What
does First Call For Help do?
First Call For Help connects families and individuals
in need of help to many community resources, such as
financial assistance, emergency food assistance and
shelter, affordable housing, abuse/neglect, child care,
disability, education, emergencies, employment, health/medical
care, mental health, special transportation needs, substance
abuse treatment and prevention services.
Using a carefully maintained, comprehensive database,
First Call assists clients (and those organizations
working to help them) to obtain proper help in a timely
fashion. First Call 2-1-1 is available to people of
any socio-economic status, race, ethnicity, gender,
sexual orientation, religion, age, physical ability,
or language.
What
is 2-1-1?
2-1-1 is the new easy-to-remember telephone number to
reach First Call. Calls to 2-1-1 are toll-free. To find
out more about 2-1-1 in NJ, visit http://www.nj211.org.
To find out more about 2-1-1 nationwide, visit http://www.211.org
What
do most people call about?
The most frequent requests for help are in the areas
of:
| Financial
Assistance |
Mental
Health Care |
| Housing |
Basic
Needs (food, clothing etc.) |
| Health
Care |
Donations |
For more
details about calls made to First Call 2-1-1 in 2003,
click here to view our Annual
Report.
Other
Services
First
Call Forum - A speedy way for organizations
to communicate about client needs, program
announcements, donations available or needed.
Click here
for more details and to find our how to sign
up for the Forum.
Directory of Human Services - 211 First
Call for Help has available for purchase a
comprehensive directory of human services
in Bergen, Essex, Hudson, Morris ,Passaic
and Union counties on CD. The directory has
added features not available on the on-line
database.
Click to find out more!
On-line Searchable Database of Services
- First Call's extensive database is on-line.
Click here to search the database. |
Trouble
dialing 2-1-1 from cell, business, or pay phones?
2-1-1
is accessible from most home phones in Morris, Passaic,
Bergen, Union, Essex and Hudson counties. If you cannot
dial 2-1-1 from your home phone, contact your phone
company and let them know.
Although
it may not be a free call, 2-1-1 should be available
from most pay phones. 2-1-1 is not yet accessible
from cell phones. This is something we are working
on with cellular providers and hope it will become
available in the future.
Companies
who use PBX or private business exchanges may not
have set up 211 in the system. If you cannot dial
2-1-1 from your office, please contact your information
technology department and let them know to update
the system so you can call 2-1-1. In any case, 2-1-1
is always available by calling 1-800-HELP-555 (1-800-435-7555).
It's a toll-free call |