NC 211 Transition FAQ

nc211 logoIn February 2023, United Way of North Carolina’s Board of Directors made the decision to close the Asheville NC 211 Call Center by June 2023 and assume full responsibility for this work themselves. This decision is the result of budgetary constraints that then led to an evaluation of 211’s business strategy by UWNC’s Board of Directors. Their intent is to maintain quality, streamline service delivery, and reduce overall costs.

While we wish the outcome was different, the 45 years that UWABC has invested in delivering quality and compassionate information and referral services to the people of Buncombe County, WNC, and the state of NC cannot be overstated or taken away by this decision. NC 211 would not exist as it does today as a statewide system without the tireless contributions of UWABC staff, board, and volunteers. 

 

Frequently Asked Questions

The following information answers some of the questions we’ve fielded over the past few days and we will update this page as new information becomes available.

 

 

211 is a nationwide service that connects people to information about local health and human resources. In NC we have a statewide 211 service that is owned and operated by United Way of North Carolina (UWNC). 

United Way of Asheville and Buncombe County has a long and strong history of providing information and referral services for more than 45 years both before and since the creation of the 3-digit phone number and UWNC’s role as the provider in NC.  

In the early 1970s, we provided funding for an information and referral line operated by the Junior League of Asheville, and in 1978 United Way of Asheville and Buncombe County accepted the opportunity to run this service for the people of Buncombe County. In the years that followed, First Call For Help would grow to serve Buncombe, Henderson, Madison, and Transylvania Counties. In 2002 we became 2-1-1 of WNC and eventually served 17 WNC counties.

In 2013 we joined UWNC as one of two statewide contracted call centers. During that time we’ve weathered many storms together from hurricanes and floods that impacted vast areas of the state, to economic downturns, the ongoing opioid crises, and most recently the Covid-19 pandemic. 

Throughout much of that history, our call center received recognition as an AIRS Accredited Call Center which means that our practices met the highest standards set by this national board.
 

 

In many ways, our partnership with United Way of North Carolina has never been stronger. We worked closely together to scale our operations in order to meet the surging demand for services resulting from COVID-19. Together, our two call centers have answered over 522,000 calls since the start of the pandemic, with the Asheville Call Center now covering 50% of the state. As costs continue to increase and needs grow throughout our state, UWNC seeks to create efficiencies and be good stewards of the money being invested in their organization. One area UWNC has identified is in the NC 211 statewide operations model. After thoughtful evaluation, the UWNC Board of Directors decided during their February 2023 meeting to no longer contract out call center services. This decision will allow NC 211 to maintain quality of service while reducing costs and serving more North Carolinians on a day-to-day basis as well as during disaster activations.

 

NC 211 will continue to be here for our neighbors, 24/7, and the vast majority of callers will not notice any difference as a result of this change. UWNC resource specialists use—and will continue to use—the same database our team currently uses, with the same resources and the same commitment to serving North Carolinians with quality and a spirit of continuous improvement.

 

We’ve been assured that UWABC’s community resource specialists will have the opportunity to maintain their employment with UWNC. However, because this is a consolidation strategy, there will be fewer positions available overall. We are working closely with our 211 team members to ensure they have all the information and support they need to navigate this transition as smoothly as possible.
 

 

UWNC has always depended on the support of local United Ways and their donors to fund NC 211 operations, and our United Way is committed to supporting a robust, statewide NC 211 system going forward. The continued financial support from local UWABC donors is paramount to ensuring 211 remains a strong and effective resource for our community.
 

 

Thank you for that! We love our community so much and have felt and appreciated your support for decades. We want you to know a few things about these changes. 

First and foremost, we want you to know that NC 211 will still be here for our neighbors, 24/7 as always. We will still promote it as an important resource that we bring to our community.

While we’ve spoken to a lot of people who have wanted to help us “fight to get it back” the truth is that as the owners and operators of the statewide system, United Way of NC has made a business decision that we must accept.

Because we all believe in the importance of this service, we know you will be by our side as we support United Way of NC as they grow it in the coming years.  

 

 

While we will no longer talk about “the Asheville Call Center” we will continue to promote NC 211 as an important resource and will name it as a part of our work through our statewide partnership with UWNC. 

Messaging details about NC 211 will continue as always: 

  • NC 211 is an information and referral service provided by United Way of North Carolina (UWNC). 
  • Families and individuals in all 100 counties in North Carolina can call to obtain free and confidential information on health and human services within their community.  
  • Available in most languages, NC 211 is open 24 hours a day, seven days a week, 365 days a year. 
     

 

UWABC board and staff were already in the process of determining how to better align the extraordinary knowledge, resources, and expertise of our 211 team with our focus on Community Schools, United for Youth, and our Bold Community Goal. UWNC’s decision will accelerate this process. While we would never have chosen this path or timeline, we will live into our guiding principle of “Embracing Change,” and look forward to working with our partners to ensure that the 211 legacy lives on in a way that supports our vision of “a united and resilient community where everyone belongs and everyone thrives.”

We are in the early process of planning a series of meetings and events to share more information, gather community input, and, most importantly, celebrate the incredible legacy of the Asheville Call Center.

In the meantime, we invite you to explore a few other areas of our work:

 

 

If and when new information becomes available about this issue, we will update this page. If in the meantime, you have any questions about this or other part of our work, you can request that information here.