A Howard County nonprofit that answers calls, chats and texts to the national 988 suicide and crisis hotline is laying off 62 employees after losing federal funding.

The federal government ended its contract with Grassroots Crisis Intervention, which has served as a national backup call center for the hotline, answering communications from people across the U.S. and its territories whose calls or messages cannot be answered locally in a timely manner.

The layoffs take effect Sept. 29, the nonprofit’s executive director, Mariana Izraelson, said in a statement.

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