United Way of Dane County

Madison, WI (October 17, 2023) – Earlier this morning United Way of Dane County held a press conference officially launching their new 211 Wisconsin App. This app was developed to broaden the awareness of and access to services in our community.

United Way of Dane County 211 provides 24/7 live, local assistance to every neighbor in Dane County and nearby communities (including Columbia, Sauk, Iowa, Rock, Green and Lafayette Counties). From finding food to paying rent, or connecting to addiction treatment or services for older adults (and so much more), 211 hosts the most comprehensive health and human services database of curated agencies in Dane County and across Wisconsin, and provides real-time, up-todate information on needs. Last year alone, United Way of Dane County 211 made 41,176 referrals to community resources and spent 170,500+ minutes serving clients.

“211 does so much more than connect people to agencies,” says Ed Wall, Director of 211, United Way of Dane County. “Our specialists are trained to identify root causes of a client’s problem – and provide callers with a wide range of available resources that meet all their underlying needs, not just the one that prompted the call, text or email. And the development of the 211 Wisconsin App enables us to reach more people who need services – allowing us to support more individuals and families who are working to lead healthy, happy and thriving lives.”

With over 18 months in development and testing, the 211 Wisconsin App is poised to increase access to the thousands of 211 resources available. The app can be downloaded to your mobile device. And, for those who do not have access to a mobile device, we’ve placed kiosks around the county to help make sure 211 services are accessible for everyone. See here for a full list of community locations that have a tablet installed.

“Our center is so fortunate to be one of the partner agencies that will house one of the new 211 kiosks,” says Arturo Ambriz, Executive Director, Lussier Community Education Center. “We feel that it will be heavily utilized as it will be prominently displayed at our lobby creating more interest on what 211 is and offers. Currently folks who use 211 at our center are recommended to do so by our amazing staff or word of mouth. With it being so user friendly, a wide range of individuals with varying technology backgrounds will be able to use it. Additionally, it will allow a bit of discretion for users by bypassing the need to ask for help in-person, which is a barrier in itself.”

The app was developed by United Way of Dane County and is meant to be very intuitive. From the welcome screen, the user is invited to browse anonymously or to register and bookmark the community resources that they may frequently use. We have also created a mapping feature that will show the user’s location and the resources closest to them.

The development and launch of this app was made possible by an extremely generous donation of $250,000 made by longtime donors Phil and Kit Blake. Additionally, United Way of Dane County has partnered with the other seven 211 centers in Wisconsin to assist in a state-wide rollout of the app. This collaboration helps ensure real-time help and resources are accessible to every Wisconsin resident in need.

“United Way of Dane County is proud to curate the most comprehensive health and human services database in our community, and to provide a caring, helping voice at the other end of the phone when neighbors need help,” says Renee Moe, President & CEO, United Way of Dane County.

“By partnering with the other centers across the state through the rollout of the 211 Wisconsin App, we’re enabled to make resources more readily available to every Wisconsin resident! That said, we know the needs far outweigh resources currently available. Please support your local United Way campaign by making a donation to help ensure that quality services are available when people call,” Moe says. “When more people have access to resources that they need in times of crisis through 211, and a coordinated approach to address the toughest human issues through United Way’s Plan for Community Well-Being, our entire community is better positioned to thrive.”

For media inquiries and interview requests, please contact Ashley Manthei, Director of Communications, United Way of Dane County at (608) 416-0401 or Ashley.manthei@uwdc.org. 

About United Way of Dane County:

For more than 100 years, United Way of Dane County has led in mobilizing the community to address our toughest issues and spark lasting, generational change. With a mission to unite the community to achieve measurable results that change lives, we are committed to being a catalyst for inclusion and systemic change – working collaboratively with local nonprofits, businesses, community leaders, donors and volunteers to solve big-picture issues no one person or organization can address alone. Together, we are The Power of Many. Working for All. And we invite every Dane County resident to be a part of the change we all wish to see. Visit www.unitedwaydanecounty.org to learn more.