In the four years since United Way of Portage County launched the 2-1-1 program in this community, calls to the non-emergency help line have tripled. Last year, 3,458 callers dialed this number to connect with critical information about a wide range of topics including food pantries, employment support, health information and other community programs.

“National 2-1-1 Day on February 11 provides an opportunity to celebrate the program’s accomplishments and how it is improving lives in our community,” says Scott Winn, Volunteer Center Director for United Way of Portage County. “When people are looking to give or get help, the information they need is as close as one easy-to-remember telephone number.”

Beyond answering the phone calls and connecting people with help, in 2009 United Way’s 2-1-1 works to find solutions for community problems and provides leaders with updated information about community trends. This past year, many of the questions centered on economic challenges and health concerns.

Facing layoffs or a reduction of hours, many families turned to 2-1-1. One in four callers last year were looking for help with basic needs including food, housing, transportation, material resources and financial aid.  With the outbreak of H1N1 and the seasonal flu, people were looking for accurate, updated information about where they could receive vaccinations. United Way’s 2-1-1 partnered with government agencies and 2-1-1 Wisconsin to create the Flu Clinic Locator, an online tool directing people to the correct information for their area. By serving as a conduit for information between health officials and the public, 2-1-1 allowed officials to focus more resources on solving the crisis.

As of November 2009, 2-1-1 serves over 241 million Americans (more than 80% of the entire population) through 244 active 2-1-1 systems covering all or part of 47 states plus Washington, D.C. and Puerto Rico. Last year, approximately 16 million calls were placed to 2-1-1 across the country.