PA 211 Northeast
PA 211 Northeast is part of the national 2‑1‑1 Call Centers initiative designed to provide an easy-to-remember telephone number, chat, text, and a web resource for finding health and human services information for everyday needs and crisis situations.
PA 211 Northeast is a program of the Family Service Association of NEPA’s Help Line.
Help Line History
Help Line was established in 1972 after Hurricane Agnes devastated the Greater Wilkes-Barre area. It was designed to provide a central resource for vital information for the survivors of this disaster. In 1975, Help Line entered into agreements with several area agencies to provide twenty-four-hour crisis services. Soon after, other agencies signed onto the service and Help Line became the crisis center for most Wyoming Valley social service agencies.
In 2011 Help Line started providing information and referral services under the PA 211 banner – becoming PA 211 Northeastern PA. The service grew beyond an active data listing of local agencies to additional regional, state and national resources. Answers on questions on anything from children’s health resources to housing information and more are available to assist you!
Services Today
PA 211 NEPA / Help Line is the after-hours crisis service for fourteen different organizations serving Bradford, Lackawanna, Luzerne, Sullivan and Wyoming Counties. With one phone number, callers gain free, confidential access to thousands of programs and services that can help improve the quality of their lives – services ranging from aging to mental health, child abuse/neglect reports, drug and alcohol services, runaway help, energy assistance, homelessness and victim services. In fact, every day, highly trained 211 call specialists provide referrals to:
- Basic Human Needs Resources: food banks, shelters, rent and utility payment assistance
- Physical and Mental Health Resources: crisis intervention services, support groups, counseling
- Employment Support: financial assistance, job training, education programs
- Support for Older Adults and Persons with Disabilities: home-delivered meals, transportation, health care
- Youth and Child Care Programs: after school programs, summer camps, mentoring, protection services
- Regional Disaster Preparation
With one phone number, callers gain free, confidential access to thousands of programs and services that can help improve the quality of their lives. Help is available 24 hours a day, seven days a week by calling 211 (or 1-855-567-5341). Language translation services are available in more than 140 languages and dialects.
To see data on the requests made to PA 211 over time, with the option to filter by county, district, or needs categories, visit PA’s page on 211 Counts.
