ST. LOUIS — United Way 2-1-1, a free and confidential helpline, is celebrating 10 years of helping people in the St. Louis region and throughout the state of Missouri. United Way’s 2-1-1 Helpline is available 24 hours a day, seven days a week and is a resource for individuals to find help or connection to services for a variety of needs. This Sunday, February 11 (2/11) is celebrated nationwide as National 2-1-1 Day.
“Over the past decade, 2-1-1 has received more than 1.4 million requests for help from people throughout Missouri and southern Illinois for many needs, such as housing, job training and mental health resources,” said Regina Greer, vice president of community response, United Way of Greater St. Louis. “By simply dialing 2-1-1, callers are connected to an experienced and compassionate specialist to help them find the resources they need at any time of the day, year-round.”
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Launched in 2007, 2-1-1 began as a partnership between United Way of Greater St. Louis and the Missouri Foundation for Health. During its first year in operation, 2-1-1 received 71,736 calls for help and identified more than 90,000 needs of those callers. Today, 2-1-1 serves 99 counties in Missouri and 9 counties in Southwest Illinois, and serves as the disaster intake center in conjunction with local and state governments during emergency situations. Individuals can now access 2-1-1 assistance via phone, online chat, self-service web directory or mobile app. Additionally, 2-1-1 has implemented multilingual services with up to 250 different language options for callers. In 2017, 2-1-1 received more than 135,800 requests for help in the 16-county St. Louis region.
The 2-1-1 navigation center is staffed by trained specialists to assist individuals and families with fast, free and confidential help for health and human services assistance. 2-1-1 offers easy access to community-based organizations and government agencies that provide services such as:
- Basic human needs resources: food banks/pantries, clothing, and 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.
- 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, after school programs, early childhood education, family resource centers, summer camps and recreation programs, mentoring, tutoring, protective services.
Individuals can also find resources for needs by visiting www.211helps.org or through an online chat function, available weekdays from 9:00 am – 6:00 pm.
About United Way of Greater St. Louis
United Way of Greater St. Louis mobilizes the community with one goal in mind — helping people live their best possible lives. Located throughout 16 counties in Missouri and Illinois, United Way helps one in three people in the region build a foundation for a good quality of life through basic needs, financial stability, education, health and strong communities. For more information, contact 314-421-0700 or visit www.HelpingPeople.org.
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