Calls for Help

United Way's 24-hour, statewide 2-1-1 call service received roughly 90,000 calls in 2011 from residents seeking assistance with veterans services as well as housing, utility payments, procuring food, becoming financially stable, emergency relief and childcare help. The call volume is a sharp increase from the 30,000 calls it received at the beginning of the recession in 2006. Adding to the increased need for assistance with services is the return of our nation's service members from overseas, an influx projected to impact the call center beginning in the first few months of 2012.

According to Paul L. Mina, Executive Director of Mass2-1-1, the number one concern from callers right now is the effect that their long term unemployment and federal regulations will have on their benefit packages. Callers want to know when their benefits will be shut off.

For returning service members who have been overseas as the recession wound down, their homecoming is proving to be a wake up call to the new economy.

In speaking with Mina about trends he and his team are seeing, he informed me that unfortunately many returning veterans will be unemployed or underemployed and they will require help navigating their options within a poor job market. The most common call from returning service members is about discovering they are no longer employed by their former companies. While their employers were required to hold their jobs for them during deployment, there is little consolation when their business has gone bankrupt or their entire department has been redundant.

As service members return from their deployment, Mina predicts a progressive uptick in call volume. "2-1-1 generally experiences a growth in calls from returning service members after they have been home for about three months," Mina said. "At United Way, we want to make sure that they are aware of the 2-1-1 service so that they can get on their feet quickly before the passage of time makes matters worse."

United Way's 2-1-1 service has a close partnership with the Massachusetts Department of Veterans Services (DVS) to ensure that callers receive quick direction to services including financial assistance, education benefits, workforce development, housing programs and general outreach services.

As part of the partnership with the DVS, United Way's 2-1-1 service added an expanded list of veterans' services to its database in 2011 to support the Commonwealth's ongoing efforts to assist veterans and their families.

If you are one of the over 400,000 Veterans living in Massachusetts and in need of services or know someone who needs help gaining assistance please visit www.mass211.org. If you are unable to contact us by dialing 2-1-1, or are calling from out of state, please call us directly at 1-877-211-MASS (6277).