Calling for 2-1-1 Federal Legislation Fact Sheet

Overview
2-1-1 is an easy to remember telephone number that connects people with important
community services and volunteer opportunities, supported by United Way of America
and the Alliance of Information and Referral Systems (AIRS).

The Need for 2-1-1 in Your Community
Every hour of every day, someone in the United States needs essential services - from
finding an after-school program to securing adequate care for a child or an aging parent.
Faced with a dramatic increase in the number of agencies and help-lines, people often
don't know where to turn. In many cases, people end up going without these necessary
services because they do not know where to start.

With 2-1-1, Americans have one phone number to them find and give help, and, just like
911, 2-1-1 is available 24 hours a day to anyone who calls.

As of April 2009, 2-1-1 serves over 240 million Americans (more than 80% of the entire population) covering all or part of 46 states (including 33 states with 90%+ coverage) plus Washington DC and Puerto Rico.

What the Legislation Does
The Calling for 211 Act of 2009, introduced by Sen. Hillary Clinton (D-NY) and Rep. Anna Eshoo (D-CA) would authorize $200 million annually to assist states with implementing and sustaining 2-1-1 statewide. States would have to provide a 50 percent match to the grant, which could come from
current 2-1-1 funding in the community, such as United Way funding, funding through other non-profits, state government funding, foundation grants or corporate funding. Funding would be administered by the Department of Commerce.

To make 2-1-1 a reality, we need you to:

• Contact your Senators and Representatives to encourage them to support this legislation.
• Contact your Governors office to encourage support of 2-1-1 at the state level.
• Contact your local United Way to get involved with 2-1-1.

For up-to-date information on the Calling for 2-1-1 Act, click here.