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Vermont 211 tells Health & Welfare demand for shelter referrals has surged; seeks sustained state support
Summary
Elizabeth Gillman of Vermont 211 told the Senate Health & Welfare Committee that the 211 network handled 57,375 contacts last year, that more than half of calls related to shelter and housing, and that the service is pursuing base funding after a gap between requested and budgeted support.
Elizabeth Gillman, representing Vermont 211, told the Senate Health & Welfare Committee that Vermont 211 handled 57,375 contacts in the past year and that shelter and housing accounted for more than half of those requests. She said the increase in housing- and shelter-related calls has put heavy strain on 211 staff and emphasized the service’s role in emergency response, non-911 triage and referrals to health and human services.
“It is over half of our calls are around shelter and housing,” Gillman said, and added that 211’s trained community resource specialists do more than provide numbers; they “are problem solving with Vermonters” and connect callers to statewide resources. Gillman also described 211’s emergency-management role, saying the service has supported responses to H1N1, COVID-19, PCB well-water issues and multiple floods by tracking resources, feeding data to emergency management and offering rumor control for non-911 concerns.
Gillman described Vermont 211’s operations: the service is available 24/7 by phone, text and email; its database contains more than 11,000 services; and staff handled 57,375 contacts this year, “over 7,000 more than we did last year.” She said 211 provides referrals for agencies and programs by county and can produce data broken down by region and agency for lawmakers or committees.
On funding, Gillman said 211 is seeking additional state support. She reported staff guidance that 211 will request $332,000 to offset a shortfall related to what she called “the 1.3 that the governor’s is in the governor's budget.” The transcript does not specify units or whether “1.3” refers to $1.3 million; Gillman said she had spoken with Representative Wood and intends to pursue base funding during upcoming appropriations hearings.
Committee members asked about data and invited 211 to provide reports; Gillman said detailed county and category data are available at vermont211.org and through the 211Counts national portal. She also asked the committee to consider the operational strain on staff who now handle a large volume of housing-related calls.
The committee did not take formal action during the presentation; appropriations committee hearings on related budget items were noted as upcoming.
