ERIE — On Feb. 11, United Way of Erie County will join communities across the country in recognizing 211 Day, a day dedicated to raising awareness of PA 211 Northwest, the region’s free, confidential resource that connects residents to essential services 24 hours a day, seven days a week, 365 days a year. 

PA 211 Northwest is the social service equivalent of 9-1-1. When individuals and families need help navigating life challenges, from housing and utilities to food access, health care, employment supports and more, they can dial 2-1-1 and be connected with a trained resource navigator who listens and helps link them to the right local nonprofit and community resources. 

Residents can access 211 in multiple ways: 

Call: Dial 211 (24/7/365).Text: Send a ZIP code and need to 898-211. Online: Visit pa211nw.org and search for services or use chat support. 

To ensure residents are connected quickly to accurate, up-to-date resources, United Way is also calling on local agencies to review and update their information in the 211 database. Updates can be completed online at pa211.communityos.org/website-update-search.Â