When Wyoming residents are looking for resources and help with meeting the needs in their lives, they just need to remember three numbers — 211.
211 is a free, confidential, 24-hour information and referral service that connects people in Wyoming with health and human services support.
The service celebrated “211 Day” last Saturday, Feb. 11, and gave a presentation to the Sweetwater County Board of County Commissioners about the service at last week’s meeting. Tricia Angelovich, the 211 associate director, and Olivia Schon, the 211 marketing and development director from Cheyenne, presented to the commissioners to explain what 211 is and how it can benefit Wyoming residents.
Sometimes we can’t fix our situation with a Google search,” Angelovich said. “We have real live people in our organization that are here to help.”
211 provides a helpline and website to link citizens to local resources, both government and nonprofit, to help them with various areas of need. Calling the helpline connects residents to real people who can help them find assistance to meet their needs. The organization provides information about resources offering food, shelter, physical and mental health resources, financial assistance, and more.
Angelovich explained that a wide variety of people can benefit from calling 211, including families needing help with children, veterans trying to understand available options, seniors needing information about financial scams, single moms needing help paying utility bills, disaster victims, families needing assistance for an aging parent, employees needing transportation to work, and more.
The helpline can also provide information to others who are assisting a client, such as caregivers, health and human service providers, and law enforcement.
One of the ideas behind the creation of the hotline, which started in 2011, was to help take pressure off of first responders and dispatch centers with non-emergent calls coming in to 911. The service also wanted to provide more helpful resources to residents needing help, including long-term solutions, not just a “band-aid.”
In 2020, the need for the service became even more important during the COVID-19 pandemic. 211 was activated as a call center for COVID-related needs as well. The helpline still helps with these needs, and the pandemic made the reality of its importance even more obvious.
“After COVID, we’re all just one pandemic away from needing a service like 211,” Schon explained.
During 2022, the helpline fielded almost 3,800 calls, over 600 of which were related to COVID, and made over 8,600 referrals to agencies across the state. These figures were down slightly from 2021, which is due to the fact that many clients used online resources instead of directly calling.
Last year, 211 made 528 referrals out of Sweetwater County, which is more than in previous years. Utility service payment assistance was the biggest area of need locally and throughout the state. Other major areas of need 211 helped with last year included healthcare, housing, and help with food and meals.
When asked by Commissioner Mary Thoman about 211’s location and funding, Angelovich explained that the call center is located in Cheyenne, but the organization has staff members throughout the state, including Angelovich herself who is based out of Sweetwater County. As far as funding, 211 is a nonprofit organization that currently relies on grants, assistance from United Way, and funds received from the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA), but 211 is also working toward getting more funding and becoming self-sufficient.
Multiple commissioners, including Robb Slaughter and Chairman Keaton West, admitted they haven’t heard much about 211 in the past, but expressed their support for the organization and desire to help spread the word more.
Angelovich said 211 is working to create more partnerships and make more people aware of their availability to help. She also pointed out that helping people get the resources they need is helpful for everyone.
“When the basic needs are met, then people thrive and communities thrive,” she said.
To connect with 211, anyone can dial 2-1-1, text their zip code to 898211, or visit Wyoming211.org. The organization’s website has been updated to be accessible, including being available in eight different languages, and it includes a full database of over 2,600 resources.
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