Get Help – Call 211
By John T. Ryan
Do you or do you know someone who needs help and you don’t know where to seek help? Whether it’s acquiring drug or alcohol intervention, food, shelter, rent assistance, counseling, domestic violence assistance, suicide prevention, utility assistance, job training, transportation, job training, veterans affairs, education programs, adult day care, home health aide assistance, child care and more there’s a resource at your fingertips. Pick up your phone and call 211. Not 911 unless it’s an emergency.
211 is free and confidential and is operational 24-7. At the other end of the line you’ll find specially trained personnel who have information at their fingertips to assist the caller. There’s nationwide 211 service so don’t be hesitant to call wherever you are. If for some reason 211 is temporarily unavailable call 1-888-774-0289.
The United Way of the Adirondack Region administers 211 in Clinton, Essex and Franklin Counties. Kathy Snow of the United Way’s Plattsburgh office offered this advice. “When people call they should be as specific as possible. That way they’ll be referred to the correct resource whether it be child care, an electrical turnoff, drugs, food, clothing or any other problem. Operators will never tell a person they can’t help them. If they don’t have an answer, they will get back to the caller.”
Kathy Snow gets directly involved when complex problems arise, especially when it takes more than one agency to resolve a caller’s problems. She related one of her experiences. “One day I went to a local school and was talking to a counselor. She said three students call her the food lady because she often gives them food to bring home. Confidentiality regulations prohibited the counselor from giving me a name, but I gave her a 211 flyer to send home with the kids. The woman did call 211.”
The mom was working, but a seizure resulted in her losing her driver’s license and her job. When a United Way partner agency visited they found the family’s trailer leaking and wet bedding. Kathy worked with partner agencies helping the family get food, help pay electrical bills and better housing through the local housing authority. Today the lady is back at work and while she still needs some services she knows people are there to help.
The 211 # has been operational in our region since 2007. About 1,000 people called it locally last year, 300 more than in 2018.
For more information on 211 and its services go to https://211adirondackregion.communityos.org/cms/
DON’T FORGET TO TELL EVERYONE ABOUT 211!
Posted: February 6th, 2020 under Community Events, Northern NY News.
Comment from Sandra Gagnier
Time February 7, 2020 at 7:24 pm
I did not know…