City of Toronto and Ontario 211 helpline

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City of Toronto and Ontario 211 helpline

I wasn’t aware of this service prior to today, but am pleased to see that Toronto and Ontario are part of it.

Most people are familiar with 911 (emergencies) and some people are aware of 311 (municipal services) but there is also a 211 number for community, health and social services. It’s answered live 24 hours, every day of the year also – so an excellent resource.

Here is some news from the city regarding February 11th being 211 Day across North America.

Tomorrow (February 11, 2015) is 211 Day across North America. To mark 211 Day, the City of Toronto and the 211 Ontario helpline are partnering to educate residents on how to make the right call if they want or need help.

211 is answered live, 24 hours a day, every day of the year including holidays. Residents are encouraged to call 211 for services such as food banks if they are hungry, mental health support if they are in crisis, or for the non-emergency police number if they need the police but it is not an emergency. More information is available at 211ontario.ca.

“211 is your one call to find services that are provided by any of the three levels of government, charities and non-profits,” said Councillor James Pasternak (Ward 10 York Centre), Chair of the Community Development and Recreation Committee. “Residents can be connected to everything from finding the phone number for Telehealth Ontario to tax clinics for seniors and low-income people to homework clubs and seniors’ centres. 211 helps deliver essential services to Toronto’s diverse communities.”

“Knowing the right number to call will help residents find the right services for their situation,” said Gary Yorke, Director of 311 Toronto. “It also has the potential to reduce non-urgent calls to 911 from residents.”

• Call 311 for information about municipal services such as garbage collection, graffiti or litter and snow removal.
• Call 211 for information about community, social and health services if you don’t know where to turn with a problem.
• Call 911 for threats or harm to a person or property that require police, fire or paramedic services.

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