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This is what Houstonians are calling 211 about during the coronavirus pandemic

They said school closures and stay-at-home orders to combat the coronavirus have increased children’s online presence and their vulnerability to exploitation along with it. (WSLS)

HOUSTON – The coronavirus pandemic has brought a lot of uncertainty across the globe.

According to a tweet by United Way Houston, thousands of Texans have turned to the 211 Texas/United Way helpline with questions regarding the pandemic. The 211 Texas program is designed to help people connect with the services or information they need.

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United Way Houston said in the tweet that from March 1 through June 14, 211 answered 102,908 about coronavirus for the greater Houston area.

The tweet had a chart that broke down the call topics by category.

According to the chart:

  • Nearly 60,000 calls were about rent payment assistance
  • About 30,000 were about electric service payment assistance
  • Just under 20,000 about food pantries and COVID-19 diagnostic tests
  • About 10,000 were information requests about the virus

These numbers show “the dire needs” of people in the community, the tweet said.

For more information, visit 211Texas.org.


About the Author
Daniela Sternitzky-Di Napoli headshot

Daniela Sternitzky-Di Napoli has been a digital news editor at KPRC 2 since 2018. She is a published poet and has background in creative writing and journalism. Daniela has covered events like Hurricane Harvey and the Astros World Series win. In her spare time, Daniela is an avid reader and loves to spend time with her two miniature dachshunds.

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