Celebrating the Information and Referral Resource on February 11, National 211 Day
Saturday, February 11th is National 211 Day, which provides the opportunity to recognize and celebrate the impact of United Way’s 211 resource and the ways the helpline assists individuals and families, as well as encourages more to utilize the service.
United Way of Berks County is the sole supporter of 211 in our county. “People reach out to 211 for a range of reasons, from seeking help with basic needs like heating, utility assistance or to find the closest food bank, to finding information around childcare or how to find job training,” says Tammy White, president of United Way of Berks County. “211 is always an important community resource, and it served as a lifeline throughout the pandemic when helping Berks Countians access immunization sites, connect families to food distributions and link families with crucial resources.”
While 211 has been available locally for more than a decade, the national day helps increase awareness about the free, confidential, 24-hour information and referral service that connects people with health and human services available to help.
Last year, Berks 211 received over 14,200 from Berks County residents. 211 is available to everyone and links individuals with local organizations that provide critical services, including:
- food access
- shelter/housing options and utilities assistance
- emergency information and disaster relief
- services for veterans
- health programs, vaccination and health epidemic information
- addiction prevention and rehabilitation programs
- reentry programs
- support groups for individuals coping with mental health issues or special needs
- confidential access to services for those needing a path out of domestic abuse
Trained and bilingual call specialists staff the service. In addition to dialing 211, residents can also text their zip code to “898211”, visit the website (pa211east.org (and select Berks)) and use a live chat option to connect to help. A new chat translation tool was recently unveiled, which allows customers to interact in 75 different languages. “When contacting 211, help is one phone call, text message, or web search away,” adds White.
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