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Information and Referral Hotline Expands
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Access for northern Michigan residents to the national 2-1-1 Information and Referral system has expanded. On 2-11-2011, residents from Antrim, Benzie, Grand Traverse, Kalkaska, and Leelanau Counties joined those in Charlevoix and Emmet Callers who can get non-emergency health and human services information by calling the toll-free hotline, 1-877-211-LAKE (5253).
The system had been available in Charlevoix and Emmet Counties since September. Char-Em United Way has spearheaded development of the 2-1-1 service for Charlevoix and Emmet Counties for the past several years. A $2,500 grant from the Great Lakes Energy People Fund has just been awarded to the project and will help support services in the coming year. Later this year, the system will shift over the easy-to-remember 2-1-1 phone number.
“Although the service has only been available for a few months, it is clear that it is meeting an important need,” says Martha Lancaster, Executive Director of Char-Em United Way. “In the first two and a half months of service, 66 local residents called the hotline. Of these 56% requested referrals for Basic Needs (housing/shelter, utilities, food, materials goods, and transportation.) Over 28% specifically requested utility assistance. Other high volume needs were health care, income support, legal services, and family life services.”
Callers are connected to a highly-trained information and referral specialist who can provide information and referrals to local services. The service is available 24/7/365 and is free to callers. These specialists can help residents with a variety of needs including housing and utility assistance, location of food pantries, where to volunteer, information about after school programs, senior care services, mortgage foreclosure and more.
For more information, contact United Way at 231-487-1006 or info@charemunitedway.org. A flyer about the 2-1-1 service can be downloaded from www.charemunitedway.org under the Community Impact tab. Additional information about 2-1-1 can be found at: http://www.uwmich.org/2-1-1.
Related articles:
Local requests for assistance support the needs raised during last week’s National Hunger and Homeless Awareness Week. Housing-related requests topped the list of calls from .Charlevoix and Emmet County residents during the first year of operation of the 24-hour Information and Referral phone hotline. The service began in September 2010 in Charlevoix and Emmet counties. Free, confidential services are provided 24/7 via trained information and referral specialists at Community Access Line of the Lakeshore (CALL 2-1-1), the regional call center in Muskegon.
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