211: Get help. get connected.
A free, confidential resource for rhode islanders
why call?
211 can connect you with housing, food, affordable childcare, and much more.
- 211 is a free, confidential service.
- Your call is answered by a trained professional.
- One call connects you with the appropriate resources you need in your community.
- It is efficient, fast and easy to use.
- No more wrong numbers or wasted time trying to find the right resource.
- It is always there for you—24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year.
- Translation services available in many languages.
Police, fire or medical emergency? Call 911.
SEARCH IN Not sure whether to call? These are just some of the ways we can help...
- Afterschool programs
- Childcare
- Pantries
- Soup kitchens
- Delivery if you’re homebound
- Alcohol and drug addiction treatment (See opioid addiction recovery information)
- COVID-19 testing
- Depression counseling
- Gambling addiction treatment (Wonder if your gambling is an addiction? Try our screening tools)
- Health insurance
- Avoiding eviction
- Place to stay tonight
- Rent/mortgage assistance
- Electric, gas, heat payments (Learn more about the Good Neighbor Energy Fund)
- Program information
- Free or sliding scale legal assistance
- General legal services
- Free tax preparation (Learn more about Volunteer Income Tax Assistance)
- Ride options
- Transit information
- Comprehensive veteran assistance
- Medical assistance
- Cyber bullying
- Domestic violence
- Identity theft (Learn more about cybercrime)
All this and much more for adults over 55 or with disabilities via Point. Point is the state's healthy aging helpdesk. Learn more about Point.
United Way 211 in Rhode Island is supported by Citizens.
United Way of Rhode Island and CVS Health Foundation are working together to help those impacted by the opioid crisis. Our goal is to connect Rhode Islanders with treatment resources, increase addiction awareness, and find options that work.
The Brief Biosocial Gambling Screen (BBGS) is a 3-item survey designed to help people evaluate their need for a formal gambling behavior evaluation. The BBGS is based on the American Psychiatric Association's Diagnostic criteria for pathological gambling.
Form Symbiotic Nonprofit Relationships
Forbes Nonprofit Council
"If not done carefully, a business relationship has the potential to hinder rather than help the work being done by both organizations. To prevent collaborations that hinder nonprofit work, 11 members of Forbes Nonprofit Council, including Cortney Nicolato, United Way of Rhode Island's president and CEO, share how nonprofit leaders can form mutually beneficial relationships with a partner or another organization."
Nonprofit Center Design Team Announced
GoLocalProv
"United Way of Rhode Island announced on Tuesday the... members of a 'Design Team' that will be tasked with co-creating a vision and plan for... a Nonprofit Resource Center... 'We had a strong application response, and [these] individuals particularly stood out for their collection of unique insights and commitment to collaboration,' said Cortney Nicolato, president and CEO of United Way."
401Gives raises $3.09M for 507 nonprofits
Providence Business News
"This year's 401Gives Day raised the bar, once again, in supporting the state's nonprofit sector. As of Monday afternoon, the annual online fundraising initiative raised $3.09M, breaking last year's record total by close to a million dollars. It also saw a record number of donors – 12,850 in total as of 2:15 p.m. Monday – and number of organizations supported at 507, exceeding last year's mark by 87."
Seeking Input for Nonprofit Resource Center
“The Design Team working with United Way of Rhode Island to create a vision and plan for a statewide Nonprofit Resource Center is seeking input from the community to help guide what the center could offer. The first virtual session will look at current nonprofit capacity, followed by a number of visioning sessions focused on brainstorming strategies to strengthen nonprofits.”
Olneyville Community Fund RFP Released
“Continuing its commitment to strengthening the neighborhood it calls home, United Way of Rhode Island has released a request for proposal (RFP) for funding from its Olneyville Community Fund. More than $100,000 in grants is being made available to nonprofits located in Olneyville and those whose work specifically serves the Olneyville community.”
11 Leaders Selected for Design Team
“Work to create a Nonprofit Resource Center to support Rhode Island organizations is picking up steam with the selection of the members of the Design Team that will be tasked with cocreating a vision and plan for what the effort will look like. United Way of Rhode Island… has named 11 nonprofit leaders to the team.”
UPCOMING EVENTS
Children’s Book Drive 2022
United Way of Rhode Island's Children's Book Drive is back! From April 1 - May 25, we're teaming up with Women United and Books Are Wings to help Rhode Island children build their own libraries at home. Want to donate books or host a drive with your family, friends, or coworkers? View our Children's Book Drive 2022 Frequently Asked Questions at the link below.
Visioning Session: Capacity Building Effort
United Way of Rhode Island is partnering with local nonprofit leaders to design a nonprofit resource hub for organizations across the state. Join us for a virtual, 90-minute visioning session to brainstorm strategies to address the needs of Rhode Island nonprofits and structural inequities in the sector. There will be five sessions — choose the one that best fits your schedule.
Day of Action
Join United Way of Rhode Island for Day of Action on Saturday, June 4 from 9 a.m. - 4 p.m at United Way in Providence. We'll be sorting, labeling, and preparing books collected during our Children's Book Drive 2022 for distribution to kids in afterschool and summer learning programs. Three shifts are available — 9 - 11 a.m., 11:30 a.m. - 1:30 p.m., and 2 - 4 p.m. This is a family friendly volunteer opportunity.
The Night Is Young
Don't miss the largest young professionals event of the year! Join United Way's Young Leaders Circle for The Night Is Young on Saturday, June 18 from 7 - 11 p.m. at Skyline at Waterplace. Register now to get early bird tickets for $45.