Beech Tree News Network

United Way of Southern Kentucky announced today that Southern Kentucky 2-1-1 services are now available to the 10-county BRADD region.

2-1-1 is an easy to remember three-digit telephone number assigned by the Federal Communications Commission for the purpose of providing quick and easy access to information about health and human services. Professional Information and Referral Specialists work with callers to assess their needs, determine their options and provide appropriate programs/services, give support, intervene in crisis situations and advocate for the caller as needed. Instead of multiple calls leading to dead ends, with one call to 2-1-1, people can reach a trained specialist who assesses a caller’s full scope of needs and matches them to the right services with everyday needs such as food, housing, utilities or transportation.

2-1-1 also assists during times of disaster, providing critical information about evacuation routes, food, and shelter. 2-1-1 is a powerful resource for help and hope in any community assisting callers of all ages and circumstances including families, parents, seniors, veterans, and low-income individuals.

Prior to the introduction of the Southern Kentucky 2-1-1 Contact Center, Kentucky was one of only three states with less than 43% coverage by 2-1-1. However, as of July 18th, 2-1-1 services will be made available to Southern Kentucky through United Way. As of today, when 2-1-1 is dialed in Southern Kentucky, there will be a compassionate person at the end of the phone line, transforming a family and changing our community, one phone call at a time. In real time, callers will be able to find what shelters have beds available, what agencies have utility assistance dollars, where to find help for addiction issues or with an aging parent. 2-1-1 will be the place to call when you don’t know where to go to get help when you need it.

2-1-1 will also serve as a social barometer that enables service providers, funders, and other stakeholders information about the needs of those in our community at any given time. The call data that is gathered will provide information to help make our human services delivery system better.

2-1-1 is core to the mission of United Way and integral to Community Impact. United Way of Southern Kentucky decided to bring 2-1-1 to Southern Kentucky after an extensive community research project that included almost 5,000 surveys and 55 Community Conversations in which it was discovered that people don’t know where to go to get help when they need it.

United Way of Southern Kentucky anticipates call volume for year one to be between 6,000 – 7,500 (2% - 2.5% of population) and to reach 22,500 – 24,000 calls annually by year three (7.5% - 8% of population).

United Way celebrated the Grand Opening of the Southern Kentucky 2-1-1 Contact Center today with a Chamber Ribbon Cutting and Open House with tours of the Center available for those in attendance. Callers can also reach Southern Kentucky 2-1-1 services by calling 1-844-966-0906.

For more information on how you can make the choice to LIVE UNITED through giving, advocating and volunteering, log on to the United Way of Southern Kentucky website at www.liveunitedtoday.com. 

United Way of Southern Kentucky (UWSK) is a local, independent, non-profit organization that works to identify and address the issues that matter most, change conditions and improve lives. The mission of United Way of Southern Kentucky is to be the leader in bringing together the resources to build a stronger, more caring community. United Way is focused on the building blocks for good quality of life – Education, Income, Health and Safety Net. Therefore, the vision of United Way is a Southern Kentucky where all residents are educated, healthy, and financially stable. Incorporated as a charitable non-profit entity in 1956, UWSK has long served a major role in the community by bringing people together to create opportunities that make a measurable difference in the quality of life for people where they live and work.