2-1-1 connects people in need to agencies and other organizations that can help them. These groups specialize in providing emergency food, shelter and clothing and crisis counseling. They can help with substance abuse issues, employment, financial and legal issues, physical and mental health needs, and more.

For example, a recent article from the Journal News (in White Plains) highlighted the successes of 2-1-1 Hudson Valley:

For Sandra Sansone, 211 is the magic number. Less than one week after dialing that number—the information and referral hotline for The United Way of Westchester and Putnam—Sansone, who has breast cancer, diabetes and a liver disorder, received help for a raft of problems she and her husband were facing.

She was referred to the American Cancer Society, which will provide her transportation to doctor’s appointments. A Westchester Jewish Community Services employee helped Sansone get Medicaid to cover some of her past medical bills and she’s on the waiting client list of a local volunteer group that delivers groceries. “It was excellent,” said Sansone, who lives in Bronxville. “The people were so good. I called one place and they were able to guide me to everything I needed.” Such enthusiastic word of mouth, from Yonkers to Saugerties in Ulster County, is helping the 2-1-1 Hudson Valley Region call center grow into a vital lifeline during times of personal and community crisis (Dwight R. Worley, “Hudson Valley’s 211 info hotline heats up,” Journal News, April 22, 2007).

Since the September 11 attacks, 2-1-1 has repeatedly proved its worth in times of emergency and disaster:

• 2-1-1’s role during and following the 2004 Florida hurricane disasters was studied and summarized in “Trial by Wind and Water: How 2-1-1 Played a Vital Role During the 2004 Florida Hurricanes.” In that report, Dr. Kenn Allen, president of the Civil Society Consulting Group LLC in Washington, D.C., concludes that despite 2-1-1’s availability to only 75% of Floridians, “2-1-1s conclusively demonstrated the significant contribution that they can make in an emergency,” including expanding the capacity of the emergency response system, managing unmet needs, reassuring callers, mobilizing and managing volunteers, serving as intake for service providers, and sustaining the critical connection to citizens.

• Following the Katrina and Rita disasters, FEMA issued a follow-up study titled “2005 Hurricane Season After-Action Report,” in which it both recognized the accomplishments of 2-1-1 and strongly recommended that states should move forward on statewide 2-1-1 implementation: “[We] encourage states to establish a 2-1-1 telephone system [like those in Texas, Louisiana and Arizona] from which victims can get shelter information, where [Disaster Response Centers] are, what the hours are, locations and telephone numbers.”

• During recent tornadoes in Indiana, unusually severe snowstorms in Denver and Buffalo, heat waves in St. Louis, wildfires in San Diego and Arizona, and chemical spills in South Carolina, the 2-1-1 system provided residents with invaluable information and connections to important resources.

For a complete list of services available in your area, please contact your regional 2-1-1.

If you are interested in helping others in your community, please visit the How You Can Help section of this website.