Connecticut’s crisis response hotline 211 marked its 50th anniversary this month with surging call volumes and a staff expansion to its crisis center.
The demand for assistance from residents using 211 surged 300% since 2019 according to United Way, which runs the 24/7 hotline. Requests for mental health services, food and housing supports remain the three top needs, driven by steep increases in prices, coupled with rising rents.
The staff expansion to reduce wait times by callers is driven by an additional $2.6 million approved earlier this year from the Emergency State Response Reserve.
Last year in Connecticut, 211 responded to more than 1.3 million requests for help over the phone and the web.
The service was established as “Infoline” in 1976, and remains free of cost to callers. Most recently, 211 experienced a surge in demand during the November freeze of funding for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP, when weekly requests increased by more than 10 times.
