2-1-1 Day is around the corner—learn more about this free & confidential resource supported by United Way.
United Way 2-1-1 is a free, confidential, 24/7 resource that has been supported by United Ways across the U.S. for more than 20 years. Annual 2-1-1 Day—February 11—gives us the opportunity to showcase the support 2-1-1 provides across East Central Iowa.
Here are 10 things to know about 2-1-1:
- Callers reach out to 2-1-1 for a variety of resources including income and housing support, utility issues, healthcare concerns, and more.
- United Way of East Central Iowa’s (UWECI) 2-1-1 program utilizes HACAP employees, who answer area helpline calls and direct them to resources throughout our community.
- Every tax season, our local 2-1-1 schedules Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) appointments for individuals and families. This program provides free tax prep and filing services.
- Regionally, 2-1-1 supports 42 counties and 13 United Ways across Iowa and Nebraska.
- Our local 2-1-1 is one of five centers in Iowa. A database of resources serves the entire state and has established networks for both directors and contact center managers.
- United Way 2-1-1 works with United Way Worldwide, which covers 93.5% of the U.S.
- Across the U.S., 2-1-1 has access to resources from 900+ agencies with more than 5,500 services available to callers.
- In addition to connecting residents to the resources they need, 2-1-1 supports local disaster-relief planning, response, and recovery. In the case of floods, windstorms, heatwaves, ice storms, or other disasters, 2-1-1 communicates with the community and emergency service providers.
- There’s no language barrier: 2-1-1 has access to a telephone interpreting service that can assist with more than 150 languages.
- There are several ways to contact 2-1-1:
- Dial 2-1-1 from a landline or (319) 739-4211 from any phone
- Text your zip code to 898211
- Search the 2-1-1 website
To our friends at 2-1-1 centers across North America, thank you for all you do & happy 2-1-1 Day!
