THUNDER BAY -- Phone number 211 is turning eight.
Established in Northern Ontario eight years ago, 211 acts as an information hub for non-emergency services. Lakehead Social Planning Council and United Way of Thunder Bay on Thursday celebrated National 211 Awareness Day.
"It’s an amazing helpline, it's a 24/7 phone line and a complimentary database of human services," said Marie Klassen, director of services at the Lakehead Social Planning Council, at the celebrations at the LSPC office in Victoriaville.
The helpline was made available to encourage residents to make the appropriate call when it comes to finding the right services for their situation. But even after eight years, there is still a need for awareness so the general public will immediately know when to dial 211 instead of the more established 911 emergency line.
"In celebration of our eighth anniversary, we are launching a 211 marketing plan," Klassen said.
"An awareness plan to help people in Northern Ontario become more familiar with what 211 is and the benefits.
Residents can call 211 to receive information on community, social services, health services along with municipal, provincial and federally funded services.
"The 211 service is truly a navigator of the social services that are available to people who are in need," she adds.
"Today, we have an announcement of some funding coming in that will help propel some of the efforts in communicating 211 to the folks in Northern Ontario."
TransCanada has joined in as a funding partner in an effort to create awareness within the Northern Ontario communities. On Thursday TransCanada officially announced its $60,000 contribution to the United Way of Thunder Bay in support of the 211 services.
The campaign will spread across Northern Ontario over three years in order to include communities and reserves in order to raise awareness within the region.
211 Ontario is the route for finding the information and services that deal with all of life's challenges.
"We are excited that so many people are catching on to 211, it's the non-emergency 911 service."
