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Short Subjects: Hollywood's Tiny Stars
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Maryland's 211 Hotline Gets Federal Support
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CBS
With the economy down, calls are up to a unique hotline number here in Maryland.
Alex DeMetrick reports a call to 211 opens the gateway to thousands of programs designed to help when people need it most.
Calls are answered around the clock every day at four 211 sites around the state, including one in Baltimore.
The state offers assistance to callers in more than 150 languages. Sometimes the calls are for a desperate search for food.
The centers are run by the United Way of Central Maryland. Callers can be connected to 4,200 service providers in Maryland. The centers get around 120,000 calls a year. "People are feeling fairly desperate financially these days. People are needing a lot of help with gas and electric bills, and they're having trouble paying the rent," said Valerie Wethered, supervisor at a 211 center.
On Monday, Maryland received $800,000 in federal funds for the program.
Sen. Barbara Mikulski had requested the money to make the state's 211 hotline pilot program permanent and is cosponsoring a bill that would provide dedicated funding for such services nationwide.
"If you dial 211, you can get news you can use to be able to help you, help yourself," Mikulski said.
"I hope this service never, ever ends," said Louise Hughes.
In disasters, 211 works with homeland security, steering callers to evacuation centers and the local Red Cross, but right now the need is economic.
When a caller doesn't know where to turn next, 211 just might. The call centers also offer information and referrals for mental health services, caring for aging parents and help for people who have lost their homes or jobs.
Maryland and Constellation Energy provided original funding to get 211 up and running. The federal funds will help move it beyond the current pilot phase to reach more of the state.
(© 2010 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)
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