We all know what 9-1-1 is. It’s the number you call in an emergency. Well, 2-1-1 is sort of the same thing, except its to connect the caller with all manner of assistance of a minor-to-medium emergency, like medical help, referrals to psychological services, counseling, and other “human services.” It’s in partnership with United Way which is the funding arm for so many of those kinds of services.
The Lincoln County Commission was told Wednesday that the Lincoln County version of 2-1-1 is in the formative stages and may be ready for a “live” launch sometime in December.
Here is what is written on the national 2-1-1 website:
Every hour of every day, hundreds of people need essential human services – they are looking for training, employment, food pantries, help for an aging parent, addiction prevention programs for their teenage children, affordable housing options, support groups and ways of becoming part of their community. 2-1-1 allows people to give help and to get help.
2-1-1 is an easy to remember telephone number that, where available, connects people with important community services and volunteer opportunities. In 2009, 2-1-1 services in the United States answered more than 16.2 million calls. The implementation of 2-1-1 is spearheaded by United Ways and information and referral agencies in states and local communities. United Way Worldwide (UWW) and the Alliance for Information and Referral Systems (AIRS) strongly support federal funding so that every American has access to this essential service.
Again, the service is said to be aiming for a December 1st launch date here in Lincoln County.
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