211 MANITOBA
ANSWERING THE CALL 211 service connects Manitobans to community supports BY SHERRY KANIUGA
When Doris was feeling sad and isolated at home, she dialed three little numbers to find help. It wasn’t an emergency — but the sup- port she received by calling 211 was a saving grace. “ D oris” isn’t her real name, but the relief this Winnipeg senior found thanks to that single phone call to the 211 Manitoba service was very real. It connected her to a community navigator who took the time to listen to her concerns and understand her needs, then set up grocery delivery and snow removal services
and arranged a regular check-in call, all through Manitoba support organizations. The free, confidential 211 Manitoba information navigation service, led by United Way Winnipeg and funded by the federal government, was launched in 2017 online at mb.211.ca to connect people of all ages — in every corner of the province — to critical government and community- based health and social services. The 211 phone service was added in October 2020, and this March, the Manitoba government stepped in with $510,000 that will allow the 24-hour telephone service to operate for another year. “United Way donors made it possible to build the basis for 211, which is a database of all the programs and services that support people in terms of health and social needs,” says Connie Walker, president and CEO of United Way Winnipeg, which
invests $240,000 of donor funding annually in operating 211 Manitoba. “So anyone, anywhere in the province can go on 211 Manitoba online, or now, phone 211, and search or ask for help with mental-health issues, or substance use, or domestic violence, or help putting food on the table — you name it, you can find the organizations and government services that are available in your community.” Typically, more than 200,000 Manitobans search for support online at mb.211.ca each year. So far, more than 65,000 have called 211 —which offers phone service in 150 languages. Community navigators, who are accredited information and referral specialists, are trained to take all the time they need to truly understand callers’ concerns. “Getting a phone call allows us to provide a wrap-around service,” explains Daniel
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SPRING 2021
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