NJ 211 PARTNERSHIP

NJ 211 makes the critical connection between individuals and families in crisis and the services they need to meet their basic needs and stabilize their situation. We reduce barriers to access by eliminating the need for callers to navigate a maze of agencies and helplines. To do so, we maintain a resource database of over 8,800 services and 3,000 agencies. Our information and referral services are always free, confidential, multilingual, and available LIVE 24/7/365 via phone, email, chat, and text. We are the power behind 16 special initiatives and 8 hotlines including the Department of Community Affairs Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program which returned over $1 million to low-income individuals and families last year.

NJ 211 serves as the state’s homeless hotline for the Department of Human Services. In Morris, Middlesex, and Passaic counties, we have an expanded role as the designated Coordinated Entry and Assessment agency for homeless services. As the single point of entry into the homeless service system, our role is to ensure that people with the longest histories of homelessness, greatest severity of service needs, and special vulnerabilities receive priority for any type of housing and homeless assistance available. We follow the Housing First model by prioritizing basic housing needs including rapid-rehousing and permanent supportive housing for people who are homeless and at-risk of homelessness.

In March 2020, when Governor Murphy declared the pandemic a state of emergency, NJ 211 was asked to serve as the state’s portal for information about COVID-19. We collaborated with the Governor and state public health officials to share lifesaving health and human services information. We are proud to have provided an unprecedented level of support to NJ’s most vulnerable residents in 2020, handling over 1 million requests for help.