Professional community resource specialists are answering hundreds of calls, texts, emails, and web chats per day across Illinois. The data illustrates Illinois’, Kane County’s, and Batavia’s most pressing needs and the role 211 plays in building stronger communities. In a disaster, personal crisis, or daily challenge, 211 connects people
to available resources.
Whether it’s a natural or human-caused disaster, a mental health issue, searching for job training or a food pantry, 211 connects people to help, with a caring, live human on the other end of the phone. It’s a go-to, 24/7 free resource that can connect you with a wide range of social services and resources, including food, housing, utilities payment assistance, health care, transportation, child care, employment opportunities, mental health crises, disaster information and assistance, and more. In 2023, Kane County 211 fielded more than 5,400 calls for a variety of reasons (see Impact Report below).
It’s all confidential, with highly trained 211 specialists providing expert, caring help that addresses not
only the presenting issue, but underlying challenges people are facing as well. Collectively, 211s curate
databases of 1.5M programs and services nationwide.
More than a helpline, it also helps us stay informed about what our community needs. In Kane County and Batavia, top asks for help are housing (including rent, foreclosure help), utilities, mental health & addiction support, and transportation. This information helps Batavia United Way determine where our biggest needs are. As a result of this data, we established our Community Assistance Fund to address Batavia’s most pressing needs.
Want to learn more about 211 here in Batavia & Kane County? Check out our website at https://bataviaunitedway.org/211-2/
