United Way of Pennsylvania and PA 2-1-1 have announced that all Pennsylvania residents will be able to contact 2-1-1 for help by the end of 2019. 2-1-1 is the free, confidential, 24-hour information and referral service that currently connects 97 percent of Pennsylvanians with all the health and human services available to help. In 2018, more than 202,000 people turned to 2-1-1 in Pennsylvania for help.
Information and referral specialists with 2-1-1 are trained to listen, assess a situation, ask appropriate questions, and then refer callers directly to the human services that will comprehensively address their needs. The 2-1-1 specialists also explain how to access those services, availing a translation service for more than 170 different languages, if needed.
People may contact 2-1-1 to find information on basic needs, such as utility assistance or the location of the closest food bank. However, 2-1-1 also provides callers with everyday information like where to take their child for developmental screening or how to locate job training.
To reach PA 2-1-1, readers may dial 2-1-1 from their phone or text their ZIP code to 898-211.
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