This week marks the 20^th anniversary of United Way of Greater Atlanta’s 2-1-1 Contact Center, a help line that connects families in need with community resources like food pantries, job search and placement agencies, and financial assistance. These resources can put food on tables, keep lights on or even provide clothes after a house fire. This help is provided so that all children, individuals, and families can be put on a path toward well-being.

United Way of Greater Atlanta’s 2-1-1 was the nation’s first information and referral line and went onto become a model for cities across the country to support their citizens. As of last year, 2-1-1 has responded to nearly 8 million people.

“2-1-1 gives families a lifeline during difficult times and offers a first line of prevention to keep children safe and address the needs of families in crisis,” says Bobby Cagle, DFCS Division Director. “We commend United Way of Greater Atlanta on this milestone and for its vision 20 years ago to make community support services more accessible to those in need.”

The 2-1-1 service is free, confidential, and available 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, in over 140 different languages.  There are more than 5,000 resources in the regional 2-1-1 network database and trained Contact Center agents are able to provide information on services and referrals to programs aligned with specific needs. In addition, volunteers support the work of 2-1-1 by donating time, funds and resources to ensure that the Greater Atlanta is a community that can thrive.

2-1-1 has continued to grow and evolve over the years, using technology to form a deeper connection with the community. In 2011, 2-1-1 started the transformation from a call center to a contact center by offering live chat services through the 2-1-1 website. This allowed the community to independently search for its needs or chat live with a trained specialist.

At the beginning of 2014, text services were added. Today, 2-1-1 customers can reach 2-1-1 by phone, through the website, by chat, text, by app, and email 24/7/365.

“We know that communities can’t thrive unless all children, individuals and families, and it is through collective impact and working with agencies and other partners that we can improve the well-being of our families and communities. From the 5,000 agency partners, the agents in the contact center, and the volunteers that donate funds and resources, nothing does a better job at illustrating what collective impact means than 2-1-1,” says United Way CEO Milton Little.