Crisis Intervention Counseling/Referrals
Hotline: (631) 751-7500
P.O. Box 300
Srony Brook, NY  11790


Thirty-eight years ago, a young man - feeling alone - unknowingly set in motion the beginnings of Response.  He nearly ended his life and as his story hit the news and sent shock waves through the university town where he studied and lived, many people asked themselves "where can someone, who desperately needs to connect with another human being call at any hour, day or night?

The answer became Response!  At the urging of the Rev John Paul Hankins, the Stony Brook Community Church offered free space to the newborn hotline, complete with telephones, cots and pillows.  Today John Paul (as he is known) fondly recalls the 1970’s as a time of idealism. He and the first executive director, Maureen Bybee, contacted suicide prevention and crisis centers throughout the country (without the benefit of internet or other electronic devices) to learn what other hotlines were doing.  And they dedicated themselves to raising money, recruiting volunteers and Board members, composing by laws and publicizing a wonderful service that was finally born.

Being there for the person seeking a caring voice is where our heat is today, just as it was 35 years ago.  We continue to welcome our callers with warmth and understanding, and in return we receive passionate thanks.

All of today’s volunteers, staff and Board members return these thanks to those who planted and later nurtured Response’s roots.  We thank them for their wisdom and energy and most of all, their caring.