WA 211 Helpline Sees Jump in Calls

A helpline to help people connect with resources when they're in need has seen an uptick in calls to its service. However, funding remains a barrier to serving more people. 

Washington 211 can connect people with about 17,000 resources from its database. The helpline's director, Tim Sullivan, said referral specialists determine what a person needs when they call.

"When somebody calls, they're presenting one need - like housing," said Sullivan, "but typically, there's other needs that are identified during that interview. And then, the information specialist searches the database we have, and then tries to provide up to three resources per need for that individual."

Sullivan said 211 can provide other resources including for legal issues, utility assistance and veteran and senior services. The helpline partnered with the Washington State Department of Health to provide a COVID hotline during the pandemic. The number of calls jumped from about 250,000 in 2019 to 400,000 in 2020, Sullivan said, and it hasn't come down since then. His organization asked for $5 million in this year's budget to expand its services - but the request was turned down.

"So, it's really difficult for us, without getting additional funds from the state, to be able to continue to operate at a level that we need to," said Sullivan, "especially with the new rise in people that are needing assistance."  According to its data from the past year, about one third of calls to 211 concern housing.

Sullivan said his organization has also been helping with Ride United Transportation Access, a partnership with Lyft to get people to places like job interviews and medical services.