Ohio 211 would like to welcome all new Legislative Aides. You will find 211 to be a strong local resource as you work with constituents looking for help. 211 is a simple, easy-to-remember number to connect them to all the help and information they may need.

Ohio 211 connects people with the help they need—when they need it most. From food and housing to workforce development and mental health care, 211 links Ohioans to thousands of community resources through our extensive statewide database of public health and human service providers.


Compassionate and confidential support is available by phone, text, or live chat. Whether it’s job training, child care, or financial assistance, 211 helps people find real solutions. During disasters, Ohio 211 provides critical resource navigation and helps reduce demand on costly emergency lines like 911 and 988—supporting Ohioans before situations become a crisis.

United Way of Summit & Medina (UWSM) plays several key roles in Summit County, including serving as both the 211 and Central Intake for federally-funded homeless programs.

Over the past several years, UWSM has fully integrated these two programs in the following positive ways:


• 211 is the number to call to access staff from both programs. This benefits the Central Intake program because it is easier to remember than the former 10 digit phone number and has 24/7 support.
  
• Prompts on the line direct individuals who are homeless or imminently homeless to the Central Intake staff. Central Intake conducts a brief assessment and explores all available options that might divert callers from the homeless system. If that is not possible, a full intake is completed and the individual or family is evaluated for all federally funded resources within the system through this one call. They typically go on a wait list for services and can be on wait lists for various programs at the same time.

•  All other calls for housing support are directed to 211 staff, keeping the Central Intake staff available to deal with people in the most vulnerable situations. The most common request is for rent assistance. 211 staff screen the callers for any available programs and also let them know about services they may not be aware of such as a new Right to Counsel pilot program that provides legal assistance for households facing eviction.

Both our 211 staff and Central Intake staff are here to offer a kind word and all available resources, such as a referral to a hot shower, laundry, meals, and job search assistance. Several communities across the state have similarly integrated 211 and their Central Intake systems, and these are all models for a full integration that could happen once 211 expands to all counties in Ohio.

Read the 2024 State of Homelessness for Summit County 
Learn more here

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You can share the link with other legislative offices to make sure they have access to our newsletter. The link is: https://lp.constantcontactpages.com/sl/C9bMew2/Ohio211

Our Ohio 211 Providers

• Ashtabula County Community Action Agency

• Fairfield County 211

• Mansfield/Richland County Public Library / First Call 211

• Lutheran Social Services 211 Central Ohio

• Help Network of Northeast Ohio

• Helpline of Delaware & Morrow County

• Lifeline, Inc.

• Pathways of Central Ohio

• United Way of Greater Cincinnati

• United Way of Greater Cleveland

• United Way of the Greater Dayton Area

• United Way of Summit & Medina

• United Way of Greater Toledo

In 2001, following the Federal Communications Commission authorization of 211 for the provision of information and referral, the Public Utilities Commission of Ohio (PUCO) gave Ohio AIRS (DBA Ohio 211) responsibility for overseeing the development and management of 211 in Ohio. There is no statewide funding of 211 currently. 211 is entirely funded at the local level which means some counties do not have 211 due to lack of local funding. If you are interested in helping to secure statewide funding of 211, please contact president@ohio211.org

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