United Way of Greater Kansas City

Fighting for the health, education and financial stability of every member of our community

211

Every hour of every day, residents of the 23 counties surrounding Kansas City call United Way 211 in search of essential human services. United Way’s 211 service is the only Inform USA regionally accredited information and referral resource available locally. Simply dial 211 to connect with caring Community Resource Navigators who are trained to navigate a database of more than 7,000 community services. In 2023, navigators handled more than 358,000 contacts and met 91-percent of needs.

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United Way Answers our Community’s Call

211 Coverage Map

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Information Guides

Information guides can help you find information from trusted sources on many topics outside of the resources in our database.

They are like tip sheets or guides that 211 has researched or partnered with an agency or coalition to gather knowledge on that people commonly seek out and isn’t necessarily easy to get. After providing some basic information on a topic, we will share the source of the information, links to additional information and/or local resources.

Basic Needs

Federal Poverty Guidelines, State Benefits, & Child Care

Crime Prevention

Human Trafficking, Benefits Trafficking, Identity Theft

Disasters

Disaster Events, Disaster Financial Protection, Coronavirus

Housing & Utilities

Eviction, Senior Housing, Energy Assistance Programs

Crisis Lines & Hotlines

Physical Health

Health & Insurance Literacy, Immunizations, Bed Bugs, Needle Disposal

Seasonal Assistance

Partnering with 211

211 Partnerships Benefit Everyone

Through collaboration and direct partnerships, the whole network of community services strengthens. United Way 211 helps…

Avoid Duplicating Resource Research
Local government and agencies needing resources for clients as well as organizations researching community services all utilize 211’s resource data to meet their needs. For example, for over a decade, Johnson County Government imports 211 resource data on a weekly basis to their case management system to ensure their care managers and clients have access to vetted reliable information about community services.

Provide 24 Hour Coverage by an Accredited Information & Referral Service
Inform USA is the national accreditation body for Information and Referral Services like 211s across the country. United Way of Greater Kansas City 211 completed their third round of accreditation in 2023 and is the only accredited service provider in the Kansas City metro. Accreditation highlights the high caliber of customer service, database management, and thorough caring assessment of needs provided by 211 to identify appropriate resources for callers reaching out 24/7/365.

Make Information Accessible in Every Way
Since 2-1-1 is such an easy number to remember, it is an ideal place to gather information that the public needs. Through partnerships with organizations like City of Kansas City, MO Right to Counsel, KC Regional Community Organizations Active in Disasters (COAD), VITA, and Mid America Regional Council, 2-1-1 is the number to call for Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) sites, eviction prevention, Safe Havens for abandoned newborns, and more.

Partnership Opportunities

211 plays a critical role connecting people across the greater KC metro with vital local and national services. We welcome nonprofit organizations to learn about the many ways to partner with United Way 211 and join us in making a transformative impact in the greater KC community. Here are some of the partnership opportunities that 211 can offer: 

Resource Database Sharing
Give your clients the advantage by utilizing our extensive and comprehensive resource database online or integrated with your system. There are options for paid partnership utilizing our database for the Kansas City region, across Kansas or Missouri in collaboration with our United Way colleagues, or nationally thanks to the national 211 data platform, the largest community resource database in the nation, connecting people to 1.6 million local services.

Contact Center Services
Short term or long-term contracts are great opportunities to provide local contact center services for your clients, assist with research projects, or free up capacity for your staff. United Way 211 staff are trained using Inform USA standards and the contact center is available 24/7/365. 

Client Tracking Software
Looking for software that has an already built in resource database of over 7,000+ local services and a Missouri statewide resource database of 12,000+ services? Is your agency needing a more robust reporting tool? Become a software partner to get access to a vetted comprehensive statewide resource database, robust reporting templates and editor, as well as client management modules that allow a complete solution supported by 211!

Let’s combine superpowers to help more people!

Contact Vice President, Community Impact & Executive Director 211, Todd Jordan, at todd.jordan@uwgkc.org for more information.

211 Agency Partners

To provide a wide range of referrals to our community, United Way 211 maintains a database of community and governmental resources serving the 23-county region encompassing the Kansas City metro and surrounding counties. If you would like your agency included in the database, complete the Database Application to provide us with detailed information on your organization and services. 

To read our Database Inclusion Criteria, click here.

To learn how to update your agency or organization in the 211 database, click here.

211 Reports and Data

United Way 211 collects valuable community data through voluntary demographic questions of our callers. We then aggregate that data to provide reports on needs and trends to the community. Organizations often use this information for grant applications & reports, research & analysis, and service expansion opportunities. Several example reports are included below.

Additionally, the 211s in Missouri have jointly implemented a real-time reporting dashboard in collaboration with Washington University called 211 Counts. Anyone can access live information on trends reported to 211 at 211mo.211counts.org.

Find statistics on needs and unmet needs of 211 calls for the physical areas you are interested in and view 211 and census data on the map.

211 Annual Snapshot Reports

2023
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2022
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United Way 211 provides an annual report on our 23 county service area, semi-annual reports on community needs and one-page area specific snapshot reports on demand, as well as other topic-specific reports throughout the year.

Visit the Contact Us page for information on customized reports.

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Need 211 Materials?

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