Infoline is one of resources that matter

This article is the fifth of a six-part series written about the United Way of West Central Connecticut, serving the communities of Bristol, Burlington, Plainville, and Plymouth, demonstrating its impact on “what matters.”

Resources Matter
By: Colleen Younghans

Often, people are unsure of where to turn when they need help. United Way of West Central Connecticut, in partnership with other Connecticut United Ways and the State of Connecticut, has worked to alleviate this uncertainty by forming the state’s most comprehensive database of human service resources. This service is called 2-1-1 Infoline and is the topic of the fifth article in our series.

By dialing 2-1-1 toll-free from anywhere in Connecticut, individuals can access a single source for information regarding community services, referrals to human services, and crisis intervention. 2-1-1 is available 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. The information in the 2-1-1 database is continually updated, along with a searchable database provided online at www.infoline.org.

When an individual dials 2-1-1, he or she is connected with a call specialist who assists the caller in examining the situation and provides a listing of the community services in the caller’s area that can help him or her. It is important for people to remember that 9-1-1 remains the number to call for police, fire or EMS emergency response and 4-1-1 remains the number to call for telephone directory information.

2-1-1 provides services in the following areas: basic needs, consumer services, donation options, education, government / community action / environment, health care, income: employment / public assistance programs, individual / family services, legal issues / criminal issues, mental health care, substance abuse, support groups, target groups, teen services / youth services.

Moreover, United Way of Connecticut provides the following programs through Infoline: 2-1-1 Child Care, Child Development Infoline, CT Parents Plus, HUSKY Infoline, and Maternal and Child Health Infoline.

In 2005, over 316,000 individuals and families statewide were helped by 2-1-1 Infoline.

More specifically, in our four communities of Bristol, Burlington, Plainville, and Plymouth, 10,387 service requests were made during 2005. This number shows that, not only is there a greater need for health and human services in our communities, but people are also becoming more aware of availability of 2-1-1 as a resource.

Marla Hinz, Regional Director, 2-1-1 Infoline, echoed this sentiment, “Our impact, as far as the good of the community, is that the number of calls keeps increasing each year, which shows that people are becoming more aware of this one place to go that has information on a wide range of services that all individuals need at one time or another.”

2-1-1 Infoline is also a resource that can be used by individuals wanting to reach out and help others, either through volunteering, making donations, or becoming a mentor.

As more people become aware of this excellent resource, it is the hope of the United Way of West Central Connecticut that the citizens of our four communities can get the help they need and utilize 2-1-1 to its fullest potential. Getting help is “what matters” and help starts with 2-1-1.

Colleen Younghans is the Operations/Communications Director at the United Way of West Central Connecticut.