Valley Wide Help Program Transforms into Pennsylvania's 2-1-1

Effective Jan 2, 2012, Valley Wide Help, an information and referral program of the American Red Cross of the Greater Lehigh Valley, will become a part of the statewide 2-1-1 program led by United Way of Pennsylvania. Valley Wide Help calls will be handled by United Way of Lancaster County's LINC Information and Referral Service (I&R), the seven-county regional call center.

2-1-1 is a national number designated by the Federal Communications Commission that enables people to connect to local services quickly and easily with the guidance of trained information call specialists. According to 211us.org, 2-1-1 serves over 260 million Americans (86.6 percent of the entire population) covering all 50 states plus Washington D.C. and Puerto Rico.

"It's bittersweet saying good-bye to Valley Wide Help after more than 30 years. Our staff took great pride in bringing people and services together. Many callers leaned heavily on our shoulders for information on where to get the very basic necessities -- rental and cash assistance, clothing, food and health insurance," said Cordelia E. Miller, director of emergency services at the Red Cross and the Valley Wide Help program. "We are working closely with the regional call center staff to ensure a smooth transition of our local database of resources."

Calls to the regional call center are answered live, Monday - Friday, 7 a.m. - 6:30 p.m. Plans are under way to expand to a 24/7 operation as funding sources are identified and partnerships expanded with the counties in PA 2-1-1 East, says Toni L. McCuistion, director of the regional call center. The regional center covers Berks, Lancaster, Lehigh, Northampton, Schuylkill, Carbon and Lebanon counties.

"As a model information and referral center for 35 years, we're delighted and proud to now serve greater Lehigh Valley residents as their trusted information and referral resource," McCuistion said. "We plan a formal 2-1-1 promotion in the greater Lehigh Valley in spring. We want to be sure that all citizens know that 2-1-1 is available and we are ready to serve them."

Funding for Valley Wide Help was provided by the United Way of the Greater Lehigh Valley and Lehigh and Northampton counties. "United Ways have a long-standing tradition of funding information and referral services in their respective communities," said Arlene Lund, vice president, strategy, engagement, & operations at the United Way of the Greater Lehigh Valley.

"2-1-1 and its goal to connect people to community resources represents the mission of United Ways nationwide to better people's lives. In addition, when a community is coping with floods, fires or other large-scale emergencies, 2-1-1 is a key tool."

Starting Jan. 2, 2012, calls to the Valley Wide Help lines for information and referral will be directed to 2-1-1.

The Valley Wide Help printed directory, a 277-page, spiral-bound publication listing contact information for more than 1,000 local nonprofit human and social service agencies and organizations, as well as state and national agencies, will be available for purchase at the reduced cost of $10. Each agency listing includes a brief description of services, street address, telephone number, Web and e-mail addresses and hours of operation. Call the Red Cross at 610-865-4400 for purchase and pickup details.

For more information about 2-1-1 or LINC, visit www.211us.org or www.uwlanc.org.