News release from the United Way of Allen County:
Governor Proclaims 2.11.11 as 2-1-1 Day in Indiana
Northeast Indiana 2-1-1 Center Numbers Up 97 Percent Over Last 7 Years(February 9, 2011) – Indiana Governor Mitch Daniels is declaring February 11, 2011 as 2-1-1 Day in Indiana, recognizing the significance and importance of 2-1-1 services throughout the state. In the official proclamation, the Governor states that the 2-1-1 dialing code makes it easier and more efficient for residents to get connected to essential social services, such as food, shelter and health care. The proclamation of 2-1-1 Day comes as new figures show that United Way’s Northeast Indiana 2-1-1 Call Center took more than 40,000 phone calls in 2010. Year-end totals for United Way’s 2-1-1 Center are now available and show a 97 percent increase in call volume since the center was first established. United Way of Allen County established the Northeast Indiana 2-1-1 Call Center in November 2003. In the first full year of 2-1-1 service (2004), the total number of calls was 20,339. In 2010, the number was 40,127; this is approximately a 97 percent increase.
“United Way’s 2-1-1 Call Center is an essential part of Northeast Indiana’s social service system,” said Todd Stephenson, president and CEO of United Way of Allen County. “The Call Center helps thousands of people in need find services that will help them through a crisis, but it also helps relieve the burden of inquiries on local agencies, allowing them more time to directly serve clients.”
2-1-1 is a national dialing code for free access to health and human service information and referral. By dialing the three simple numbers of 2-1-1, most northeast Indiana residents can get free, confidential, and 24-hour information about as many at 2,000 local social services, such as housing, shelter, food, legal aid, clothing, counseling, utility assistance, health care, transportation and more. Phone counselors are trained to help callers identify their needs and determine what agency or program will best meet their needs.
As of August 2010, 2-1-1 serves more than 246 million Americans (82 percent of the entire population) covering all or part of 47 states plus Washington DC and Puerto Rico. The remaining states are all in various stages of planning and implementation. Every few weeks, these coverage numbers increase. United Way of Allen County operates the Northeast Indiana 2-1-1 Call Center, which provides service to the following ten Indiana counties: Adams, Allen, DeKalb, Huntington, LaGrange, Noble, Steuben, Wabash, Wells and Whitley.
Download a copy of the Governor’s Proclamation
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