Archives West Finding Aid

The Boise Hotline was a telephone listening and referral service that operated in Boise, Idaho, from 1970 to 1990. Originally intended for young people, its clientele soon widened as it received calls from all age groups. In a fundraising brochure the Hotline was described as a "non-specialized crisis line" and "an anonymous, non-judgmental and non-directive telephone listening service." Call statistics compiled during 1974 and 1975 reveal that loneliness, depression, family and marital problems, and sexual and dating concerns prompted most of the calls. Other topics included birth control, pregnancy, drugs, alcohol, and occasional suicide threats. Volunteer Hotline operators were trained to listen to caller concerns, talk through their problems with them, and to refer callers to social and medical service providers if appropriate.

The founding of the Boise Hotline was told in two issues of the Boise City Herald-Tribune (Folders 1 and 2). Its beginnings exemplify the grassroots social activism of the 1960s and early 1970s. The Hotline was started on a shoestring, with an all-volunteer staff spearheaded by Boise High School students. The Community Action Project funded the first phone line. Local businesses and service organizations provided facilities and funding for a part-time organizer. By 1977 the Hotline operated on a budget of approximately $10,000 per year, most of which was contributed by the United Way. When the United Way declined to renew the Hotline's funding for 1990, it ceased operations.