Calling 2-1-1. February 11 is 2-1-1 day.
New partnership announced with Missouri Association for Community Action
Fulton, MO (February 9, 2010) — United Way’s 2-1-1 telephone helpline is available to all residents in Missouri. Available 24 hours a day, seven days a week, the 2-1-1 call center is staffed by specialists to assist you with finding the information you need for health and human services. Through a new partnership with the Missouri Association for Community Action, 2-1-1 is the place for unemployed Missourians to call to find information about healthcare, housing and energy, economic and family security, food and education. Calling 2-1-1 is fast, free and confidential. If for some reason 2-1-1 does not work from your phone, please call 1-800-427-4626 for the same quality service. A website is also available: www.211missouri.org.
“As February 11 is known as 2-1-1 day, we thought it was a great time to announce our new partnership with MACA as we want to remind people in Missouri about 2-1-1, the help line they can call at any time of any day,” said Kathy Richey Liddle, Executive Director – Callaway County United Way. “There are so many people who need help for the first time and don’t know where to turn. With thousands of resources available, singling out the one or two needed can be difficult especially for people who have never needed assistance before. By calling 2-1-1, people are able to find help and reassurance easier than ever before.”
The 2-1-1 specialists help people find health and human service assistance on everything from food and utilities to free tax help, job counseling services, mortgage assistance, health resources, and more. 2-1-1 offers easy access to community-based organizations and government agencies that provide services such as:
· Basic human needs resource: food banks, clothing, shelters
· Mental and physical health resources: medical information lines, crisis intervention services, support groups, counseling, drug and alcohol intervention, rehabilitation, Medicaid and Medicare, maternal health, children’s health insurance programs.
· Employment support: financial assistance, job training, transportation assistance, education programs, Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) filing assistance.
· Support for older adults, people with disabilities: home health care, adult day care, congregate meals, Meals on Wheels, respite care, transportation, homemaker services.
· Support for Children, Youth and Families: quality childcare, Success by 6, after school programs, Head Start, family resource centers, summer camps and recreation programs, mentoring, tutoring, protective services.
· Volunteer/donor opportunities
In emergency situations, people should still call 9-1-1.
2-1-1- call specialists handled more than 108,000 calls from people in Missouri looking for assistance. That is up from 7,800 before 2-1-1 launched with support from Missouri Foundation for Health in November 2007.
for media: photos of Missouri 2-1-1 call center are available at www.211missouri.com/pressroom.aspx
About Missouri 2-1-1
2-1-1 is a fast, free and confidential way to get help 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. 2-1-1 call centers operate under national standards and are staffed by trained specialists who quickly assess the callers’ needs and refer them to the help they seek. Information is available on a broad range of services, including food banks, affordable housing, health resources, child care, after-school programs, elderly care, financial literacy, and job training programs. 2-1-1 is offered throughout Missouri by United Way of Greater St. Louis and the Callaway County United Way. Funding is from Missouri Foundation for Health (MFH) and United Way of Greater St. Louis.
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