by Nicole Milbradt, Sr. Marketing Associate & Events Manager
On August 15, 2006, United Way of Pierce County’s HelpLine became part of the statewide 2-1-1 system, providing information and referrals for health and human service providers. In just three years, 2-1-1 has gone from a valuable community resource to a lifeline for those in need.
Since the local launch of 2-1-1 three years ago, call volumes have increased on average 36% each year from 34,000 calls in 2006 to a projection of more than 75,000 calls in 2009. United Way of Pierce County’s 2-1-1 call center is the most cost-effective center in the statewide system. Our unique staffing structure combines full-time paid staff with work-study students from local colleges and universities, interns and volunteers. This structure has allowed us to ramp up quickly and easily to meet increasing demands for 2-1-1 services, such as the addition of Thurston and Lewis Counties to our service area in July 2008.
Now South Sound 2-1-1, the call center also partners with local community coalitions and emergency management to help meet emerging community needs. The call center is funded in part by the State of Washington and through a grant from the Federal Transportation Administration (FTA) to provide special needs transportation services.
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