A Safety Net of Services
If you were suddenly faced with losing
everything, where would you turn?
People who are fleeing a dangerous situation—such
as a violent relationship, or an emergency like a
house fire or flood—can find themselves starting
over with literally nothing but the shirt on their
back. It may sound like an unlikely nightmare to
many, but our community relies on this safety net.
In our service area, during September 2008:
- 2,528 people called seeking help with
utilities/heat, a 98% increase over September
2007.
- 721 people called seeking food assistance, a
56% increase over September 2007.
- 751 people called seeking mental health
counseling, a 37% increase over September 2007.
- 1,304 people called seeking financial
assistance, a 17% increase over September 2007.
What we’re doing:
United Way’s
Community Investment provides a safety net of
services in central and northeastern Connecticut.
Many of our neighbors have overcome adversity thanks
to this safety net, which provides:
• Information and referral
• Disaster preparedness and response
• Emergency and crisis services, such as shelter and
food, and
• Mental and physical health services, such as
counseling and home health care.
Recent results:
• Information and Referral: Last
year, United Way 2-1-1 received more than 149,000
calls from people in central and northeastern
Connecticut in need of assistance. More than 70% of
those calls were requests for emergency services,
including food, shelter, and other crisis
situations. Thanks to this round-the-clock service,
all callers were directed to the community resources
they needed.
• Disaster and Emergency Preparedness and
Response: More than 43,000 local residents were
trained in disaster preparedness last year,
increasing their ability to prevent and take
appropriate action during an emergency.
• Emergency and Crisis Services: More
than 50,000 people received emergency and crisis
services such as food or shelter last year.
Ninety-nine percent of those who sought crisis
services had their needs met.
• Mental & Physical Health Services:
Almost 8,000 people (nearly three out of every four)
improved and/or stabilized their mental health
through Community Investment supported
programs last year.