WEST PALM BEACH, FL -- From foreclosure assistance to thoughts of suicide, folks at 2-1-1’s emergency hotline lend an ear and point callers in the right direction.
But during these tough economic times, more and more people are calling for help and now the call center needs a lifeline of their own.
“Last year we handled over 173,000 calls,” said Susan Buza, Executive Director of 211 for Palm Beach and the Treasure Coast.
There’s rarely a dull moment for staff at 211’s call center. They say the phones are ringing more now than ever.
“The calls are more severe. Individuals are facing foreclosure, have lost jobs and as a result are calling us and saying I’ve never had to reach out to social services before,” Buza said.
Some of those calls are a matter of life and death. Just in the first half of 2008 alone, the number of callers contemplating suicide rose 87% from the same time in 2007.
2009 appears to be on par with last year and they’re noticing callers are citing the poor economy as a reason for their distress.
Lines are open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week but like many non-profit services, 211 depends on help from the government. But more than a quarter of their funding comes from the United Way. The majority of the agencies they refer callers to are also funded by the United Way.
With our troubled economy, funds have been trickling in, while the need for help is greater than ever before. Buza says they have a very real concern that without funding, more people making a last-resort call will have to be put on hold.
“When you give to United Way you’re helping us keep those phone lines open for those who are in need,” she said.
There is a way you can help.
NewsChannel 5 has partnered with the United Way for the ‘Give 5 Now’ campaign.
Here’s how it works: You decide to give $5 and get five of your friends to give $5. Together we can help the non-profit agencies that are there to help us.
