Canandaigua , New York ( CNN ) -- `` Can you say that again ? You put a bullet through the wall in your house ? '' Angela Price begins this evening at work like any , listening to troubled veterans in need of a sympathetic ear or immediate help . She reaches for a pen and paper . She 's a trained responder for the Veterans Affairs Department 's National Suicide Prevention Lifeline in the upstate New York town of Canandaigua . She asks a series of questions : `` Where 's the gun at now ? ... OK , so the gun is nowhere near you ? ... OK , I 'm glad that you 're safe , '' she says , somewhat relieved but still concerned about the caller . Price is one of some 20 responders , counselors , social workers and health tech assistants staffing 15 phone lines and three chat lines at the center at any given time . She talks with the caller for 45 minutes . He shot a bullet into the wall of his house and then went for a drive . She is able to coax him to pull over , calm him down , and arrange for follow-up care . Most of the callers want information regarding mental health and other medical services available to them provided at their local VA hospitals . But for others , the call they 're making is a last resort . Each year , more than 30,000 people kill themselves , 20 percent of them veterans , according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention . That 's 18 veteran suicides a day . Every call presents another opportunity for the hot line responders to try to prevent another tragedy . The crisis center , staffed around the clock seven days a week , opened in July 2007 , largely borne from widespread criticism that the department was not responding adequately to veterans in crisis . Janet Kemp , the Veterans Administration Suicide Prevention Coordinator , says the phones have n't stopped ringing since the hot line 's inception . `` It 's about being able to provide them with immediate assistance , immediate resources , appointments . It assures that we 're not going to let them drop through the cracks after they hang up the phone , '' Kemp says . Before the VA suicide prevention program began , that was n't always the case . Jim and Marianne Schulze told CNN in early 2007 that their son Jonathan , an Iraq combat veteran , killed himself in January of that year , after being told he was No . 26 on a waiting list to get checked into a VA hospital . The Schulzes said their son had been suffering with post-traumatic stress disorder for nearly two years . He died with an extension cord wrapped around his neck , a picture of his daughter by his side , they said . Six months later , the VA Suicide Prevention Lifeline opened . To date , the crisis center has received almost 250,000 calls . `` The health techs assist the counselors in getting the person the services they need at the time , '' Kemp says . `` If they need emergency services or information , the health techs can pick that up , and find the person who can help them in their local area , and make those connections . '' If necessary , the center arranges an emergency rescue , or in less dire circumstances , a wellness checkup at the caller 's home . The center also follows up the next day , according to Kemp . The 2010 hot line budget is more than $ 15 million , including staffing , phone and contract costs and more than $ 4 million for public messaging campaigns , according to the VA . The center 's newest feature is a chat line for those who prefer computer-oriented communication , especially young vets such as those who served in Iraq and Afghanistan . `` Since that 's been open , we 've talked to several thousand people over the chat and have been able to facilitate some rescues through that service . '' Chat counselor Rich Barham recalls an incident while chatting with a Navy vet who barricaded himself in his house , with two children asleep upstairs , as he suffered flashbacks from Iraq . Barham sent help . `` When the police broke in , I heard he had a gun , and I was hoping bad things were n't going to happen to him , '' Barham says . `` We were able to get his wife on the phone , and he was taken to the hospital and she was able to come home to take care of the kids . '' Hot line responder Christopher Maginn is in the Army Reserves , and he just returned from serving in Afghanistan . `` For me , it 's kind of hitting two birds with one stone , because I get to work with guys that have worn the uniform , and I still wear the uniform today , so , it 's always meant a lot to me to work here , '' says Maginn . Many callers are recent Iraq and Afghanistan veterans who struggle with reintegration , he said . Often , they 're too proud to pick up a phone and ask for help . The main goal is `` to listen to them , and to validate what they 're going through , and provide them services , '' he said . Kemp says it 's all in an important day 's work . `` I feel lots of times it 's their last hope , their last chance , and if we can provide that little bit of hope , and get them to realize that they called and there are options , '' says Kemp . `` It 's an amazing feeling . '' The phone number for the hot line is 800-273-TALK ( 8255 ) . The chat line is at www.suicidepreventionlifeline.org .
Many hot line callers are young vets of Iraq , Afghanistan wars struggling with reintegration . Some call for info on medical , mental health services ; others call as a last resort . Center emerged from criticism that VA not properly responding to vets in crisis . Hot line 's number is 800-273-8255 ; chat line available at http : //www.suicidepreventionlifeline.org/ .