211 Day | How to get connected with free, confidential resources in Central Florida
Heart of Florida United Way’s 211 crisis hotline helping people and families with housing, healthcare, employment, mental health resources and more
TWO ON ONE. IT’S TODAY’S DATE, BUT IT’S ALSO THE THREE NUMBERS HERE THAT HUNDREDS OF PEOPLE ACROSS CENTRAL FLORIDA TURN TO FOR INFORMATION AND ALSO SUPPORT HEART OF FLORIDA, UNITED WAY’S TWO ON ONE CRISIS HOTLINE RECEIVED MORE THAN 240,000 CALLS LAST YEAR, AND HERE TO SHARE THE NONPROFIT’S FREE SERVICES. CONNECTING OUR COMMUNITY WITH CRITICAL RESOURCES. WE’VE GOT THE DIRECTOR, ISRAEL NAVARRO. THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR JOINING US. AND SAM BRESLIN, LICENSED MENTAL HEALTH COUNSELOR WITH DEBORAH. GUYS, THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR COMING IN TODAY. THANK YOU FOR HAVING ME. WE APPRECIATE IT. OKAY. SO LET’S START WITH YOU. TELL ME ALL ABOUT UNITED WAY. FOR OUR VIEWERS HERE. THAT MIGHT NOT BE AS FAMILIAR. WHAT DO YOU GUYS DO AT UNITED WAY? ABSOLUTELY. SO HEART OF FLORIDA UNITED WAY IS A LOCAL NONPROFIT HERE IN CENTRAL FLORIDA. AND WE OFFER A WIDE RANGE OF RESOURCES AND CONNECTIONS TO COMMUNITY MEMBERS WHO MAY BE IN TIMES OF NEED, IN CRISIS. AND THAT CRISIS HOTLINE, AS WE WERE SAYING, IT’S TWO ON ONE, AND YOU RECEIVED HUNDREDS OF THOUSANDS OF CALLS. WHAT IS THAT SAYING RIGHT NOW? JUST ABOUT, YOU KNOW, OUR COMMUNITY? YEAH. YOU KNOW, I THINK, YOU KNOW, THE AS THE COMMUNITY’S NEEDS EVOLVE, WE ARE ALWAYS TRYING TO EVOLVE WITH THOSE NEEDS AND JUST TRYING TO ESTABLISH THOSE CONNECTIONS THROUGH TRAINED PROFESSIONALS, CONNECTING WITH COMMUNITY MEMBERS THROUGH DIFFERENT MODALITIES, SUCH AS CALLING, TEXTING OR CHATTING TO ENSURE THAT THEY HAVE ACCESS TO WHAT MAY BE AVAILABLE IN THEIR COMMUNITY. OKAY. AND THAT ACCESS AND WHAT’S AVAILABLE. SAM, THAT’S WHERE YOU GUYS COME IN, RIGHT? SO FILL ME IN ON YOUR ROLE WITH DEVEREUX AND HOW YOU GUYS KIND OF CONNECT AS A TEAM IN PARTNERSHIP. YEAH. SO DEVEREUX MOBILE CRISIS HAS A GREAT PARTNERSHIP WITH 201 TO CONNECT TO DEVEREAUX’S MOBILE CRISIS SERVICES. YOU WOULD DIAL TWO ON ONE THEN REQUEST MOBILE CRISIS. WE SERVE ORANGE, OSCEOLA AND SEMINOLE COUNTIES, AGES 0 TO 30. WE’RE COMPLETELY FREE AND WE’RE IMMEDIATE CRISIS SUPPORT, SO THERE’S NO APPOINTMENT NEEDED TO RECEIVE OUR SERVICES. AND WE GO DIRECTLY TO THE PERSON. AND WE ALSO FOLLOW UP AFTER THE CRISIS TO PROVIDE LINK TO A LONGER TERM SERVICE. SO WE ARE DOING WE’RE SEEING A GREAT CALL VOLUME AS WELL. SAM, LET ME ASK YOU A QUESTION. WE JUST HAD A TERRIBLE STORY OUT OF MARION COUNTY. I KNOW YOU GUYS DON’T SERVE MARION COUNTY, BUT IT WAS A DOMESTIC SITUATION. A MOTHER AND DAUGHTER KILLED. LET ME ASK YOU, ARE YOU GUYS GETTING CALLS DOMESTIC OR WHAT KIND OF CRISIS CALLS ARE COMING IN ON THE HOTLINE? YEAH, WE DO PRIMARILY SEE A LARGER YOUTH POPULATION AND YOUNG ADULTS SERVING UP TO AGE 30. BUT THOSE KIDS CAN BE IMPACTED BY DOMESTIC VIOLENCE AS WELL. STRIFE WITHIN THE HOME. AND OUR CLINICIANS CAN CONNECT FAMILIES TO ALL THE ALL THE DIFFERENT SERVICES THEY MIGHT BE LOOKING FOR, NOT JUST THE PERSON IN CRISIS, BUT THE ENTIRE FAMILY. I WOULD THINK THE ASPECT THAT YOU GUYS CAN GO TO THEM AND THAT YOU ALSO FOLLOW UP, I WOULD THINK THAT WOULD BE TWO KEY FACTORS IN THE SUCCESS OF THIS. AND THEN ALSO REALLY JUST YOU’RE ON THE GROUND AND YOU’RE THERE AND YOU SHOW UP SO THEY DON’T HAVE TO COME TO YOU. RIGHT? HOW HOW IMPERATIVE IS THAT? I THINK THAT IS THE GREATEST PART OF THE MOBILE CRISIS, IS THAT IT’S NOT AN APPOINTMENT BASED. WE ARE GOING DIRECTLY TO THEM WHEREVER THEY ARE. THEY DON’T EVEN HAVE