Over 3 Million Requests For Help Since 1971
Positive Impact
As we kick-off the New Year with our 211 Awareness Week, we are also entering into our 50th anniversary celebration. So many lives have been touched by 211 and our staff are proud to have made a positive impact!
Over the course of these past fifty years
our agency has grown to meet the needs of our community- including our work as dedicated front-line responders during the current pandemic, economic and mental health crisis.
Looking back towards the beginning, our agency started as a local substance abuse hotline & crisis line in 1971. The founder, renowned psychologist Dr. Robert K. Alsofrom was passionate about helping people struggling with depression, suicide, drug and alcohol abuse. In the 90's the hotline grew into the local helpline as the agency opened its phone lines to assist people from the general community who were in need of resources and services.
After the FCC approval of the national 211 initiative in 2000, our agency was one of the first in the area to meet the strict standards of the Alliance for Information and Referral Services (AIRS) to become a 211 provider.
We have come a very long way from volunteers answering rotary phones and using rolodex index files to help callers. We have kept up with technological advances to meet the needs of our community. Our text messaging platform and online chat continue to make it easy for youth, young adults and those older to comfortably connect. We are also able to provide a robust and comprehensive Online Directory of Services for service providers and the community to access.
Today we also offer children's growth, developmental and behavioral health screenings through our Help Me Grow program; the Special Needs Helpline providing support while connecting parents to important services; My Florida Veteran, with peer-to-peer support for veterans and assistance for veterans and their families. Our Elder Crisis Outreach team can link distressed and vulnerable seniors to critical services by providing short term case management. We are also excited to announce that we are now expanding our Sunshine daily calls to include isolated caregivers.
"I am honored that so many people have reached out to 211 when they were struggling and grateful they trusted us with their problems. Each individual or family has their own unique situation and needs. Our staff work tirelessly to help them navigate services while providing crisis support. We will continue to be that warm caring voice at the other end of the line as we head into our next half century of service!"
-Sharon L'Herrou, 211's President/CEO
