United Way of Lancaster County has spent the last 100 years serving our community and adapting to meet its ever-changing needs. This legacy continues today. In the past month, our PA 211 East Information & Referral Service has right-sized its coverage area to better serve our local community. Our 211 team previously served Lancaster, Berks, Carbon, Lehigh, Northampton, and Schuylkill counties. With insufficient funding and resources, wait times were long and calls could be missed.
As of November 1, our team is focused solely on serving Lancaster and Berks counties. The counties previously covered are now receiving 211 services through another PA regional call center and should not experience service disruptions during the transition.
Focusing services on Lancaster and Berks counties allows our team to answer a growing volume of calls from local residents and decrease waiting times for neighbors in need. The largest, and quickest growing need we’ve seen in Lancaster County over the last year is housing. In October and early November, we saw a 104% increase in calls from this time last year and 110% increase in referrals to food pantries and meal providers. This rapid surge was in-part due to the SNAP benefit eligibility changes and SNAP benefits being withheld as of Nov 1st during the federal government shutdown (which ended Nov. 13).
Lancaster County Thrives Together
The crucial service provided by PA 211 East is funded through a combination of donations from community members and grants. United Way of Lancaster County was recently awarded a Lancaster Thrives Together grant for $40,000 from the Lancaster County Community Foundation to fund 211 as a Single Point of Access for housing and homelessness services.
Lancaster Thrives Together is a competitive grant opportunity for community benefit organizations that serve Lancaster County residents, dispersing a total of $375,000 across various organizations. The grant looks for upstream solutions designed to address the root causes of poverty, meet the needs of unemployed and ALICE (Asset Limited, Income Constrained, Employed) individuals, level the economic playing field among our neighbors, and promote long-term self-sufficiency.
Working closely with the Lancaster County Homelessness Coalition, Tenfold, and other community service providers, United Way of Lancaster County has streamlined the way individuals access shelters and housing resources and services by offering a Single Point of Access through 211. As the established Continuum of Care (CoC), individuals in need will be able to contact PA 211 East Information & Referral service to complete the homelessness assessment and shelter referral process in a single step.
Additionally, this grant opportunity will help expand our capacity to provide eviction prevention and homeless diversion support. We aim to assist individuals who are at risk of experiencing homelessness to either maintain their current housing situation or be diverted to safe, alternative options.
The Lancaster Thrives Together grant also supports staffing and training for our 211 resource navigators. Ultimately, our goal is to keep people housed in stable and safe locations so they can work toward self-sufficiency.
Funding for training and 211 staff serving Berks County residents is provided by United Way of Berks County as well as grants from the Berks County Community Foundation, and Wyomissing Foundation.
