FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
United Way of Rockland County |
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FOR
IMMEDIATE RELEASE
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Contact: Naomi
Adler |
| 2-1-1 HUDSON VALLEY SERVICE LAUNCHED TO ASSIST PEOPLE WHO DON'T KNOW WHERE TO TURN FOR HELP
Seven-county effort provides a regional safety net
Nyack, New York – How many times have you needed information but not known who to call? Or maybe you reached someone who couldn't help or got bounced from one place to another. That's where 2-1-1 - a new Hudson Valley service - comes in. The new easy-to-remember information and referral number made its formal debut at 10 a.m. today. The call center, located at the United Way building in White Plains, hosted public officials and community leaders from a seven-county region as well as the media, who toured the center and observed call specialists answering queries. Foundations, governments, businesses and community organizations that have given financial and in-kind support thus far were also acknowledged. “The establishment of our 2-1-1 center is a case study in what happens when community leaders from seven counties and major players in the nonprofit sector collaborate to meet the health and human care needs of their residents,” said Naomi Adler, president of United Way of Rockland County. “The United Ways in the region are very proud to be at the cutting edge of a movement that will bring accurate, rapid and critically needed assistance to people in every part of the country.” Adler notes that the service was started on a limited basis more than a month ago but then moved full-speed ahead when calls started pouring in about Hurricane Katrina. The center took almost 600 calls regarding Katrina alone, most from people wanting to make donations or volunteer. “The new 2-1-1 center is also currently assisting United Way of Rockland County’s effort to obtain the names of volunteers who wish to be trained to aid in disaster relief,” said Adler. “We encourage the public to call 2-1-1 to volunteer now as well as when they may need information in the future.” The new regional 2-1-1 service which covers Dutchess, Orange, Putnam, Rockland, Sullivan, Ulster and Westchester counties, has been in the planning stage for more than five years. The United Ways in the region took the lead in all phases of the planning to make this initiative a reality. “This is a wonderful springboard for people in our community as well as throughout all of the seven counties to do their own one-stop shopping for their health and human services needs,” said Howard Hellman, president of All Bright Electric as well as first vice chair and 2-1-1 policy board member of the United Way of Rockland County. While 2-1-1 can be quickly activated to get out information in times of disaster, its primary day-to-day use is in directing callers in need to the appropriate government or private agency providing health and human services. Jan Collinson, executive director of 2-1-1 Hudson Valley Region, emphasized the need for such a service. "A United Way study has shown that if you ask the average individual why they didn't get help when they were in trouble, it's because they didn't know where to go," she said. "Most people can only name two or three human care agencies, so when something happens to them or their families, they don't have any idea who to call," Collinson said. "They open the phone book, see several pages of hotIines and their eyes glaze over. 2-1-1 cuts through all that. It's a number they can remember easily." Callers to 2-1-1 ask about everything from basic needs like food, clothing and shelter to obtaining mental health services, legal assistance, drug treatment or day care. The trained call specialists have a comprehensive regional database of over 3,000 service resources at their fingertips and can give callers the information they need about each, such as programs offered, cost, eligibility requirements, application procedures, travel routes, etc. The United Way in each county has taken the lead in developing the database of health and human services agencies for its area. One-half of the call staff speaks Spanish. The center also contracts with an interpretation service for 150+ additional languages. The center is currently open 7 a.m. to 7 p.m., 7 days a week. It should be operating 24 hours a day by late spring. # # #
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