United Way of Halifax Region

What is 211?

211 is a three digit telephone number that links people to community, social, health and government services and programs easily and quickly. Combined with an on-line service, 211 is free, multi-lingual and is available 24/7.

Who would use 211?

211 is for everyone and anyone who is seeking information about services in the province and in their community. Examples include:

• A senior citizen wanting home care support in order to live independently

• A teenager looking for job-seeking skills

• A young mother wanting advice on how to care for her newborn

• A recent immigrant needing language and employment training

• A family searching for child-care services in their community or close to work

• A concerned neighbour trying to help a friend in an abusive relationship

• A father trying to find services for his son with a newly diagnosed illness

• A laid-off worker wanting to find out about employment insurance

• A person with disabilities determining which community or government services are available in their community

211 is also for service providers themselves who want a comprehensive data base that will allow them to connect their clients to the services they need rapidly and easily, so more time can be spent concentrating on service delivery.

What are the benefits of a 211 service?

Callers can easily and quickly connect to the services they need, anywhere in the province, regardless of where they are located. \

211 has also been proven to reduce congestion on 911 lines. 211 helps communities use their resources better, by providing information that can be used to identify service gaps, duplication, and emerging trends for service planning.  

Furthermore, the pattern of calls to 211 will tell policy decision makers what services are most requested in each area of the province. This will help direct the right resources and services to where they are most needed. 

What is the 211 Nova Scotia Initiative?

The adoption of a province-wide 211 service is currently being led by United Way of the Halifax Region, in collaboration with United Ways across Nova Scotia, the Government of Nova Scotia and other organizations. 

211 services already exist in many parts of the U.S., in Toronto and other parts of Ontario, and in Calgary and Edmonton. Plans have been announced to make 211 avail;able throughout British Columbia and Ontario. 

When will it be available?

The collaboprative effort led by United Way has been underway since 2000. Community service organizations, libraries, health boards, provincial and federal agencies and other service providers are supporting the initiative and encouraging government to include 211 in budget planning.

Why a province-wide 211 service?

A province-wide 211 service will ensure that all people – regardless of where they live – will have equal access to information. For example, this would allow a resident in Halifax to easily find home support for their father in Kentville, or assist an immigrant in finding services once they move from Sydney to Truro.

Both costs and benefits are optimized with a province-wide approach.   Furthermore, the overall goal is to eventually have 211 services across Canada. By starting with a province-wide service, it will be easier to create a national network, providing rapid and effective service for all Canadians.

Has it been done before?

211 serves 15% of the Canadian population through centres in Toronto, Edmonton, Calgary, Niagara and Simcoe.   It also serves over 55% of the US population - 165 million people - through 190 active systems in 38 states (including 14 states with 100% coverage) plus Puerto Rico.

Has any research been done regarding the value 211?

Comprehensive research on the costs and benefits of varied 211 systems has been conducted in both the US and Canada. United Ways in BC, Saskatchewan, Manitoba, British Columbia and Ontario have worked with a number of organizations, including Deloitte, to develop specific business cases and identify the potential of a 211 service. These studies confirm the strength of the 211 business case and the inherent value of the service, as well as provide useful guidelines as to how this service might role-out throughout the province.

Does 211 have a dedicated funding source?

No. While United Way has committed to leading this stage of the 211 development process, funding for implementation and ongoing operation will still need to be secured from foundations, local and the provincial governments, and companies and individuals.

Can’t people just look in the phone book for services?

Telephone books are not organized in a manner to easily find services. Many organizations provide multiple services and are not listed by each service, nor are the services always reflected in the organization’s name. 211 centres maintain extensive databases of services that include information on how to access the service. 211 specialists assist callers by working with them to fully understand their problems or needs and determining the best way to address them.

What happens when someone should be phoning 911 and they phone 211?

The role of the 211 specialist is to talk through situations with people who are not looking for, and do not need, immediate intervention. If it becomes apparent that they do need immediate intervention, the telephone specialist is trained to determine if the person is capable of hanging up and dialing 911 themselves. This is because when a caller dials 911 directly, the centre has immediate access to their address, name and phone number. If the caller is not able to do this, the 211 telephone specialist will keep them on the line and have another telephone specialist dial the appropriate local 911 centre. 

How does 211 deal with privacy concerns?

A call to 211 is a confidential call. I&R specialists do not ask for the name, address, or phone numbers of callers*. Although an electronic record, for statistical purposes, is made of each call taken, it is non-identifying. The I&R Specialist only asks for the community in which the caller lives, in order that an appropriate referral can be made. 211 centres have found that callers are overwhelmingly pleased to have this further step taken, and have felt well cared for by the follow-up procedure.

Is it worth funding 211 when health and human service agencies don’t have the resources to meet basic needs today?

Yes. Studies have shown that people find it difficult to navigate the complex and ever‑growing maze of health and human service agencies and programs. There are hundreds of nonprofit organizations in Nova Scotia in addition to scores of government agencies. When individuals go without help because they are unaware of services available to them, our communities waste valuable resources and people fail to get the support they need. With 211, communities can address the diverse needs of their residents and ensure increased coordination among services in the 211 service, identify gaps and overlaps in services by geographic mapping, and track human service usage. By providing a centralized point of information, 211 will help ensure the most efficient use of community resources.

Why will 211 be available 24/7 if local services are CLOSED DURING non-business hours?

To be truly accessible, people need to be able to get information at all times of the day, whenever they may need it most. While they may not always be able to link with the services themselves at that hour, they can get the necessary information about the services, its location, contact information and hours to provide solutions and peace of mind. Alternatively, there are also certain community services that are available 24 hours a day that may be applicable to the caller’s need and 211 would assist them in sourcing those promptly.

Where can I get more information?