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HOUGHTON -- The holidays are supposed to be a time of joy, but for some it's just the opposite.  There’s anxiety, depression, and financial stress.

That's where Dial Help in Houghton comes in.  The crisis hotline has received an increase in calls this month.

"We see a lot of people calling with anxiety and depression, also loneliness and isolation,” said Kevin Weir, the Crisis Unit Program Manager.  “Substance abuse issues, particularly alcoholism, with folks feeling a lot of pressure to consume alcohol during holiday parties."

Dial Help is the only crisis hotline for the U.P. that tries to handle all kinds of situations from domestic violence to loss of a loved one.  The nonprofit call center receives 200 calls a month on its toll free hotline.

But the crisis line was in its own crisis.  This year they lost over $100,000 in funding from a group of U.P. mental health community organizations that chose a cheaper crisis line provider downstate.

So Dial Help cut back on hours.  They're still open seven days a week, but now on most days, they're staffed 12 hours, not 24.  The cutback in hours, along with relying on more volunteers to help, has reduced operation costs by more than half of what it use to be.

"At this point we are financially stable,” said Interim Executive Director Katherine Cocciarelli, “and we're actually adding open hours to the crisis line."

But they know their real goal is to be open 24/7 again, a goal they hope to reach by October of next year.

If you need help, you can call Dial Help at (906) 482-HELP or 1 (800) 562-7622.