New 211 service helps access agencies

Just one call connects public to information

Wednesday, Jan. 27, 2010

The difficult economy has dramatically increased the number of lost jobs, foreclosures and evictions in Charles County and people are struggling to feed their families, find shelter and receive medical care.

A new statewide program, 211 Maryland, makes it a lot easier for people to access information such as where to find food, shelter, clothing, rental and utility assistance and medical care. The service is as simple as picking up a phone and dialing 211.

The call will be answered by trained and certified specialists 24 hours a day, seven days a week who are ready to assist folks in finding local government and nonprofit agencies that can lend a hand during a crisis, said Dorothy Harper, president and CEO of the United Way of Charles County in La Plata.

The United Way and Constellation Energy sponsor the program that provides a wealth of information about a variety of services, including assistance with Medicaid, Medicare, drug and alcohol programs, counseling, job training, transportation, adult day care, home health and respite care, Head Start, mentoring, tutoring and protective services.

The program has been up and running in Maryland for about two years and Charles County gained access to the service last summer, Harper said.

"All people have to do is pick up the phone and dial 211 and they'll be connected to a person who is trained to work with health and human services issues," she said. "They'll walk you through the process and see what is needed and what local services are available."

Thirty-six nonprofits that are members of the United Way of Charles County are hooked into the program, Harper said, adding that other human service agencies that are not United Way members are also available.

People seeking assistance through the program in Southern Maryland are linked to the Community Crisis Center in Hyattsville in Prince George's County, Harper said. There are also call centers in Salisbury on the Eastern Shore, Frederick in Western Maryland and Baltimore, she said.

Calls to the centers have risen substantially during the last few years. In fiscal 2010 so far, program officials said the centers received 600,000 calls from people across the state, compared to 149,264 calls in fiscal 2007.

The recession has spiked the need for assistance throughout Maryland, Harper said, adding that the top services that are requested at the call centers are help with paying utility bills, finding housing, obtaining food and accessing mental health and financial support.

The service is available in Washington, D.C., and 46 states and has offered assistance to people during natural disasters such as hurricanes Rita and Katrina that slammed into the Gulf Coast and the 2007 California wildfires.

The program also provided help following the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks.

In addition, the program helps jurisdictions determine needs or gaps in local service and cuts back on the calls made to organizations that use 800 telephone exchanges, Harper said.

Information about the H1N1 flu, Maryland Medical Assistance and local disasters such as a tornadoes or flooding is also available at the 211 number, Harper said.

More than 198 million people across the nation — 80 percent of the population — have access to the service, according to United Way officials.

"It would have been invaluable during the 2002 tornado in La Plata," Harper said. "If the program had been in place the county would not have had to set up several information hot lines. The information could have been passed along to 211 Maryland."

Harper, who has served since 2000 on the 211 Maryland Task Force that was designated by the Maryland Public Service Commission, said dialing 211 during a crisis is often a lot easier than trying to figure out which agency to call when stress is high.

The program is a one-stop shop for people who need to find local agencies that can help them get through a crisis, she said.

"Suicide and crisis lines are still good and functioning but if you don't know the number it's easier to dial 211 than to look up a telephone number," she said, adding that the county's United Way office receives calls for service and often people are referred to the service. "People call here who are looking for help and if we don't know where to direct them we tell them to call 211. They have a lot more resources than we do. I encourage people to use it."

nmcconaty@somdnews.com

If you need help

Charles County residents who need assistance finding solutions to health and human service problems, including food and clothing, shelters, rent and utility assistance, medical care, substance abuse treatment, protection from domestic abuse, disaster relief and employment support, can call 211 to speak with trained and certified specialists. The specialists will assess a person's needs and provide a link to federal, state and local government and nonprofit agencies that can offer assistance.

Information about the program that is available 24 hours a day, seven days a week in more than 150 languages can be found at www.211md.org.