LYNN — It’s not every day you’re celebrated for making telephone calls, but the city was cited for just that on Friday.
The United Way of Massachusetts Bay and Merrimack Valley recognized Lynn as having the third-highest volume of Mass211 calls for COVID-19-related support and resources. The cities with the most and second-most fielded calls in 2021 were Boston and Lawernce.
Mass211 is the state’s centralized hotline that provides information on essential community services such as food banks or after-school programs. United Way of Massachusetts Bay and Merrimack Valley provides call centers in partnership with Mass211.
Sarah Bartley, the senior director of community impact at United Way, said the organization fielded 6,528 call requests from Lynn residents in 2021 — marking a 37 percent Increase from 2020, where 4,774 calls were fielded. The top three requests for both 2020 and 2021 were regarding COVID-19-related support, child care expense assistance, and rent payment assistance.
“There are folks here who will help find whatever you need,” Bartley said, “We were able to provide testing and appointments especially early in the pandemic and whenever there was a new variant. We were able to provide public-health information to residents of Lynn throughout the past year.”
Bartley said Lynners should feel proud of the accomplishment, as they were able to let their concerns and voices be heard to receive information regarding the pandemic.
“Lynn is like a sister city for United Way in Boston and Beverly,” she said. “Our call takers were giving all of their support for the city and were able to help as many people as we could. People need to have a line to call and give information about schools and public health.”
The 6,528 calls from Lynn are part of 1 million pandemic-related calls, a milestone reached by Mass211 on Friday. To celebrate, Lt. Gov. Karyn Polito and Secretary of Health and Human Services Marylou Sudders visited the United Way of Massachusetts Bay and Merrimack Valley to read a proclamation by Gov. Charlie Baker designating Feb 11 as “Mass211” day.
United Way of Massachusetts Bay and Merrimack Valley successfully advocated for $1 million in American Rescue Plan Act funds in 2021 — which has helped increase call frequency and infrastructure for the information hotline and similar organizations.
Calls from the North Shore, Greater Boston, Merrimack Valley and South Shore regions increased 23 percent year over year, with 145,062 calls in 2020 and 178,667 calls in 2021.
“Today we celebrate Mass211 Day to raise awareness of this vital resource for Commonwealth residents, which connects callers to important information in their home language,” said Bob Giannino, president and CEO at United Way of Massachusetts Bay and Merrimack Valley. “We can look at last year’s regional and town-specific call data to inform our decision making, drive public policy, and direct support to communities most in need. As we expand capacity for this service, we’ll be able to provide timely assistance to even more Massachusetts residents.”
