Linn County Community Services and United Way of East Central Iowa announce two ways for the public to access community resources that are available to assist those in need:
Those options are newly updated Linn County community resource sheets and United Way 2-1-1 (FirstCallforHelpIowa.org).
The community resource sheets can be accessed on Linn County’s website at www.linncounty.org/resourcesheets. The resource sheets are updated annually and provide a starting point to help individuals and families attain the assistance they need to stabilize their situations and ultimately become more self-sufficient.
The resource sheets include the 19 different resource categories listed below:
1) Affordable Housing Resources 10) Family & Youth Resources
2) Basic Needs Resources 11) Financial Resources
3) Child Care Resources 12) Food Assistance Resources
4) Counseling & Therapy Resources 13) Health Resources
5) Dental Resources 14) Legal Assistance Resources
6) Disability Resources 15) Older Adults Resources
7) Education Resources 16) Parent Education Resources
8) Emergency Shelter Resources 17) Sexual Health Resources
9) Employment Resources 18) Transitional Housing Resources
19) Transportation Resources
Many of the programs and services listed have eligibility guidelines or criteria. Anyone using the resource sheets is encouraged to read the service description before contacting the organization to help avoid frustration.
“While every effort has been made to make the resource sheets as accurate and inclusive as possible, we all know that things change. So we highly encourage clients to call before physically going to any of the locations listed to assure that they are currently operating from that address,” said Ann Hearn, deputy director of community planning.
A second option is United Way of East Central Iowa’s 2-1-1 service that is available online to help people with basic needs. The website features all the resources of the 2-1-1 call center. People still have the option of calling 2-1-1 (319-739-4211 from pay phone or cell phone or 866-469-2211 toll-free), but now can also search the web site at www.FirstCallforHelpIowa.org from a computer, mobile device or iPad.
Here are some features of the 2-1-1 website:
• An up-to-date database with 13,286 agencies and 30,494 services.
• Easy search. Search by keyword or browse by topic.
• Save your search. If you need to come back to your search, you can easily save the search.
What kind of answers can be found on the site?
• Basic human needs
• Physical and mental health
• Employment support
• Assistance for older adults and persons with disabilities
• Support for children and families
• Emergency/crisis assistance
“Last year, the 2-1-1 Center answered over 38,000 calls and over 40,000 web searches were conducted.” said Chris Juett, United Way 2-1-1 program manager. “We are glad that we are one of the ways that individuals in our community can get connected to the resources they need.”