About 2-1-1

2-1-1 is an easy-to-remember phone number that links people to the health and human services they need.

This confidential informational and referral service is available 24 hours a day, seven days a week in 150 languages. Call specialists — trained, human service professionals with active listening skills who get beyond the symptom presented — assess callers’ needs and get them to the right solutions using a comprehensive database of more than 4,600 federal, state and local services — both government and nonprofit.

2-1-1 Maryland is available through four call centers. The organizations that serve as 2-1-1 call centers are:

1.  2-1-1 Maryland at United Way of Central Maryland

2.  Community Crisis Services, Inc., Hyattsville

3.  Life Crisis Center, Inc., Salisbury 

4.  Mental Health Association of Frederick County, Frederick 

In fiscal year 2011, 2-1-1 Maryland answered more than 271,000 calls around basic needs such as food, housing, health care, utility assistance and more.

The top five needs in central Maryland centered on financial assistance for utility billing and housing, individual, family and community supports, emergency food and tax assistance. More callers reported mental health issues stemming from financial stress.

Not only does 2-1-1 provide information, it also helps identify needs or gaps in service as well as emerging needs, offering a clearer picture for decision-making. 2-1-1 is also a partner in crisis response and homeland security. During and after disasters and emergencies, 2-1-1 offers easy access to rumor-controlled information, reducing inappropriate calls to 911 and freeing emergency personnel to do what they do best. The “round-the-clock” status eliminates the need to activate new, hard-to-remember, numbers.

If you'd like to support 2-1-1 Maryland at UWCM with a gift, please visit our secure online giving page.

In May 2010, Governor Martin O’Malley signed Senate Bill 527/House Bill 693 making 2-1-1 Maryland a permanent system. The new law created a Health and Human Services Referral Board – 2-1-1 Maryland, with members appointed by the Governor and representing state agencies in health and human services, representatives from 2-1-1 Maryland and other nonprofit organizations. It also identified 2-1-1 Maryland as a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization to oversee the 2-1-1 system in the state.

2-1-1 engages in many partnerships with local and state government as well as other nonprofit agencies to help meet the needs of citizens. Some examples are:

Baltimore City Commission on Aging and Retirement Education
Senior Information and Assistance After Hours Response

Harvest of Plenty (Thanksgiving program for low-income households)

Baltimore CASH and Maryland CASH Campaigns and Bank of America
Earned Income Tax Credit and Free Tax Preparation Sites

2-1-1 Maryland Sponsors: