Whether you want to give or get help, Arkansas 211 is the free, confidential, 24-hour-a day, multilingual way to connect individuals and families to critical local resources. These include food, shelter, rental assistance, childcare, and more. Arkansas 211 helps callers navigate their situation and then matches them with the best and closest resources in their community.
Dial 2•1•1 from anywhere in Arkansas, and you will reach a highly-trained information and resource specialist who will assess your needs and provide a list of referrals to available resources in your community. Arkansas 211 has a database of over 19,000 resources to help you find the right services. Referrals are usually given over the phone, or can be emailed or texted to you. In crisis situations, a warm transfer can be made directly to crisis specialists or 9•1•1. TTY and interpreter services are available.
Arkansas 211 is a partner in the Arkansas Department of Emergency Management, as well as many local and regional plans.
Arkansas 211 has the ability to mobilize statewide during times of disaster.
Arkansas 211 relieves pressure on the 9-1-1 phone system for non-emergency calls (Up to 20% of 9-1-1 calls are non-emergency).
Arkansas 211 is a central point of contact for emergency responders to share up-to-date information on shelter locations, evacuation routes, road closures, and public health advisories.
In 2000, due to efforts of the Alliance of Information and Referral Systems (AIRS) and United Way Worldwide (UWW), the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) designated 211 as the three-digit dialing code for information and referral. This easy-to-remember number was set aside to provide access to health and human services.
In 2004, United Ways of Benton and Washington counties submitted a proposal to the Arkansas Public Service Commission (PSC) to provide 211 services statewide. The PSC approved United Way as the statewide 211 provider in 2007.
The initial launch of a statewide system began in 2008 and operated for one year. In 2010, 211 services relaunched in Northwest Arkansas covering Benton, Carroll, Madison and Washington counties.
In 2017, United Way of Northwest Arkansas received an AmeriCorps grant to expand the 211 database and resources to cover the entire state of Arkansas. After a brief period of repositioning due to changing funding, Arkansas 211 expanded contact service to the entire state of Arkansas in 2019. An additional grant was received to expand the system statewide to address the rise in needs across the state due to the pandemic.
Since 2019, Arkansas 211 has connected hundreds of thousands individuals and their families across the state to critical, local resources, including food, shelter, rental assistance, childcare and more.
Arkansas 211 is a statewide program headquartered at the United Way of Northwest Arkansas.