2-1-1 Day

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ALBANY, NY (02/12/2013)(readMedia)-- Supporters of 2-1-1 helplines celebrated February 11 - as 2-1-1 Day in Albany marked by a Proclamation issued by Governor Cuomo (attached) and visits to legislative offices.

2-1-1 had a busy year in 2012, handling 2.43 million calls and helping others get help through almost 14 million web searches of 2-1-1's regional public web sites. The top requests were for help with consumer services, basic needs, income support, employment and health care.

Seven regional call centers managed by local not for profits agencies, United Ways, and the City of New York serve over 93% of the state's population. These include centers in the Finger Lakes, Hudson Valley, New York City, Susquehanna River Region, and Western New York. The Hudson Valley site also provides services to the Adirondack Region, to Capital Region, and Long Island.

While initially developed with access to day-to-day human services in mind, 2-1-1 in NYS and across the country has proved to be an asset in disaster response and long-term recovery. In response to Super Storm Sandy over 177,888* calls were handled. In addition there were 8,370 Sandy web hits to the NYC web site. There were 1,881,510 web searches of the regional web sites and disaster guides serving the Long Island and Hudson Valley regions. The most frequent requests for help were for: finding food, power restoration, shelter, damage reimbursement and help in cleanup.

At the statewide level, 2?1?1 New York Inc. is a charitable subsidiary of United Way of New York State and is a tax-exempt, 501(c) (3) organization. The 2?1?1 New York Board provides oversight to the designation, serves as the fiscal agent for state funding, promotes continuous communication and best practice sharing among the call centers, and facilitates relationships with government agencies and other stakeholders. 2-1-1 in New York represents a longstanding partnership between United Ways, the City of New York, and not for profit information and referral providers.**

(Other attachments available: service statistics as statewide pie chart, statewide map of counties served, "people" stories-call 518.608 to be emailed a copy)

* Sandy calls handled in NYC (2-1-1at 311) – 152,068; Long Island-Hudson Valley – 25,820

**Members of NYSAIRS, the New York State Alliance of Information and Referral Systems