This number has been printed on each one of our newsletters and hopefully you have noticed, but what is it?
HISTORY: 211 Brevard started in the 1960s as a grassroots volunteer organization dedicated to providing support for individuals and families affected by mental illness. The nonprofit was instrumental in starting one of Florida’s first teen and suicide hotlines, which soon expanded in scope in response to community need. Recognizing that callers frequently needed
ongoing services, phone counselors began collecting and maintaining information on local social services, organizations and programs.
In the early 1980s, this information became part of the area’s first comprehensive database of community services. In 2001, 211 Brevard became the first in Florida and the seventh in the nation to implement the 2-1-1 dialing code following the Federal Communications Commission ruling designating the number for accessing information on local services.
2-1-1 is a special abbreviated telephone number reserved in the North American Numbering Plan (NANP) as an easy-to-remember three-digit code to reach information and referral services to health, human, and social service organizations. These services are for anyone in need, not limited to seniors. Check it out and look at all the services they offer!!
GET CONNECTED. GET HELP.
From hello to help, 211 Brevard provides immediate assistance and connects people to community resources in times of personal, financial and community crisis. Trained specialists are available 24/7 when people call or text because they don’t have enough to eat, can’t pay rent, need COVID-19 testing or struggle with thoughts of suicide, plus much more.
Specialists actively listen and offer information on resources to meet needs such as food, utility bills, housing, mental health, substance abuse, primary health care and disaster. In July of 2022 they added the 9-8-8 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline, a United States based suicide prevention network of over 160 crisis centers that provides 24/7 service via a toll-free hotline with the number 9-8-8. It is available to anyone in suicidal crisis or emotional distress. www.988lifeline.org