LEBANON,
PA – United Way of Lebanon County will activate the national 2-1-1 information
and referral hotline on January 1, 2017. Currently, 92% of North America and 85% of Pennsylvania has access to
2-1-1. Beginning in the New Year, all of
Lebanon County will also have easy access to free, 24/7, confidential health
and human service information from a live call specialist.
Alan
Smith, Pastor of Church of the Good Shepherd said, “We are extremely grateful
for United Way’s vision to bring this resource to the Lebanon Community. Pastors, case workers, educators and many
other caring people receive requests frequently from people with a wide variety
of needs, and the new 2-1-1 system has tremendous potential in resourcing
individuals as well as assisting those who are often put in a position to
provide encouragement and support but do not always know what is available in
the community.”
The
2-1-1 service is made possible through advocacy efforts by the local Heroin
Taskforce, the Criminal Justice Advisory Board, the Re-Entry Coalition, and is
being funded in part by United Way, the Francis J. Dixon Foundation, Lebanon
County Commission on Drug and Alcohol Abuse, the District Attorney’s Office,
and FirstEnergy Foundation.
Brooke
Smith, Director of Community Impact for United Way said, “This program will be
of great service to all community members. Any person in Lebanon County can
access 2-1-1 by calling, logging on to the website unitedwaylebco.org/2-1-1,
or by texting to get connected with a wealth of health and human service
resources including supplemental food programs, housing, emergency shelter,
utility assistance, job training, drug and alcohol treatment programs, re-entry
programs, as well as specialized programs for veterans and senior citizens.”
The
2-1-1 phone number will alleviate non-emergency calls that are currently
directed to the county’s 9-1-1 dispatch office and the county’s crisis
intervention office (717-274-3363) which is a resource intended for those
experiencing mental health crises.
The
need for an efficient, centralized information and referral service was first
identified by the community in 2005.
Kenny Montijo, United Way CEO said, “the 2-1-1 service is the
realization of a private-public partnership between countless stakeholders all
focused on improving access and services for the residents of Lebanon
County. I would like to thank the
County’s MHIDEI staff and the Community Action Partnership staff for laying the
ground work many years ago that make this program possible today.”
While
2-1-1 will officially launch this New Year, it will be a fluid and
ever-changing service as new and updated programs are continuously updated
throughout the year.
For
more information about 2-1-1, log on to the United Way’s website at
UnitedWayLebCo.org/2-1-1 or access the full 2-1-1 database for Lebanon County
online at pa211east.org/Lebanon. For 85 years, United Way of Lebanon
County has been fulfilling its mission of improving our neighbor’s lives
through the effective development and stewardship of community resources. United Way is financially supporting 31
community programs focused on education, health, family financial stability,
and safety net services. To donate to
the community fund or for additional information, please contact the United Way
at 717.273.8144.
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