Our Vision:
Washington 211 exists to make people’s lives better; to enhance community resiliency; to identify and break cycles of need, and to help organizations, foundations, businesses, individuals and government more efficiently distribute resources.
The Washington 2-1-1 is a coalition of existing local providers of information and referral services and local United Ways from every region of the state – was incorporated as a nonprofit corporation under the laws of the State of Washington in August 2001 and was recognized by the IRS as a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization in April 2002.
Listen to what Governor Gregoire has to say about Washington 2-1-1
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On April 15, 2003, the Washington state legislature passed ESHB 1787 in support of the creation of a 2-1-1 system for the state and gave specific leadership responsibilities to Washington 211.
This legislation:
- Adopts 2-1-1 as the official state number for people to call for information and referral for health and human services and to get information about accessing services after a natural or non-natural disaster;
- Directs Washington 2-1-1 to study, design, implement, and support a statewide 2-1-1 system;
- Authorizes Washington 211 to select and approve local 2-1-1 service providers based on criteria that reflect the ability to meet national standards, organizational viability, support from their community, and partnerships with other providers;
- Creates a designated account in the state budget in anticipation of the future availability of federal or state funds to support the system;
- Directs state agencies and departments to consult with Washington 211 about using the 2-1-1 system before creating any new public information telephone line or hotline for accessing health and human services information.