Boeing employees have pledged $100,000 and perhaps a whole lot more to create a 211 information line to make it easier for people to get the help they need.
In addition to a direct donation, the Employee Community Fund of Boeing Puget Sound will match additional contributions up to $211,000, according to Dan Klusman of United Way of Snohomish County.
“It’s a very good thing that Boeing is doing,” Klusman said.
The idea, Klusman added, is to raise $500,000 to create a simple statewide system to hook people up with health and human services available in their community.
Most areas have an organization that tries to act as a clearinghouse, he said, but those groups operate separately with different names and phone numbers.
Washington Information Network 2-1-1 is a nonprofit organization that hopes to collect enough from the Boeing employees fund and other donors to hook up all the different groups to a database of information about communities throughout the state.
That way, people using 211 would be hooked up with a local center, but could also get information about other areas for themselves or others.
“211 is easy to remember and the number would work anywhere in the state,” Klusman said. “We have cards we give out now that have maybe 30 numbers on them. They could be replaced with 911 and 211.
Klusman said Connecticut and other states have such a system and that they’re very effective as a community resource.
If the fund drive is successful, the system could be established in Washington state by next year.
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