Jefferson, Boone counties lead August surge in 2-1-1 requests

September 16, 2020

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. Calls to 2-1-1 in Missouri and across the U.S. have nearly doubled during the COVID-19 pandemic. We analyzed requests to 2-1-1 from counties in Missouri with 100 or more requests in July, and compared the change in number of requests between July and August. Requests from Jefferson County increased nearly 60%, with Boone County close behind (+47%). Other counties seeing large increases were Greene (+23%) and Cass (+20%). Requests from St. Louis City and County increased by 13% and 12%, respectively. Overall in Missouri, requests to 2-1-1 increased 6% from July to August, the sixth largest increase among states participating in a daily tracking system. The increases in Jefferson and Boone Counties coincide with recent reports showing rapid spread of coronavirus and growing cases of COVID-19 in the two counties. Mouse over each bubble in the chart to see the increase for each county. Counties with <100 requests in July or <10% increase from July to August were not included in the display.


Contributors: Anita Udaiyar, Rachel Garg, Balaji Golla, Matthew Kreuter