MORGANTOWN — On Feb. 11, West Virginia 211 will celebrate 211 Day, recognizing a service that has answered more than 25,000 calls during the past year, connecting people to various services and benefits.
“Our team of trained call specialists who answer the phones at 211 every day is remarkable,” said Margaret O’Neal, president of the board of directors. “Every day, they connect thousands of callers to resources and services they need. Often, this means digging into an individual’s story, and helping get to the root of the problems they are facing.”
211 provides a service leveraged by millions of people across North America. Every day, clients contact 211 to access free and confidential crisis and emergency counseling; disaster assistance; food, health care and insurance assistance; housing and utility payment assistance; employment services; veterans services; childcare, family services and more.
On this special day, WV 211 will also launch a partnership with Aunt Bertha to add self-service search functionality to its program. This new feature allows users to visit wv211.org and search over 12,000 available resources on their own. The search results allow the user to filter by location, hours, needs, etc. It is mobile responsive.
“One persistent local barrier to improving access to resources is simply knowing where to turn when you’re in need,” said Delaney Laughery, statewide 211 director. “Often times, individuals would rather search for the information on their own instead of speaking to our representatives. This new state of the art search feature will allow them to do just that.”
With COVID-19 still challenging our state, leaders have decided to celebrate the day virtually through social media and advocacy work. No local in-person events are being scheduled to keep everyone safe.
“As we continue to determine the best way to help area residents who struggle to pay their bills despite having full-time employment, 211 has remained a vital resource for the people and communities we serve,” added O’Neal. “From assistance with tax preparation, utilities assistance, and employment services, 211 is there, 24 hours a day, every day of the year. And it remains one of our best tools for building strong and stable communities.”
For more information about West Virginia 211, or to donate to the service, visit wv211.org.
