In 2019, United Way of Greater Cleveland’s 2-1-1 HelpLink averaged 500 calls a day from folks in need.
Sadly, that’s not the case anymore.
“Since the pandemic hit, we’re receiving an average of 800 calls a day,” says United Way of Greater Cleveland’s 2-1-1 HelpLink Director Franco Formichelli. “The need is still there — only it has increased. Calls for food assistance alone increased 300% immediately after the pandemic began.”
The statistics are sobering. According to data compiled by the Center for Community Solutions and cited on United Way’s website, out of all large U.S. cities, Cleveland has the highest childhood poverty rate, the second-highest poverty rate for working-age adults and the third-highest poverty rate for senior citizens.
Clearly, United Way’s 2-1-1 HelpLink has become a lifeline for those in crisis. Staffed 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, the free, anonymous referral service finds resources for those struggling with issues that include feeding themselves and their families, finding housing and keeping the lights and heat on. The 2-1-1 digits represent a special abbreviated telephone number reserved across the country as an easy-to-remember source that will provide information and referrals to health, human and social service organizations.
During these unprecedented times, United Way’s 2-1-1 HelpLink expanded to serve Ohio counties, including Allen, Belmont, Coschocton, Cuyahoga, Darke, Galia, Geauga, Jackson, Lawrence, Meigs, Ross, Scioto, Van Wert and Vinton.
“Many of these counties did not have 2-1-1 service before,” Formichelli says. “We hope to continue to help when the pandemic is no longer a threat.”
The HelpLink experience is simple, friendly and confidential. After consulting United Way’s robust resource database comprised of more than 2,000 agencies and 16,000 government, health and human services programs — one of 43 navigation specialists develops a customized plan for the caller’s needs based on urgency, proximity to resources and physical ability. Depending on the program, the navigation specialist will followup with the caller to ensure the information provided was accurate and accessible and that the problem has been solved.
Formichelli and his staff find the stories first-time callers share particularly poignant.
“With so many restaurants and other businesses closing, people who’ve been normally employed suddenly are not,” he says. “They have nowhere to go and no one else to call, so they call us. Those are tough calls, and they are longer calls because people calling in for the first time really don’t know the landscape. We have to help them through this time in their lives and get them every resource we can so they can get back on their feet.”
In February, United Way’s 2-1-1 HelpLink marked National 2-1-1 Day, having handled nearly 200,000 calls since March 2020 from people in need of resources and assistance since the COVID-19 pandemic began.
On Jan. 25, United Way’s 2-1-1 HelpLink partnered with Cuyahoga County to further expand its services, opening a dedicated COVID-19 Vaccination Information Line, which operates Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m., with some weekend hours also available.
“It’s been more than a year since the COVID-19 pandemic began, and the needs of individuals and families within the Cleveland community have only grown,” says August Napoli, United Way of Greater Cleveland’s president and chief executive officer in announcing the partnership. “United Way of Greater Cleveland’s 2-1-1 HelpLink is committed to serving as an anchor for anyone in need of resources and assistance.”
Founded in 1913, United Way of Greater Cleveland is an outgrowth of our nation’s first modern Community Chest that came into being with the Cleveland Federation for Charity and Philanthropy. Cleveland was the first city to organize a true financial federation of health and welfare agencies — one that annually allocates campaign funds through a single federated charity to address the problems of a rapidly expanding metropolitan area. Its first campaign raised $127,000 for 55 social service and charitable organizations.
For more than a century, United Way has been involved with numerous causes designed to create and implement new ways to better approach and address the root causes of poverty, including racism and childhood abuse. United Way also serves as the Lead Partner Organization for Right to Counsel, working closely with community partners, including the Legal Aid Society of Cleveland to help families with one or more children living at or below the federal poverty line and facing eviction by providing free legal representation in housing court.
After joining the organization in 2016, Napoli formulated a multiyear strategic plan to assess community needs and streamline the organization to make better use of donated funds.
As a result, United Way created a two-prong approach to concurrently address the symptoms and root causes of poverty. The Community Hub for Basic Needs, comprised of a network of community partners, addresses aspects of poverty that include hunger, homelessness and violence.
The nonprofit’s Impact Institute links leaders from across fields ranging from education to public and private sectors to health and human services agencies and is led by Dr. Toby Cosgrove, distinguished chair of the Impact Institute and former president and chief executive of Cleveland Clinic. United Way is committed to leading the conversations and the charge to help eradicate poverty’s devastating effects on Greater Clevelanders.