The Facts
	» More than 26,000 people dialed 2-1-1 for help in September 2008, a 59 percent from the same month last year » Calls to 2-1-1 for food, utility assistance, and rent/mortgage assistance are consistently among the top requests » Poverty has a positive correlation to unemployment, substance use, child abuse, domestic violence, homelessness and adult illiteracy

Helping families access basic necessities
We all share a stake in helping metro Detroiters get help when they are struggling or in crisis, so that they can stabilize their lives and move toward self-sufficiency. Every person we can transition away from dependence on some type of assistance and to a place where he or she can contribute to the community will help stabilize the region. To do this, we plan to:

• Improve access and navigation of services
• Improve delivery of services

Basic Needs Programming

The United Way 2-1-1 call center is multi-lingual and available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week to connect users to more than 6,610 helpful programs as well as opportunities to volunteer or donate. The call center expects to handle 300,000 calls in 2008. Learn more about this program.

2-1-1 On The Go! is a mobile 2-1-1 unit that helps homeless individuals overcome barriers to employment. Individuals in the program have the opportunity to get off the streets and into full-time employment and permanent housing. Learn more about this program.

The Emergency Food and Shelter Program awards federal funds to help local communities provide basic necessities to their residents. United Way chairs the local board, which has allocated more than $4 million to basic needs programs in the tri-county area.

The Ray West Memorial Ramp Project has been helping homebound individuals gain independence for the past six years. In that time, we’ve built more than 140 wheelchair ramps to help people leave their homes and lead full lifestyles. Learn more about this program.