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Greetings!
United Way's 2-1-1 of WNC's e-newsletter is a resource for
you. We provide this as a way to keep in touch, highlight local
health and human service initiatives, promote information and referral
tools for serving your clients, gain your feedback, and strengthen our
community partnerships.
If you have information to include in this newsletter, or
have questions or comments, please feel free to contact us. The
information in our free e-newsletter is meant to be shared. Please
forward and encourage your colleagues and friends to sign-up.
We hope you find the information useful, and we look forward
to hearing from you.
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Does July seem like a strange time to be thinking about
heating bills? It's a great time to plan ahead for winter by taking
a look at the energy efficiency of your residence! There may be a
weatherization program that can help.
Weatherization programs provide assistance in the form of labor and
supplies to help people improve the energy efficiency of their
homes. Typical improvements might include heating system
inspections, ceiling insulation, attic venting, window replacement,
weather-stripping, low-flow shower heads, compact fluorescent light
bulbs, water heater blankets, pipe & duct wrap, caulking, and other
related energy conservation measures. Weatherization programs
typically have income requirements and are often available to both
renters and home owners.
Call 2-1-1 or visit the 2-1-1 online database and search for energy conservation
improvements for referrals to weatherization programs in our area.
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Unmet Needs
2-1-1 as a Social Barometer
As the local community service information line, 2-1-1 links people with
programs that provide the kind of services they're looking for.
From basic needs like food and housing to health and mental health care,
legal, consumer, employment, and more... every day, 2-1-1 successfully
matches people with places that can help.
But there isn't a community resource to meet every need. Whether
due to a lack of funds, waiting lists, or eligibility criteria, sometimes
2-1-1 must deliver the news that there isn't a referral available.
When helping someone with a possible unmet need, 2-1-1 offers support in
finding creative solutions. Sometimes this means a 2-1-1 referral
specialist picking up the phone and advocating on behalf of a
caller. Sometimes, 2-1-1 brainstorms with callers about informal
resources such as their faith community, employer, or neighbors as a
possible source of help. Other times we turn to the Internet as a
resource. There are a few websites that help community members
connect with one another, such as craigslist and freecycle that have
resulted in people finding the help they need.
2-1-1 is like a social barometer. Because we talk to people from
all walks of life and direct people to all kinds of services, we are in a
unique position to notice trends of needs in our community. We
report this information (such as in our last annual report) and
share it with community decision-makers like local coalitions, elected
officials, funders, and more.
2-1-1 works to keep our community resource database (searchable from www.211wnc.org) as
comprehensive as possible, and we rely on others to help us keep it
complete. Do you know of a program or service we're missing or that
has changed? Send us a tip at 211info@unitedwayabc.org.
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Resource Spotlight:
Community
Colleges
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