Hamilton County residents in need of permanent housing can now call 211 to be connected to resources, thanks to a hotline expansion from two local nonprofit organizations.
The housing helpline used to be run by the Chattanooga Regional Homeless Coalition, which is now working with 211 operator United Way of Greater Chattanooga on the new system. The expansion went live at the start of February, United Way’s strategic partnerships director, Jessica Pilcher, said in a phone call Friday.
“Due to capacity, it made much more sense for 211 to take that over. They have the capacity to answer phones,” coalition spokesperson Mackenzie Kelly said Friday. “A lot of people will tell you the helpline was not always the most reliable or helpful.”
United Way’s call center will now handle the requests, Pilcher said, and get those who qualify started with the coalition’s coordinated entry program, which helps people actively experiencing homelessness start the process of finding permanent housing.
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The organization estimates around 20,000 people will contact 211 with housing needs in 2023, Pilcher said. In the past year, 6,195 people called 211 seeking help with housing, according to United Way data.
The hotline already fielded housing-related requests, including for rent assistance, same-day shelter and low-cost housing, Pilcher said, and would refer people to one of its local partner organizations for help. According to data from United Way, housing was the third most common request among people contacting 211 in the past year, behind food and help with utilities.
Now, people contacting 211 can have their housing needs assessed as soon as their call is answered. The assessment takes about 20 minutes, Pilcher said, and asks callers about their short- and long-term options for housing, health and family background and financial needs.
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“It just determines the level of vulnerability that there is,” Pilcher said.
From there, people experiencing homelessness can be put on a list for permanent housing through the coalition’s coordinated entry process. They’ll get a program manager to help them through the process, Pilcher said.
Later this year, United Way hopes to expand the housing line even further to connect people with short-term housing in shelters or hotels or financial assistance for rent and mortgage payments, according to Pilcher. That expansion will likely require more staff, Pilcher said.
“We are seeing an increase in requests for rent, whether that be first month’s rent, maintenance of the actual rent, security deposits,” Pilcher said. “Those are things that 211 can be a provider of, whether that is referring out or using our internal bridge fund.”
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Following the closure of the Budgetel Inn in East Ridge in November, Pilcher said United Way also saw an increase in need for temporary housing.
People in Hamilton County and 14 surrounding counties in Tennessee, Georgia and Alabama have confidential access to 211 and its resources.
HOW TO GET HELP
The helpline is open Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., with occasional extra hours on weekends. To use the helpline, you can call 211, text your ZIP code to 898-211 or email 211staff@uwchatt.org.
Contact Ellen Gerst at egerst@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6319.