United Way Central Alberta says much work still needs to be done to promote the 211 service in the province.
 
By calling 211 you can access financial, emotional and other supports in your local community just by making one phone call, with representatives available to assist you 7 days a week, 24 hours a day, and in over 170 languages.
 
United Way Central Alberta CEO and 211 Alberta Steering Committee Co-Chair Robert Mitchell says our community, social and government services are plentiful, but complex to navigate, noting on average, a person will make 7 calls before finding the help they need.
 
Saturday was 211 day in the province to help raise awareness of the service and in an effort to reduce inappropriate calls to other services like 911 and 811.
 
Of the more than 88,000 calls answered by 211 in 2016, financial and housing challenges were the top two reasons people called the service.