BY DAVID MAMARIL HOROWITZ

david.horowitz@bgdailynews.com

It requires no internet. It accesses more than 1,000 resources regionwide. The average wait time for assistance is under 90 seconds.

And — it’s confidential and free to the public.

The 211 line is a nationally accessible phone number implemented regionally. Kentucky callers are prompted to name a county; they’re forwarded to the nonprofit United Way of Southern Kentucky if they name one within the Barren River Area Development District or Breckinridge, Meade, Grayson, Larue or Hardin.

Feb. 11 is national 211 Day — and this time around, Tuesday afternoon at City Hall, Warren County and the City of Bowling Green declared local recognition for it, as well. Mayor Todd Alcott, Warren County Judge-Executive Doug Gorman and city commissioners Dana Beasley-Brown and Melinda Hill read the proclamation Tuesday afternoon.

“It’s about educating the community about 211,” UWSK Executive Vice President Ellie Harbaugh said.

More than 7,000 accessed the informational referral service in 2024 via call, text, email or drop-in. The top reason people utilize it are for housing, utility assistance and food — but the breadth of services is varied and immense.

“You’re a grandparent raising a grandchild, and you need to know how to reach a homework hotline … You’re looking for free tax services … There’s always programs that people don’t know about that they may be eligible for, or people can call about just any kind of basic need,” Harbaugh said.

The proclamation states that it connects Kentuckians to “the complete range of government, health, social and community-based programs and services in their communities, such as housing services, emergency food, income tax clinics, mental health and addiction supports, utilities assistance, medical walk-in clinics, job training and more.”

It also provides social data about trends, needs and gaps in services “for social planning and resource allocation,” the proclamation states. And, it supports emergency management officials through connections to recovery and relief services; the line saw a spike in usage early in the COVID-19 pandemic and following the December 2021 tornado outbreak, Harbaugh said.

“It’s a lifeline,” Alcott said. “It’s a way to be able to get a little bit extra when you have a need. You actually have someone on the other end that’s listening, that’s local, and actually can provide those services to be able to help connect you.”