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Need Help? Call 211 Now.
Available in ALL 99 counties in Iowa and ALL 87 counties in Minnesota 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
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What is 2-1-1?
2-1-1 is an easy to remember telephone number that, where available, connects people with important community services and volunteer opportunities, and is being spearheaded by United Ways and comprehensive and specialized Information and Referral Agencies in states and local communities. United Way of America (UWA) and the Alliance of Information and Referral Systems (AIRS) strongly support federal funding so that every American has access to this essential service.
Every hour of every day, someone in the United States needs essential services - from finding an after-school program to securing adequate care for a child or an aging parent. Faced with a dramatic increase in the number of agencies and help-lines, people often don't know where to turn. In many cases, people end up going without these necessary services because they do not know where to start. 2-1-1 helps people find and give help.
What is the Current Status of 2-1-1?
In 2000, UWA, with its partners on the National 2-1-1 Collaborative, successfully led the effort to get the Federal Communications Commission to assign 2-1-1 for community information and referral purposes. Today, 2-1-1 reaches approximately 65 million Americans - about 23 percent of the U.S. population. The goal of UWA was to ensure that 50 percent of the U.S. population has access to quality community information and referral services through 2-1-1 by 2005, and 100 percent soon thereafter. The 107th Congress recognized the importance of 2-1-1 by including it as an allowable use of funding in the bioterrorism preparedness legislation, signed into law in June 2002.
Areas covered:
- Physical and Mental Health Resources: health insurance programs, Medicaid and Medicare, maternal health, Children's Health Insurance Program, medical information lines, crisis intervention services, support groups, counseling, and drug or alcohol intervention and rehabilitation.
- Employment Supports: financial assistance, job training, transportation assistance, and education programs.
- Assistance for older Americans and Persons with Disabilities.
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