United Way 211 hotline

BOWLING GREEN, Ky. – The people at United Way of Southern Kentucky offer a hotline by dialing 2-1-1. This line is designed to help those who need anything from accessing rent and utilities assistance to finding a place to see a mental health professional.

The service is free and does not require much personal information if any at all.

Ann Woolbright, the 2-1-1 Contact Center Manager, says she is so glad to be able to help people find what they need when they call.

“We have resources in a database that tell about the local food pantries, that tell which agencies in the community are assisting with utilities or rent assistance and sometimes we have to get creative because there may not be a resource out there. So we work with the caller on, well, if I can assist you with this need, which isn’t the need that you originally called about with that opened your funds to take care of the need that you called about,” Woolbright said.

United Way uses the service to connect people in the region with almost any kind of assistance they require. The hotline has been in especially high demand in recent years after the tornadoes in 2021 and with the higher prices of rent, utilities and food prices due to inflation.