Earlier today, the Athens County United Appeal expanded their 2-1-1 phone service, which provides information on local welfare services to a new intuitive website.
The site, 211athenscounty.org, was launched with the help of an uptown event and media briefing.
United Appeal has been providing information through their free phone service, 2-1-1, and an informative referral website since 2010. They provide information on 200 agencies and 1,500 services all over Athens County.
The site offers information on services like health care, food banks, substance abuse clinics, legal services, mental health facilities and employment and income support.
The database is easy to operate for new users, said Nick Claussen, community relations coordinator for Athens County Job and Family Services. The site offers a search function for local Athens county organizations via keyword or category of services offered, allowing for quick and easy access to fundamental welfare programs.
United Appeal recently went through staff cuts, which has limited their ability to maintain the traffic of their phone service, Claussen said, adding the website provides a way for people to look up information on their own.
“Some people don’t have internet access,” said Claussen, which is why the phone service still remains a vital part of the services 211 United Appeal offers.
When asked about the viewership of the site, Clasussen said JFS is trying to appeal to “a little (bit) of everything.” Viewers have the option to look for their own personal needs or volunteers can go to look for information on an agency that most suits them.
Ohio University organizations may use the site to mobilize groups to help those in need, or use the information for new events or disaster relief that may pop up through out the year.
wh092010@ohiou.edu
