If you live in the USA and you’re pleading for donations to pay your rent, bills, or get food then dial 211! Please dial 211 before the last minute!
It’s a toll free service with people who will help you find programs in your community to pay those bills, find food, and find housing! They will give you numbers to call so you can get help.
It is not 100% foolproof. Their job is to direct you to a program they believe will help your current issue, but it’s still a step up from praying random strangers online will give you enough cash before a deadline! The added benefit of these community programs, which get funded by the local government most of the time, is if there are more people using them then they can get more money to help more people.
You’re not taking resources from other people if you use your community services. Your taxes pay for them. Use them.
Dial 211 first to see if they can help, and if for some reason they can’t, then make your donation posts!
https://www.211.org/
Hi I work for my state’s 211 service. It really breaks my heart how many people only know to call us at the last minute. 211’s can provide a whole wealth of resources to use before things ever get to a cut off utility, eviction, or homelessness!
I can’t speak for all 211’s but most should also have a website detailing all the agencies in their database. if you don’t like phone calls, this can be something to reference instead.
If you don’t have health insurance but you need to see a doctor, reference 211! We list clinics that provide free or discounted general care, vision, and dental services to low income households and people without insurance! Many hospitals also have financial aid policies that can severely reduce your bill if you had an expensive procedure!
If you’re stuck in a dead end job or need educational resources reference 211! There are a lot of programs focused on providing basic adult education as well as trade skills or other high demand fields! State governments are generally more interested in funneling people into work than providing benefits, but you can still use this to your advantage especially if you have some form of disability but are still able to work. That includes if you’re neurodiverse or have mental health issues! Most of these programs are extremely underutilized.
If you believe you qualify for public benefits but the bureaucracy of the process is in your way, reference 211! There are agencies specifically geared towards helping people obtain the benefits they qualify for- for free!
If you need help with your taxes-
If you need help finding a pro bono lawyer-
If you need help finding affordable housing/section 8 housing-
If you need help finding food pantries-
If you need help paying for your prescriptions-
If you need help obtaining disability aids or assistive technology-
If you need help finding transportation options-
If you need help following a natural or personal disaster (like a home fire)-
If you need help repairing a home you or your family owns or it needs modifications to be accessible-
If you need Queer resources-
Reference your 211!!!!!
I had no idea what 211 was before working for it but I wish I had. I’ve learned so much about what resources are actually available to the community even in a ho hum area of the country like my state. I’ve saved my partner literally thousands of dollars just from the medical resources I’ve gathered.
Not enough young people know about or utilize these services but they are there for you!
P. S.
This isn’t an intended use of 211, but I like to reference the agency listings when I look for jobs. Many of the agencies listed are non-profits which, while they certainly are not perfect, generally have lower barriers of entry to decent paying jobs with benefits. The work environments tend to be much kinder and at least pretend to be forward thinking. You’re more likely to find jobs without as many people applying as well, especially if they’re only advertising their positions through their own website.
In the UK, you can contact the Citizen’s Advice Bureau, who will help with benefits, debt and employment issues, and can usually signpost you if they can’t help.
If you owe the government money - don’t scramble to pay it back! The government can wait literally forever. This goes for council tax, student loan overpayments, universal credit overpayments, income tax… Work out how much you can genuinely afford each month, then call and ask to set up a payment plan. This can be £1 a month for eternity, so long as you are paying something! I know a guy who is paying off an extra year of student loan £3 at a time until death or he can be bothered to call them up and say he actually has a job now.
Even if you owe money to a company, most of the time they will accept a payment plan over having to send the frighteners round. Don’t use your rent money for debt! Bankrupt is better than evicted.
If you’re in rent arrears (or about to be), get the housing component of your rent paid directly to your landlord so you don’t fall further behind, and again, try to agree a plan. Your landlord would much rather collect your money than bother getting legal permission to evict you.
Other costs are more difficult to cover but there’s all sorts of grants and schemes out there to look into while you’re posting your paypal link!
Other reblogs Collection.
ymirjotunn: (for united states)
“if you’re seeking help with disability-related resources - basically, are you struggling to continue living safely in the community because of a disability? - contact DIAL instead (or alongside). 211 can be really helpful but often falls short for disability related issues! dial.acl.gov call or text 1-888-677-1199, or follow the link above to use their online chat or video call in asl. DIAL operators have training in speech disability and are much less likely to hang up on you if you use aac.”
myandolorian: (for canada)
“211 also exists in Canada, but varies province to province”
x-treme-couponing: (united states and canada)
“There’s also an app! I’m not sure if it’s all regions but I will occasionally browse for resources on it when I have a spare minute. Just 211 in the app store”
fuckinkindagauche: (general. vary by area)
They seem to have resources for other issues too, this is what I pulled from their page: I need help… paying my bills caregiver resources Crisis & Emergency Disaster Recovery Housing Housing Expenses Utilities Expenses Food Food Programs & Benefits Health Healthcare Expenses Mental Health Substance Use If you need a hand with something, this seems like a good place to check
maybe-a-roman: (for united states. but apply u.s. and canada)
“Not all parts of the US has 211- Google ”[your city] 211" first to see if there’s an alternative version (eg, Chicago has 311, the suburbs are only getting 211 this year) Also, 211 tends to be run by United Way, so it can be highly variable by area. If you call 211 and they don’t give you anything useful, try alternatives, sites like FindHelp.org or googling “[city name/county name] rental assistance”, or even going onto your municipal website can point you towards additional resources. When vetting a resource, know that calling is usually the best way to know what is currently available/open for applications and is the NORM for social workers looking for these things, and any site that doesn’t have a working phone number is probably a scam.“
note: 211 for United States, have resource for immigrants on website. and may have help for transport. ?
