United Way’s 211 helpline received over 6,000 calls with 1,500 Coronavirus-specific calls, and we anticipate these to increase in the hours, days and weeks to come. We are currently fielding more than 100 calls that are coronavirus-specific per day. Residents from every county and community are calling 211, with the largest number being from New Rochelle (58%), followed by White Plains (15%), Yonkers (14%), Scarsdale (8%) and Mount Vernon (5%).
Every day 211 operates 24/7 and regularly works remotely. Our call center will continue to do so, answering questions, providing information, and even to calming a caller’s understandable anxiety about the unknown.
To help manage this increased demand caused by the pandemic, United Way core staff and temporary staff, originally assigned to Earned Income Tax Credit screening, are supplementing call centers phone lines.