Local Nonprofit Has Provided Resources to Help People in Need for 47 Years

HAYWARD, Calif., Feb. 7, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Saturday, February 11th is 211 Day, which recognizes 211 programs and staff across the country that provide comprehensive resources for community members in need. 211 Alameda County is the local program that provided over 100,000 referrals for health, housing, and human services to thousands of Alameda County community members last year.

211 is free, confidential, multilingual, and available 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Anyone in need of help or information can call 211 24/7 or text 898211 Monday to Friday between 9a-4p to reach a trained 211 Community Resource Specialist. Last year, 211 Alameda County handled 81,599 calls or texts from people seeking life-saving resources.

One recent call came from a social worker from Oakland who was seeking domestic violence resources for her client in the emergency room with physical and emotional injuries. 211 staff contacted the organization A Safe Place and secured a bed for her client that night.

Throughout 2022, Community Resource Specialists connected people to a vast number of locally available services, including help with rent, food, utility bills, homelessness services, and health care. 211 also plays a critical role in the county for disaster preparedness and response.

Alison DeJung, Executive Director of Eden I&R, the nonprofit organization that operates 211 Alameda County, encourages people to contact 211 if they need help.

"The number one need of callers to 211 year after year is housing. Nearly half of our calls handled in 2022 were for housing or emergency shelter resources. And as inflation has soared, people also reached out to 211 last year to find information on basic needs, like heating or utility assistance, or to find the closest food bank. They also called for everyday information like where to take their child for developmental screening how to locate job training or find free tax filing support," DeJung said.

The first 211 system started in Atlanta, Georgia, in 1997. Three years later, the Federal Communications Commission approved 211 for nationwide use as a three-digit dialing number in the United States. Eden I & R launched 211 Alameda County on July 1, 2007, and it has been operating 24/7 without interruption since that time.

Starting on February 11, 211 will be available to 99% of people in the U.S. and across all of Canada. 

If you or anyone you know needs help, call 211, text 898211, or visit 211alamedacounty.org. Help is available 24/7, in 300 languages.

ABOUT EDEN I&R

Eden I&R, Inc., was incorporated as a non-profit 501(c)(3) agency in January 1976 in response to a community need for a service that would assist people in obtaining information about, as well as gaining access to, community resources. Its mission is to link people and resources. For more information about programs, volunteering, or donating, please visit http://edenir.org.

SOURCE Eden I&R