What Washington 211 does

Washington 211 (legal name Washington Information Network 2-1-1) is a nonprofit statewide helpline organization operating as a program of United Way, founded in 2006 and headquartered in Yakima, Washington. It provides a free, confidential, multilingual 24/7 service connecting Washington State residents to community resources including utility assistance, food, housing, healthcare, elder care, childcare, and mental health supports. The service is accessible via the three-digit dialing code 211, a toll-free number (1-877-211-9274), SMS (text 211WAOD to 898211), email, and an online search portal.

The organization's core technology asset is the 211 Connects statewide resource directory, which contains over 17,000 listings maintained by service providers themselves and accessed through an open-source search application built on the Human Services Data Standard (HSDS). Supporting products include a Provider Portal for resource management, the 211 Counts community data platform, and the State Traumatic Brain Injury information and referral navigation service launched in 2022. The platform achieved WCAG 2.2 Level A and AA accessibility conformance and supports interpretation in over 200 languages plus TTY.

Washington 211's business model is non-commercial: the service is free to end users and revenue derives from Washington State general fund appropriations (with a confirmed $3 million appropriation), targeted government and foundation grants (such as a $40,000 grant from Greater Columbia ACH for the search application and Department of Health funding for COVID hotline operations), charitable donations including the AmazonSmile program, and operational support from United Way. The organization operates through multiple regional partners including King County Crisis Connections 211 and Greater Columbia 211, and has played a strategic role as the statewide coordination hub integrating 911 and 988 crisis services, with demonstrated surge capacity during the COVID-19 response (handling 325,000 callers through the state hotline and assisting with 40,000+ vaccine appointments). In 2025, following a FirstRule Group operational review, the Board initiated a strategic realignment and selected a new statewide call center provider to address structural and funding constraints limiting access and efficiency.

Name

Washington 211

Legal name

Washington Information Network 2-1-1

Website

https://wa211.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2006

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Washington 211 is a nonprofit, statewide helpline connecting Washington State residents to over 17,000 community resources via phone (211), text, and an online directory, operating as a United Way program and serving more than 300,000 contacts annually.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Social Services Helpline and Information & Referral

NAICS

Other Individual and Family Services (624190), Services for the Elderly and Persons with Disabilities (62412), Individual and Family Services (6241)

SIC

Services-Social Services (8300), Services-Health Services (8000)

akta.pro primary industry

Financial Assistance & Benefits Navigation Services (BPAGAEAK)

akta.pro secondary industry

Community Resources, Social Services & Transportation Coordination (HLADALAK)

Keywords

• Community resource helpline
• Information and referral services
• Human services directory
• Social services hotline
• Nonprofit helpline services

Headquarters

HQ city

Washington State

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Government Funding: State general fund appropriations from Washington State Legislature for operating the 211 helpline and contact center operations
2. Grants and Partnerships: Grant funding from government agencies and partners such as the $40,000 grant from Greater Columbia ACH for search application development, and Department of Health funding for COVID hotline operations
3. Donations: Charitable donations from individuals and organizations including AmazonSmile program donations
4. United Way Support: Organizational support as a program of United Way, receiving operational and administrative support from United Way network

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Washington 211 operates a free, confidential, multilingual statewide helpline and online resource directory (211 Connects) that connects Washington State residents to more than 17,000 local health and human service resources. Residents can access the service by dialing 211, texting 211WAOD to 898211, emailing, or searching the public portal at search.wa211.org, with interpretation available in 200+ languages plus TTY. Specialized referral services such as the State Traumatic Brain Injury navigation service, the 211 Counts community data platform, and a Provider Portal for resource listing round out the core offering.

Product overview

Washington 211 operates as a unified platform combining a multilingual helpline, an online resource directory (211 Connects), and provider tools to connect Washington State residents with health and human services. The core offering consists of the 211 Helpline (accessible by phone, text, and email) integrated with the 211 Connects Online Search Engine containing 17,000+ community resources. Supporting modules include a specialized Traumatic Brain Injury information service, the 211 Counts community data platform, and a Provider Portal for resource management. In 2021, WA 211 launched an enhanced open-source search application built with Human Services Data Standard, improving search functionality and service mapping capabilities.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• WA 211 Helpline Free, confidential, multilingual statewide helpline accessible by dialing 211 (or toll-free 1-877-211-9274), connecting Washington residents to local community services including utility assistance, food, housing, healthcare, elder care, childcare, and mental health supports, with interpretation in over 200 languages plus TTY.
• 211 Connects Online Resource Search Online resource search platform at search.wa211.org that lets users independently search 17,000+ community resources, with advanced search options, service mapping including transportation options, and user account functionality to save, print, and share favorite services; the underlying application is available as open source for replication.
• State Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) Information and Referral Service Specialized information and referral service connecting Washington residents with traumatic brain injuries to housing, shelter, food, and other community-based resources statewide, having served 18,779 people with 65,796 referrals to 5,254 resources in its first year.
• 211 Counts Community Data Platform Community data platform providing public-facing statistics and insights about resource access and service utilization across Washington State, supporting the broader 211 Counts data initiative.
• Provider Portal Resource management platform enabling health and human service organizations in Washington State to list, update, and manage their resources in the WA 211 database, supporting client referrals.