TO BE AT HOME. WE HAVE MET ON SOME REALLY UNIQUE PLACES, REALLY, EVEN JUST THE SIDE OF THE ROAD OR PARKING LOT. PARKS ARE RIGHT COMMON GROUND AREA TO GET THERE. EXACTLY. THAT’S HUGE. I WOULD THINK SO, ESPECIALLY FOR THOSE THAT YOU’RE TREATING. RIGHT. YEAH. SO WHAT IS YOUR HOPE HERE TO SPREAD THE WORD ABOUT TWO ON ONE. WHAT DO YOU WANT CENTRAL FLORIDA TO KNOW ABOUT. YOU KNOW, THE HEART OF FLORIDA UNITED WAY AND THE PARTNERSHIPS THAT YOU GUYS HAVE AND HOW YOU CAN HELP OTHERS. ABSOLUTELY. SO, YOU KNOW, SAMANTHA TOUCHED ON ONE OF OUR GREATEST STRENGTHS FOR OUR TEAM IS THAT WE HAVE PARTNERSHIPS WITH MOBILE CRISIS RESPONSE TEAMS THAT CAN AGAIN, SERVE THOSE NEEDS FOR INDIVIDUALS THAT MAY HAVE BEEN EXPERIENCING THE UNKNOWN. AND IT’S ALSO NATIONAL TWO ON ONE DAY. SO IT’S REALLY IMPORTANT FOR US NOT JUST TO BE VISIBLE TO THE COMMUNITY MEMBERS THAT MAY RECEIVE SUPPORT FROM CONNECTING WITH OUR TEAM, BUT IT’S ALSO IMPORTANT THAT WE HELP WALK THEM THROUGH ON HOW TO ACCESS THOSE RESOURCES, SPECIFICALLY, EVEN THE ONES THAT SAMANTHA MENTIONED 100%. OKAY, SO WE KNOW THAT FOLKS CAN CALL 211. WHAT ABOUT JUST THE ONLINE? IF THEY JUST HAVE SOME GENERAL INFORMATION, WANT TO VOLUNTEER? WHERE SHOULD EVERYONE GO? ABSOLUTELY. SO VISITING OUR MAIN SITE, DOT, OR THEY CAN EVEN CHAT WITH OUR TEAM TO LEARN A LITTLE BIT MORE, EVEN IF IT’S NOT FOR THEMSELVES. MAYBE IT’S FOR A LOVED ONE OR A FRIEND THAT THEY’RE SEEKING TO LEARN A LITTLE BIT MORE ABOUT WHAT’S AVAILABLE. THEY CAN ALWAYS VISIT OUR MAIN SITE FORWARD SLASH CHAT, AND THEY CAN EVEN TEXT 898211. TEXTING THEIR ZIP CODE WILL CONNECT THEM TO ONE OF OUR TRAINED PROFESSIONALS ON OUR TEAM. OKAY, AND HOW ABOUT YOU SAM, FOR YOUR GROUP? IF SOMEONE’S INTERESTED IN WATCHING THIS INTERVIEW. YEAH. SO TO CONNECT DIRECTLY TO MOBILE CRISIS SERVICES, THEY WOULD SIMPLY CALL, TEXT OR CHAT THROUGH TWO, ONE ONE. BUT THROUGH DEVEREAUX, THAT IS AT DEVEREAUX ORG. OKAY, GUYS, THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR COMING ON TODAY ON THIS 211 DAY AND JUST, YOU KNOW, EXPLAINING ALL THIS AND HOW
211 Day | How to get connected with free, confidential resources in Central Florida
Heart of Florida United Way’s 211 crisis hotline helping people and families with housing, healthcare, employment, mental health resources and more
Updated: 9:57 AM EST Feb 11, 2026
Heart of Florida United Way’s 211 crisis hotline connects people and families with housing, healthcare, employment, mental health resources and more.The nonprofit organization services Orange, Seminole and Osceola Counties 24 hours a day, seven days a week, 365 days a year.HFUW reports its 211 crisis hotline received more than 240,000 contacts from people in need in 2025. The nonprofit’s director of quality and training, Israel Navarro, and licensed mental health counselor, Samantha Breslin, join WESH 2 to discuss the trends and services. You can call, text, or chat with professionals on the organization’s website.Click here to learn more.
ORLANDO, Fla. —
Heart of Florida United Way’s 211 crisis hotline connects people and families with housing, healthcare, employment, mental health resources and more.
The nonprofit organization services Orange, Seminole and Osceola Counties 24 hours a day, seven days a week, 365 days a year.
HFUW reports its 211 crisis hotline received more than 240,000 contacts from people in need in 2025.
The nonprofit’s director of quality and training, Israel Navarro, and licensed mental health counselor, Samantha Breslin, join WESH 2 to discuss the trends and services.
You can call, text, or chat with professionals on the organization’s website.