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Batavia United Way: housing, utilities top reasons to call 2-1-1; nonprofits list upcoming events

Batavia City Council · February 17, 2026

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Summary

Cathy Evangelista, executive director of Batavia United Way, told the council that 2-1-1 call data from 2025 shows housing/rent assistance as the top reason for calls and utility assistance as the second; she also described city programs (Adopt-a-Family, Snow Angels, Imagination Library) and upcoming events including Soups On (March 5) and a blood drive (April 28).

Cathy Evangelista, executive director of Batavia United Way, briefed the council on the nonprofit’s 2025 activity and local needs highlighted by the 2-1-1 resource hotline.

"The number 1 reason why people are calling to ask for help is for rent assistance or housing assistance," Evangelista said, adding that housing and shelter-related requests represented the largest share of calls across Kane County. She said utility-assistance requests were the second-largest category, making up roughly 20% of calls.

Evangelista summarized local programs: an Adopt-a-Family effort that served nearly 400 children with more than 150 volunteers, a Snow Angels volunteer snow-shoveling program serving a dozen-plus seniors, and Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library providing monthly free books to about 750 Batavia children (Batavia United Way raised more than $6,000 to support the program). She also promoted upcoming events: Soups On soup-tasting at Pal Joey’s on March 5 and a blood drive April 28 at the Batavia Public Library with Representative Matt Hanson’s office.

Evangelista said the 2-1-1 data informs Batavia United Way grantmaking and programming priorities and that more detailed dashboards are available on the Illinois 2-1-1 site. A council member praised the 2-1-1 resource as valuable for both residents and professionals who need referral information.