211 Saskatchewan expands to help connect people to services
The expansion of the 211 Saskatchewan service will now make it even easier for individuals and families to access a variety of community and social services.
The 211 Saskatchewan service is a joint initiative of the United Way of Saskatoon and Area and the United Way Regina. It is a free and confidential information and referral system with a database of over 5,000 community, health and government programs and services across the province.
The service has been available as a database website since the fall of 2013, but as a result of this expansion it is now possible for Saskatchewan residents to call or text 2-1-1 or to go online to chat with trained professionals to find and navigate services. This expansion makes Saskatchewan the third province in the country after Ontario and Nova Scotia to provide a 211 service that covers the entire province.
United Way of Saskatoon and Area CEO Shaun Dyer and United Way Regina CEO Robyn Edwards-Bentz announced the expansion of the service in Swift Current, June 18. The event in Swift Current was part of a 211 Saskatchewan roadshow between June 13 and 20 to launch the 211 service expansion in different communities.
“It's all about removing barriers,” Dyer said about the expansion. “Every tool you can place in the hands of someone enable them to access the service and support that they're looking for, or just to find a place to connect in the community. That's an important thing. So whether it’s phone, whether it’s the text, whether it’s the chat, it’s all about removing barriers.”
The complexity of finding information about services can be a significant barrier for individuals and families.
They might be looking for information about basic needs such as food, shelter and employment, or they might be trying to find information about childcare or support for an aging parent.
“When you’re confused, when you’re in stress and when you’re in a crisis point, when you do not know where you’re going or where the help you need is, you may not even know that help is available,” he said. “With a simple number like 211 you text, enter on your phone, hit text and say this is what I need, can you help me? I’ve used the service myself. They respond within a minute and so we’re cutting out that confusion, we’re cutting out that uncertainty about.”
According to Edwards-Bentz the United Way has been hearing for many years from service providers that their clients had difficulties to find the services they need when they need it the most.
“The goal was always to get to be a full-service 211 site, but funding of course allowed us only to start with the database first,” she said. “For many people in the community just searching the database isn’t the right option for them. To call and talk to someone specifically and share what they’re looking for and get that help, that phone was always part of the equation for us.”
Dyer noted that the 211 service is consistent with the United Way's vision to assist people to gain access to supports that will help them thrive and move ahead in their life.
“We’re going to use the data that we derive from it to help us shape our community investment, help communicate with government and other service agencies that are providing the services to give them some really valuable intel on how best to sharpen those services and supports,” he said. “I think it’s going to do lot of things that are quite positive for our province.”
In 2017 the 211 Saskatchewan website was accessed by 110,000 people. There were 13,358 online searches for financial assistance and income support services, 8,647 searches for housing and shelter supports and 7,687 searches for mental health services.
The findings of a recent survey indicate that 86 per cent of respondents found the 211 website useful, 64 per cent found the information they were looking for, and 48 per cent learned about a new service they did not know about.