and family services. Its Adolescent and Family Services program is described as a family therapy program for children and young people ages 6 to 21 who may be experiencing family conflict, school problems, substance misuse, legal involvement, or risk of removal from the home.
City of Sumter HOPE Centers
The City of Sumter’s HOPE Centers focus on children, families, and community support. This may be a helpful local connection point for families seeking youth support, family resources, and neighborhood-based assistance.
Food, Housing, and Everyday Needs
SC 211
SC 211 is a free, confidential, statewide service that connects South Carolina residents with health and human service resources for non-emergency needs. It can help people search for food, housing, utility assistance, transportation, mental health resources, and other community supports.
Call: 211
Use for: Food, housing, utilities, transportation, family support, local referrals, and non-emergency assistance
City of Sumter Community Resources
The City of Sumter maintains a community resources page that includes categories such as food assistance, housing assistance, health resources, mental health resources, and other local supports.
Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault Support
YWCA Sumter Safe House
YWCA Sumter provides Safe House services for females and children fleeing domestic violence. The Safe House location is undisclosed for safety reasons.
If you are in immediate danger, call 911.
Sexual Trauma Services of the Midlands
Sexual Trauma Services of the Midlands is listed by the City of Sumter as a community resource. This may be a key referral for survivors of sexual assault or trauma in the broader Midlands region.
Student Support
USC Sumter Student Assistance Program
USC Sumter provides a Student Assistance Program that offers confidential support to students and household family members for concerns such as stress, depression, grief and loss, alcohol or drug use, school or work concerns, parenting, and other personal challenges.