Chenango County United Way Opens 2-1-1 Center for Non-Emergency Calls

Chenango County residents can now call 2-1-1 to inquire about non-emergency needs and services.

The 2-1-1 call center is operated by United Way of Broome County and now serves Chenango, Broome and Tioga counties.

By calling 2-1-1 for non-emergency inquiries, the 9-1-1 emergency line will not be flooded by non-emergency calls.

Alan Hertel of the Broome County United Way, says 2-1-1 was a great asset during the floods of 2011.

"The night the flooding happened, our county emergency services folks in the 9-1-1 office and asked us to open our call center because they were just getting killed with calls they couldn't handle," Hertel said. "We opened up that night and stayed open 24 hours for a couple of days. In that first month alone, we handled more than 6,000 flood-related calls.

"That really helped the 9-1-1 folks by really taking the burden of those calls, so they could focus on the work they had to deal with, with the emergencies," Hertel added.

Executive Director of Chenango United Way Elizabeth Monaco says with all the established programs in Chenango County, the 2-1-1 will help increase awareness and assist people with everyday challenges.