“We’re so pleased that 2-1-1 has been such a success,” said Gary Dollar, president and CEO of United Way of Greater St. Louis. “We knew it was important for United Way to be able to offer this free service to help the residents of Missouri. We’re grateful that our main funder, Missouri Foundation for Health, understood its importance as well. It can be overwhelming not knowing where to turn for help. Our staff, who man the phones 24 hours a day, are trained at referring callers to the organizations that can assist with their needs.”
“With more than 10,000 health and human service organizations and government programs throughout Missouri, it’s hard to know where to turn,” said Cheryl Polk, executive VP and COO of United Way of Greater St. Louis. “By dialing 2-1-1, our call specialists are there to help you through the maze.”
Number and type of calls
Most of the calls made to 2-1-1, are from people looking for help with basic needs such as utility, rent and food assistance. More and more calls are coming in regarding mortgage assistance.
The 2-1-1 call specialists can help people find health and human service assistance on everything from food and shelter to job counseling services, or health resources. It is also available for everyday and non-emergency needs, and offers easy access to community-based organizations and government agencies that provide services such as:
· Basic human needs resource: food pantries, 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 · Help in non-emergency situations
People also can call 2-1-1 to volunteer support or donate help to agencies. For example, during the summer flooding throughout the state, more than 3,000 calls were received to find out how people could help.
Disaster response · Received 608 calls for disaster related assistance such as floods, tornadoes and ice storms. · During the 2008 summer, 2-1-1 received 79 heat-related calls. Special programs · Nearly 1,700 calls came in for the Earned Income Tax Credit free tax preparation locations throughout the state. · More than 3,200 calls during the first year have come in statewide for mortgage assistance. A total of $8.5 million was pledged for Missouri 2-1-1’s first five years of operation. MFH committed a total of $4.75 million to the project — $1 million for start-up costs and $3.75 million over five years to support annual operation costs. United Way of Greater St. Louis is providing an additional $3.75 million over the five years to support the remaining annual operation costs. The United Way of Greater St. Louis is handling all Missouri 2-1-1 administration and operating responsibilities.
The 2-1-1 Call Center is located at the United Way of Greater St. Louis, with data collection hubs in Cape Girardeau, Columbia, Springfield and St. Louis. Data hubs focus on updating records about health, health-related and social services to ensure that callers are always receiving up-to-date information.
The 10 Missouri United Ways involved with United Way of Greater St. Louis in the Missouri 2-1-1 program are: United Way of Central Missouri, United Way of the Ozarks, United Way of Southeast Missouri, United Way of Adair County, Columbia Area United Way, United Way of the Mark Twain Area, Callaway County United Way, Carthage Area United Way, United Way of Southwest Missouri and United Way of St. Francois County.
Kansas City and its 16 surrounding counties have had a 2-1-1 service through the United Way of Greater Kansas City since March 2006, with call volume and service also exceeding expectations. That 2-1-1 service is not affected by or included in today’s announcement.
photos of Missouri 2-1-1 call center available at: http://www.211missouri.net/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.
About United Way of Greater St. Louis The United Way of Greater St. Louis funds nearly 200 health and human service agencies located throughout a 16-county area in Missouri and Illinois. More than one million people in our bi-state community receive services that strengthen families, help the elderly, keep children healthy and safe, and build stronger neighborhoods. For more information, contact 314-421-0700 or visit www.stl.unitedway.org.
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Media releases >
United Way celebrates one-year anniversary of its Missouri 2-1-1 help lineposted Nov 11, 2008 11:50 AM by Carrie Zukoski [ updated Nov 11, 2008 12:08 PM ] |
