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United Way presents 2-1-1 data showing housing, utility and mental‑health needs in Greenfield
Summary
United Way Monterey County told the Greenfield City Council that 2-1-1 calls from the area show housing, utility assistance and food among top needs; local callers also showed a relatively high share of mental‑health and substance‑use inquiries. United Way asked the city to consider continued support for the service.
United Way Monterey County representatives told the Greenfield City Council that its 2‑1‑1 call center is helping residents with a steady stream of housing, utility and food requests — and that Greenfield callers show proportionally higher mental‑health and substance‑use needs than the county as a whole. Building on a countywide overview, United Way staff presented Greenfield-specific referral data and urged continued municipal support.
"We are United Way Monterey County," said Katie Castaneda, the nonprofit's president and CEO, describing 2‑1‑1 as "like 911 for nonemergency health and human services" and noting that live operators provide referrals 24/7 in multiple languages. Castaneda highlighted the service's role during crises, including pandemic-era spikes in demand.
Calissa King, who presented Greenfield figures for 2025, summarized the local counts: "Looking at just that 2025 year, [we had] 446 contacts" in the dataset shown and about "22 contacts from the Greenfield area" that produced roughly 805 referrals. King said the top referral categories for Greenfield callers were housing, utility assistance and food, and that mental‑health and substance‑use needs ranked higher in Greenfield than in the countywide mix.
United Way also shared service details: 53% of the Greenfield contacts were first‑time callers, 43% received support in Spanish, and 62% reported a primary language other than English at home (55% identifying Spanish). Presenters highlighted improvements to the 2‑1‑1 website and a new two‑way texting feature intended to increase access and self‑service options.
"We want to thank the city of Greenfield for past support and request that you consider continuing to support 2‑1‑1," Castaneda said, noting the program receives mixed funding from government, utilities, foundations and donors.
Next steps: United Way offered to add missing local programs to its live database on request and encouraged council members and residents to use 2‑1‑1 for nonemergency service navigation.
