Operation
2-1-1 center hours vary. Many are open 24/7 to refer callers to organizations that provide services in such areas as:
- Addiction counseling
- Affordable housing
- Alzheimer's assistance
- Child care
- Debt counseling
- Disaster relief
- Donation opportunities
- Education
- Emergency food, such as food banks and soup kitchens
- ESL
- Financial assistance
- Homeless services
- Job counseling
- Parenting programs
- Psychotherapy counseling
- Senior citizen programs
- Suicide prevention
- Telephone reassurance, care for the elderly
- Volunteer opportunities
- Youth programs
Where available, 2-1-1 is operated by a private non-profit community-service organization, local government or local affiliates of the national organization of the United Way of America. 2-1-1 provides information and referral to callers on where to obtain assistance from local and national social service programs, local and national governmental agencies and local and national non-profit organizations as well as where to volunteer or make a donation locally. Referrals are often given from databases accessed by call specialists. These databases could be housed off site or on site, are often regional, and linked to a specific brand of software used to access and edit database records. To ensure the most up to date referrals are given to callers information in the database should not be older than one year.
Many 2-1-1 centers are exploring Memorandums of Understanding with state and federal governments to facilitate the efficient handling of future disasters. Television or Radio stations could easily tell citizens to call 2-1-1 in the event of an emergency. Call specialist at these centers would be informed of current disaster plans or place to receive help and could then inform the public of the correct course of action. Recently in Florida, Texas, Arizona, Massachusetts, Iowa, and the Gulf Coast region, 2-1-1 centers were instrumental in coordinating with local government officials and providing information to communities before and after local disasters.
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