The BrAIVe hotline is a statewide, toll-free telephone hotline that offers 24/7 assistance to Floridian military personnel and/or their families who have been impacted by deployment to Iraq and/or Afghanistan. All calls are free and confidential.

Florida is home to 1.8 million military veterans more than any other state except California. There are eleven active military bases and several other military installations. When personnel are deployed to Iraq and Afghanistan, their families face many unique challenges. Upon return home, the process of reintegrating to civilian life creates additional challenges. A multi-tiered system of help is slowly being created throughout the country to help serve the unmet needs related to these transitions. However, these services are fragmented and inconsistent from one community to another so a central hotline and resource directory of services are required to help military families find the help that they need.

2-1-1 Big Bend is serving as one of four Regional Centers that operates the Florida BrAIve hotline. All four Centers are accredited by the Alliance of Information and Referral Systems as well as by the American Association of Suicidology. In addition to the four Regional Centers, all 2-1-1 hotline organizations in Florida are participating in this project by contributing local community resource information to the BrAIve statewide resource directory. This free, public searchable directory will be available at www.floridabraive.org/how-help.

The BrAIve hotline project is funded by three community foundations in Florida – The Community Foundation in Jacksonville, The Gulf Coast Community Foundation of Venice, and The Dade Community Foundation. These foundations have provided grants through the BrAIve Fund to organizations throughout Florida to help our military families. The BrAIve Hotline will connect people to these new services as well as other existing community services.

Please explore our web site or contact a counselor if you need any additional information.