Help is a phone call away
Text and website also are available for those in need of a helping hand
In the past year, the call specialists at the 2-1-1 line in Wichita went from 50,000 calls in 2019 to 122,844 calls in 2020.
In the year of the COVID-19 pandemic, more Kansas residents than ever needed access to information and services that seemed far removed from their lives only a few months earlier.
“A lot of people were out of work and couldn’t get through to (the Kansas Department of Labor) unemployment line. Meanwhile, they still had food to buy and rent and utilities to pay,” said Heather Pierce, call center coordinator at the Wichita-based United Way of the Plains.
The organization’s 2-1-1 is a free, confidential referral and information helpline and website that connects people of all ages and from all communities to the essential health and human services they need, 24 hours a day, seven days a week. 2-1-1 can be accessed by phone or computer.
Ellsworth County residents have always had access to the statewide help line, but starting today (Thursday, March 11), more information on local resources is available.
The additional information was provided by #BecauseWeCare, an informal group of local individuals, businesses and organizations that meet virtually at noon Thursdays to discuss the needs of Ellsworth County residents during the coronavirus pandemic.
Participant Anita Hoffhines, in partnership with Ellsworth Area Chamber of Commerce director Tami McGreevy and the Ellsworth County Medical Center, took the lead in reaching out to 2-1-1 representatives and updating the Ellsworth County information.
On the website, resources are broken down by category — food, housing and shelter, financial assistance, mental health and addiction ...
Select a zip code and services from that area go to the top of the page. Family support, for instance, lists the Ellsworth Child Care and Learning Center and the local health department as places to call for information. Resources also are listed in other Ellsworth County towns.
Or pick up your cell phone.
The Wichita center has seven staff members, who take calls from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Calls received after those hours go to a 24-hour help center in Kansas City.
Pierce said the biggest share of questions this past year have been about COVID — first the symptoms, then the testing and now the vaccines. Other topics in order of importance have been utilities, rent, tax preparation and food pantries.