http://ipraudio.interlochen.org/211QA.mp3
People who need help with anything from emergency food, to foreclosure-prevention counseling, can now dial a toll-free number in Charlevoix and Emmet counties.
The service is also available in Wexford and Manistee, and it should be up-and-running throughout northwestern Lower Michigan by early next year.
For now, even where available, people have to call a regular toll-free number, but eventually people should simply be able to dial 2-1-1 for help.
Steve Wade of the United Way of Northwest Michigan says this area is actually behind the curve.
"Eighty percent of the state of Michigan is currently covered by 2-1-1," he says. "Eighty percent of the country is currently covered. So, yeah, we are bring up the last 20 percent of that.
"But there's a saying that says, 'The best time to plant a tree is 20 years ago, the second best time is today.' So we're going to plant this tree today so that people can start accessing this valuable service."
Wade says 2-1-1 is proven as a successful tool to get people the help they need, because, with so many different agencies serving the poor, it can be hard for folks in crisis to figure out where to go for help.
"You know, where are foreclosure-prevention programs, where are job training programs, where are feeding programs?
"But not just where are they, but what resources do you need to bring, how do you get there, who do you need to contact?"
Phone numbers should be available throughout the region by early next year.
Listen to the audio above for IPR's chat with Steve Wade.