United Way helpline marks 10 years serving Hudson Valley

United Way on Thursday marked the 10^th anniversary of its 2-1-1 Hudson Valley Call Center with the launch of a campaign to make the information and referral helpline serving residents of seven counties a 24-hour service.

At a ceremony at United Way of Westchester and Putnam headquarters in White Plains, agency leaders called on government officials to pledge to promote the 2-1-1 helpline by posting links on their websites to the call center web page, finding ways to share information with their residents and creating personal videos to post on social media using the #UW211.

Alana Sweeny, president and CEO of United Way of Westchester and Putnam, said specialists at the White Plains call center since its opening in 2005 have helped nearly 400,000 callers on matters including food assistance, elder care, housing and shelters, utilities, abuse prevention, suicide, recycling regulations, foster parenting, veteran services, and medical assistance. The 2-1-1 line has served as an emergency line through several natural disasters in the region in the last decade, taking more than 28,000 calls in the aftermath of Hurricane Sandy alone.

Westchester County Executive Robert P. Astorino said the Hudson Valley 2-1-1- Call Center “helps thousands of families and individuals connect with the services they need. They”™re the ones to call before a situation becomes a crisis.”