Quantifiable outcome

• 306,712 contacts handled in fiscal year July 2024 - June 2025
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature2 records

Partnerships

Seven partnerships are on record, tiered major, core and supporting.

• Greater Columbia Accountable Communities of Health (GCACH)majorGTM or Marketing Partner · 1 January 2020Partnership initiated in early 2020 to improve the way Washington residents search for health and human services. GCACH provided a $40,000 grant to WA211 to work with a local developer to build a new search application using the Human Services Data Standard. The completed application provides advanced search options, service mapping with transportation options, and user account functionality.
• United WaycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerWashington 211 is proudly a program of United Way, receiving organizational support, branding, and operational assistance through the United Way network. United Way Worldwide has collaborated on national initiatives including Twitter rallies for COVID funding support (#Team211).
• Washington State Department of HealthcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerWashington 211 assists the Department of Health in helping people overcome obstacles to COVID-19 vaccination scheduling. The partnership included training for the PrepMod scheduling tool and rapid mobilization of call center staff to handle increased hotline volume. DOH mass vaccination site calls increased from 500 to over 10,000 per day within 48 hours of the partnership activation.
• Lyft and UbersupportingGTM or Marketing PartnerPartnership through United Way Worldwide's Ride United Transportation Access program to provide free and discounted rides to vaccine appointments for people with transportation challenges. Helps connect callers to vaccination sites when transportation is a barrier.
• King County Crisis Connections 211majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerRegional 211 partner in King County. Staff member Aundrea Jackson testified before House and Senate budget committees alongside WA 211 Statewide Director Tim Sullivan advocating for full state funding.
• Greater Columbia 211majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerRegional 211 partner. Staff member Madelyn Carlson testified before House and Senate budget committees alongside WA 211 Statewide Director Tim Sullivan advocating for full state funding.
• Site SavvysupportingTechnology or IntegrationWebsite technology provider for Washington 211, providing site hosting and technical support. Noted as the provider of the website and service platform in the policies and terms documentation.

Scale indicators12 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Emerging players

• NowPow (a Unite Us company): Community resource directory and social needs platform serving health systems and community-based organizations—comparable offering to WA 211's resource directory but with deeper health system integration.

Direct peers

• Healthify (now WellSky Social Determinants): Social care technology platform offering closed-loop referrals, social needs screening, and resource directories used by health plans and providers—competes with WA 211 in the payer/ provider referral space.
• Benefits.gov: Federal government benefits navigation portal helping citizens find and apply for assistance programs—comparable benefits-navigation function to WA 211's resource directory and helpline.
• Unite Us: Provides a social care coordination platform with resource directories, referral tracking, and outcomes measurement used by health plans, providers, and government agencies—overlaps with WA 211's referral and coordination role across health and social services.
• Findhelp (formerly Aunt Bertha): Operates a national social services resource directory and referral platform connecting people to community programs, directly comparable to Washington 211's 211 Connects directory and search application.
• 211 San Diego: Regional 211 helpline and resource directory serving San Diego County with multilingual support and live specialists—operates the same 211 model as Washington 211 in a different geography.

Others

• Charity Navigator: Evaluates and rates nonprofits and connects donors to charitable organizations—adjacent in the nonprofit/social services ecosystem but focused on donor transparency rather than client service navigation.
• 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline: Nationwide behavioral health crisis line that Washington 211 explicitly coordinates with as part of the 988/911 crisis services infrastructure—complementary rather than competitive.

Broad incumbents

• NYC 311: Municipal information and referral service providing multilingual access to government and community services—analogous model to WA 211 but at city-government level and broader in scope.
• United Way Worldwide: National umbrella organization of which Washington 211 is a program; coordinates the national 211 network and Ride United Transportation Access program that WA 211 participates in.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/washington-211

Compliance3 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Washington 211