{"id":111046,"date":"2026-02-11T12:24:07","date_gmt":"2026-02-11T12:24:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/111046\/"},"modified":"2026-02-11T12:24:07","modified_gmt":"2026-02-11T12:24:07","slug":"united-way-of-pennsylvania-celebrates-211-day-life","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/111046\/","title":{"rendered":"United Way of Pennsylvania celebrates 211 Day | Life"},"content":{"rendered":"

Harrisburg, Pa. \u2014\u00a0On 211 Day, Feb. 11, United Way of Pennsylvania and PA 211 are recognizing the vital role 211 plays in communities across the Commonwealth \u2014 and the\u00a0 Pennsylvanians whose lives are changed every day because someone answered the call.\u00a0<\/p>\n

In 2025, PA 211 provided 743,631 referrals to individuals and families in need \u2014 an increase of 79,144 referrals from 2024. Behind every number is a person: a parent trying to keep the heat on during a cold snap, a senior choosing between medication and groceries, a worker navigating a sudden job loss, or a family searching for stable housing.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Each year, more Pennsylvanians reach out for help, and the challenges they face are increasingly complex.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cLast year, Pennsylvanians rarely asked PA 211 for help with just one issue. Individuals\u00a0 struggling with housing instability are also trying to put food on the table, keep the lights on, navigate child care, or identify employment resources. As demand rises, the need for a strong, statewide, coordinated 211 system has never been more critical to help\u00a0 communities respond effectively,\u201d according to Kristen Rotz, president of United Way of Pennsylvania.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cEvery day, PA 211\u2019s Resource Navigators listen to stories of resilience and hardship,\u201d said Emily Aubele, Vice-President of PA 211. \u201cWhen someone dials 211, they are often at a\u00a0 breaking point \u2014 and in that moment, real people are providing real support and creating real connection to local resources to change the trajectory of an individual\u2019s crisis.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

This year\u2019s PA 211 Day also comes at a pivotal moment for the service. In his 2026\u201327 proposed budget, Governor Josh Shapiro included a $250,000 increase to PA 211 \u2014 raising\u00a0 the state\u2019s investment from $750,000 to $1 million.<\/p>\n

\u201cUnited Way of Pennsylvania and PA 211 are grateful to the Shapiro Administration for recognizing the essential role 211 plays as a partnership that strengthens community\u00a0 stability and ensures Pennsylvanians can access help when they need it most,\u201d Rotz said.\u00a0<\/p>\n

State investment is critical to sustain the service for all 67 counties, maintain accurate and up-to-date community resource connections, and assure any Pennsylvanian in need can speak with trained Resource Navigators. As call volumes and referrals continue to climb, this increased funding signals a starting point on the shared commitment that is required\u00a0 to keep this lifeline strong for all in our commonwealth.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

On this PA 211 Day, United Way of Pennsylvania encourages residents, partners, and lawmakers to recognize the impact of 211. Behind nearly three-quarters of a million referrals are stories of hope restored, crises de-escalated, and families stabilized.\u00a0<\/p>\n

When Pennsylvanians call, text or chat with PA 211, a real person answers. Beyond referrals, 211 also provides valuable, real-time data that helps state and local leaders understand emerging trends like rising housing costs and increased demand for food and utility assistance. This information is vital so communities can plan and respond proactively.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Sustained partnership and growth in state support is essential, so that promise continues.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

To reach PA 211 by phone, dial 211 or text your zip code to 898-211. A guided search for community resources and chat is also available at pa211.org<\/a>. To chat with a 211 Resource Navigator on the web site, start a search for resources, and select the option to chat.<\/p>\n

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\n \"\"<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Harrisburg, Pa. \u2014\u00a0On 211 Day, Feb. 11, United Way of Pennsylvania and PA 211 are recognizing the vital…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":111047,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[53052,48156,524,33,53051,5629,8063,28,30,29,8991,176],"class_list":{"0":"post-111046","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-pennsylvania","8":"tag-53052","9":"tag-211-day","10":"tag-community","11":"tag-josh-shapiro","12":"tag-kristen-rotz","13":"tag-northcentralpa-news","14":"tag-pa-budget","15":"tag-pennsylvania","16":"tag-pennsylvania-headlines","17":"tag-pennsylvania-news","18":"tag-shapiro-administration","19":"tag-united-way"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/111046","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=111046"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/111046\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/111047"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=111046"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=111046"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=111046"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}