An eye opening piece of history

by Elaine Klaassen

I had heard of First Call for Help for years but never took the time to figure out how to call it. I figured it was probably in the phone book somewhere. Whether it was for myself or for someone who asked me to help them with resources, I never knew exactly what to do. Now, that dilemma is over.

The number is 2-1-1 and is the new number for First Call for Help. It’s the database to call when you need information about food, shelter, job resources, healthcare, childcare and other vital community services.

The call is free, and whatever you say will be treated confidentially by trained staff and volunteers who answer calls 24 hours a day, seven days a week. They will direct you to the appropriate services among the 40,000 community resources available. If English is not your easiest language, there is also Hmong, Laotian, Russian, Somali, Spanish and Vietnamese.

The number has been in operation in the greater Twin Cities area since July 2002. Now, the service is available to Minnesotans in all 87 counties, although there are still some areas where callers have to dial 1-800-543-7709.