What is United Way 2-1-1 and how can they help?

Dialing 911 for help in an emergency is a well known way to access help; but what if it is not an emergency requiring police, an ambulance, or the fire department? What if your child is in behavioral crisis? What if you have questions and you do not know who to ask? Who do you call then? That is where 2-1-1 comes in!

The United Way 2-1-1 (yes, you just dial 211 in your phone!) is a free health and human service helpline that answers calls 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. It is certified by the American Association of Suicidology for crisis intervention and accredited by the Alliance of Information and Referral Systems. The trained professionals who answer calls can connect you to information regarding local services such as:

• After school programs
• Tutoring and homework help
• Youth enrichment programs
• Health care
• Utility assistance
• Food
• Housing
• Child care
• Parenting education and networking
• Counseling referrals
• Crisis intervention.

You can also access information and referrals on the website at www.211ct.org.

One service that 2-1-1 offers is the EMPS-Mobile Crisis Intervention Services. With parent permission, this service has been utilized by school counseling staff cases where a student is consistently refusing to attend school, exhibiting violent, aggressive or unsafe behaviors or expressing comments that indicate a risk to self or others. Parents can also access EMPS-Mobile Crisis Intervention Services by calling 2-1-1 in any of the aforementioned circumstances. By calling EMPS-Mobile Crisis Intervention Services, you are connected to a trained EMPS counselor who will help resolve the crisis over the phone or come to your location, whether this be in a home, community or school setting. Support is provided for up to 6 weeks following the initial contact and involves connecting children and families to community based supports. Services are confidential and are offered at no coast to the family. EMPS can be accessed 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year. In cases where there is an immediate safety risk, 911 should still be utilized. For more information about EMPS-Mobile Crisis Intervention services, call 2-1-1 or visit http://www.empsct.org/.