In August, Americans made nearly a million calls for help to 211 according to a national tracking system in 36 states. Call volume increased 11% over July (872,079 vs. 785,654); it was the most calls received in any month in 2023, to date. 211s also reported 126,753 web-requests in August. 211s reported nearly 150,000 requests […]
COVID needs are drawing a more diverse set of callers to St. Louis’ top helpline. We mapped 94,661 requests to the 211 helpline for housing, food, utilities, and COVID-19 assistance from 63 ZIP codes in St. Louis City and County between March 12, 2020 and April 28, 2021. The patterns of community need were strikingly […]
Communities trying to prevent eviction during COVID-19 might be wise to work with 211. New analyses show a near perfect correlation between the number of calls to a 211 helpline for rent assistance in a given ZIP code, and the number of eviction filings in that ZIP code.
St. Louis ended 2020 with its busiest month of the year for rent assistance requests. 211 of Greater St. Louis received nearly 2,500 requests for rent assistance in December from across the St. Louis metropolitan area, a whopping 92% increase over the same month in 2019. For the year, rent assistant requests were 43% higher […]
During COVID-19, food needs in the two biggest cities in Missouri have been strikingly similar. Until Thanksgiving, that is.
In Missouri, counties with higher rates of COVID-19 infection have seen larger increases in calls for help to 2-1-1. The top 10 counties experiencing the largest increases in 2-1-1 requests from pre- to post-COVID-19 all had high COVID-19 rates.
With water and sewer bills coming due, a record number of St. Louisans are calling to 2-1-1 for payment assistance. From August 21st to November 2nd, totals requests are 116% higher in 2020 than 2019.
Calls for help in St. Louis just topped 100,000 for the year. The largest pre- to post-COVID-19 increases have been in requests for assistance with getting personal hygiene products such as diapers and toilet paper (+96%), electric bill payment (+77%), gas bill payment (+56%), water bill payment (+51%), food pantries (+43%) and rent assistance (+37%). The chart shows these and other needs that have grown during the pandemic.
With 2-1-1 and CARES Act-funded agencies teaming up, rent and mortgage requests in St. Louis are soaring.
COVID-19 cases aren’t the only thing rising in Jefferson and Boone Counties in Missouri. So are requests to the 2-1-1 helpline, which links callers with food, housing and utility assistance, as well as help with other needs.
Although urban centers generate the lion’s share of 2-1-1 requests, calls from less populous counties are increasing faster. From July to August, requests to 2-1-1 from metropolitan counties increased by 6%. During same time period, requests to 2-1-1 from micropolitan counties increased by 9.2% and other, more rural and less populous counties increased by 9.4%.
Areas of St. Louis with the greatest rent needs may have something worse coming – eviction. ZIP codes with the most 2-1-1 requests for rent assistance also had the largest number of eviction filings.
Transportation needs are rising across the St. Louis region, but the kinds of help needed depend on where you live.
Requests for help paying electric bills reached their highest level in St. Louis since March, as Ameren ended its suspension of disconnections.