Erie County Executive 211 Day Proclamation & 211 of Western New York (211WNY) to celebrate national 211 Day with an $8,000 match campaign

211WNY has announced a matching donation campaign in honor of 211Day (February 11th). Donations from companies, foundations, and individuals up to $8,000 will be matched. This one-week campaign will begin on February 10th and end on February 17th.   

211WNY connects those in need to Community Resource Specialists who can assist with reducing housing insecurity and homelessness, healthcare, and food insecurity, plus offers Covid-19 support and crisis information.  

On February 10th at 10am, Erie County Executive Mark Poloncarz will present 211WNY with a proclamation at the Rath Building in honor of 211 Day on February 11th, 2022. 

In 2022, 211WNY was contacted over 127,000 times, up 3% from the previous year.  

HIGHLIGHTS AND STATISTICS OF THE YEAR INCLUDE:  

• Provided assessments for the COVID rental relief program to help Buffalo residents avoid evictions.  
• Helped WNY’ers apply for Emergency Rental Assistance Program and connected them to other rental assistance resources.  
• 211’s Door Dash partnership helped deliver 100 frozen boxes of meat to seniors in Jefferson Ave. neighborhoods by Tops Super Market.  
• The Door Dash partnership enabled 211 to provide 150 Thanksgiving meals to community members in need.  
• Handled 2500 calls during the blizzard of ‘22, providing county resources for those in need.  

• Assisted in connecting individuals to Governor Kathy Hochul’s resources and funding available for Buffalo’s East Side residents.  
• Provided emergency shelter for thousands of individuals and families.  
• Scheduled free tax preparation appointments & helped families access the Advanced Child Tax Credits.  
• Provided rides to individuals recently released from incarceration to get to locations for job search, housing, and to apply for public assistance.  

211WNY is a United Way of Buffalo and Erie County program housed within VIA: Visually Impaired Advancement. The partnership with VIA allows 211 WNY to be a leader in workplace accessibility and gives VIA the tools to provide careers for visually impaired individuals.  

The 211 hotline is available 24/7 across all of New York State. Donate to 211WNY at www.211wny.org/  

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Press Contact
Samantha Burfiend
VIA & 211WNY Marketing
sburfiend@viawny.org
716-888-4564