2-1-1 is - 2-1-1 US

®
Why Pass the
Calling for 2-1-1
Act
Passage of S. 211 and
H.R. 211 will ensure
that all Americans can
access a 2-1-1 service
that is Everywhere,
Excellent, Efficient and
Always Available!
By the end of the
proposed funding
cycle, the full national
implementation of
2-1-1 will transform
access to human
services with the result
of 2-1-1 becoming as
critical, credible and
visible as 9-1-1.
2-1-1 is:
Everywhere.
2-1-1 will be there to help 100% of the population no matter where they live or what type
of telecommunications device they use. Information on every relevant human services
program in the country will be available online and through calling 2-1-1.
Excellent.
2-1-1 services will be of a consistent high quality, seamless to the public and driven by
national accreditation standards.
Efficient.
2-1-1 services will continue to build on existing infrastructure and reflect a diversity of
private-public funding partnerships. 2-1-1 services will be delivered as locally as possible,
through a national telecommunications system for voice and data. 2-1-1 makes the entire
human services delivery system work much more efficiently and reduces the need for
hundreds of 1-800 numbers that are often duplicative and always costly to promote. 2-1-1
represents a proven service model that requires funding to reach its full potential. This is
not a start-up investment.
Always Available.
2-1-1 will be available 24/7 whenever people need to call, whether in disasters and all
those moments of individual vulnerability. 2-1-1 will prevent problems growing into
crises. And it will be not be a service where the phone just rings, or where a person
disappears within a frustrating maze of automated menus, but a service where calls are
answered by real people in communities across the nation.
Impacts:
2-1-1 will enable everyone to get help or give help. 2-1-1 offers information and referral
across the spectrum of human need, including rent assistance, food pantries, affordable
housing, health resources, child care, after-school programs, caregiver support, financial
programs, literacy, and job training programs. Specialists at 2-1-1 centers also refer

2-1-1 offers information
and referral across the
spectrum of human need.
2-1-1 is part of the
community fabric, employs
local citizens, and serves
the local community.
2-1-1 has proven itself time
after time as an invaluable
resource in the aftermath of
a disaster.
2-1-1 is for everyone and
can be remembered by
everyone.
volunteers to fulfill human service needs, resulting in countless thousands of volunteer
hours. 2-1-1 also directs donors to locations where their gifts may be most needed and
appropriate. 2-1-1 is for everyone and can be remembered by everyone.
2-1-1 is an investment that makes sense. The human services system in many of our
cities and states is not only inefficient and costly, but is confusing and time consuming
for individuals and families seeking to give or get help. It need not be this way. A 2004
University of Texas at Austin cost-benefit analysis of 2-1-1 estimates a net value to society
approaching $130 million in the first year alone, and a conservative estimate of $1.1
billion over ten years.
2-1-1 will benefit your community. 2-1-1 is locally designed by community stakeholders,
who are aware of their local and state needs and resources. 2-1-1 is part of the
community fabric, employs local citizens, and serves the local community.
2-1-1 will enhance public safety and crisis recovery efforts. 2-1-1 has proven itself
time after time as an invaluable resource in the aftermath of a disaster. In disasters,
9-1-1 refers non-emergency calls to 2-1-1, freeing up 9-1-1 operators for life-and-death
situations. And when the immediate emergency is over, 2-1-1 is an ongoing source of key
information for long-term recovery efforts.
For more information, please visit www.211us.org.
United Way
of America
701 North Fairfax Street
Alexandria, Virginia 22314
www.liveunited.org
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