211 DATA PULSE^TM

Many dashboards provide measures of individual, family, and community health, but they often rely on data that is collected a few times a year, annually, or even less frequently. 211 Data Pulse provides a more real-time understanding of community needs and trends, both locally and across the country, by integrating data on interactions with the 211 information and referral system from organizations operating 211 across the United States. This data can help community leaders, government officials, policymakers, philanthropists, researchers, the media, and others better understand current needs and resource gaps in and across communities to make more informed decisions about public policy, community investments, and where further research or coordinated action may be needed.

This initial dashboard aggregates data from select 211 providers serving several states. We are actively working to expand the dashboard to include 211 data from additional geographies.

We welcome anyone to access and use 211 Data Pulse, whether you are interested in exploring trends in your local community or more broadly, or in learning more about 211 itself.

For web-based and social media uses, link directly to this website: https://211datapulse.org.

For presentations, research, and media publications, 211 Data Pulse should be cited as:

United Way Worldwide. 211 Data Pulse. https://211datapulse.org. Accessed [Insert Date of Access].

No. Data about individuals who contact 211 and their needs is highly sensitive. We are unable to provide downloadable data in this early version of 211 Data Pulse, but we will explore opportunities to do so as we continue to build out this dashboard.

211 Data Pulse reports on data beginning January 1, 2024, where available. Incremental monthly data from participating 211 organizations is added on the 15th of the following month. For example, on May 11th, data is available through the end of March. On May 15th, data is available through the end of April.

A core principle of information and referral is to safeguard client privacy and confidentiality. Personally identifiable data on 211 clients (such as clients’ names) is not shared with 211 Data Pulse. To further ensure that data reported on 211 Data Pulse cannot be used to identify a specific individual, the site uses primary and complementary suppression rules in accordance with best practices. Underneath the aggregate counts of Needs, Referrals, and Resource Gaps, subgroup counts of less than ten are not displayed, and all suppressed subgroups are combined with the next highest subgroup and grouped as “Other.”

For reporting on 211 Data Pulse, an interaction with 211 is defined as a two-way communication in which an individual requests help from 211.

This includes interactions associated with programs and services beyond core information and referral if the program or service is considered part of core 211 operations or 211 is the entry point for service (e.g., a program targeted toward caregivers or to provide subsidized transportation to individuals interacting with 211). Data from programs that operate distinct from 211, such as the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline, are not included even if the same organization provides both 211 and 988 services. Follow-up interactions that 211 Community Resource Specialists have with those who contacted 211 are considered unique interactions if the Specialist recorded the follow-up as a distinct interaction (this often occurs when the follow-up identifies new needs, or the existing need was not met). Contacts with 211 that do not represent two-way communication, such as searching for resources on a 211 provider’s website, are not considered 211 interactions.

Individuals may contact 211 through a variety of methods such as call, text, webchat, email, or in person. The data displayed on 211 Data Pulse represents all methods of contact that a 211 provider can report at the time data is published. Contact methods vary by 211 provider and the methods represented in 211 Data Pulse may not include all methods that a 211 provider offers.

A need is the type of support an individual may require (e.g., a program or service). An individual may present multiple needs in a single interaction.

211 Community Resource Specialists classify needs using a standardized set of terms called the 211 Human Services Indexing System (211HSIS). 211 Data Pulse reports on the needs of individuals interacting with 211 by identifying the unique 211HSIS taxonomy codes associated with each documented interaction. The 211HSIS is the intellectual property of the Information and Referral Federation of Los Angeles, Inc., and the taxonomy is used with permission. For more information, please visit https://211hsis.org/copyright.

To organize the many taxonomy terms and enable consistent reporting of community needs, Inform USA (formerly the Alliance of Information and Referral Systems) has grouped these detailed terms into a higher-level set of Problem/Needs categories. 211 Data Pulse categorizes needs, referrals, and resource gaps using the Inform USA Problem/Needs categories to help users navigate the data but does not deduplicate counts of needs, referrals, or resource gaps at the level of the Problem/Needs category. United Way Worldwide is a member of Inform USA, and we obtained permission to use the Problem/Needs categories on 211 Data Pulse.

Some state or local 211 dashboards may report on needs deduplicated by Inform USA Problem/Needs category (e.g., Utility Assistance), which will result in a lower count of needs than reported on 211 Data Pulse (e.g., a need for Utility Assistance could be reported on 211 Data Pulse as two separate needs for electric service payment assistance and gas service payment assistance).

Finally, it is important to note that a higher number of needs in one area relative to another should not necessarily be interpreted as that area having more need. Local 211 providers often have unique partnerships to connect individuals with specific programs, and these partnerships can increase the number of individuals served by a 211 organization for a particular need.

A referral is the information for a single resource (e.g., a program or service) given to an individual to address a presented need. An individual may be given multiple referrals for a single need. 211 Data Pulse reports on referrals made by counting each instance of a resource or agency assigned to a need (taxonomy code) as a distinct referral. The count of referrals does not indicate whether resources were utilized.

A resource gap is an instance where there is no referral available to address a presented need. This may be due to a variety of factors including lack of a program or service in a particular area, refusal of a resource (e.g., due to accessibility challenges), or programs/services at capacity. 211 Data Pulse reports on resource gaps by identifying the needs (taxonomy codes) identified during an interaction for which there was no acceptable resource assigned. A resource gap is not a full measure of unresolved need as it does not count instances where an acceptable referral was provided, but the resource was not utilized (e.g., a referral was made to a local food pantry but the individual receiving the referral never went to the food pantry and remained in need).

211 Community Resource Specialists capture data on the location where support is being requested or the location where an individual in need of service resides (these are often the same). Location data is recorded at the state, county, city, and zip code level; 211 Data Pulse does not receive the mailing address or coordinates of an individual’s location. Where zip code level data is not provided, data is displayed at the most granular level available.

Occasionally, the location captured is outside the state of the 211 organization handling the interaction. 211 Data Pulse does not currently report on these interactions to avoid potential reporting of minimal data in areas where the designated 211 provider is not yet sharing data with this dashboard.

211 Data Pulse currently displays data through three views: Geography, Districts, and United Ways. Geography displays data by county and zip code, Districts displays data by Congressional District, and United Ways displays data by United Way service area.

Geography reference files from the United States Census Bureau are used to map geographic boundaries in the data visualizations.

To map data by congressional district, 211 Data Pulse uses the National 119th Congressional District to 2020 Zip Code Tabulation Area (ZCTA) Relationship File[HB1.1][ER1.2]. If a zip code spans more than one congressional district, data is attributed to the district that has the most geographic overlap with the zip code boundary.

To map data by local United Way service area, 211 Data Pulse uses a proprietary database from United Way Worldwide that contains the zip codes served by all United Way Member Organizations in the United States. Data is attributed to local United Way service areas based on zip code. Where multiple United Ways serve the same zip code, data is attributed to each of the United Ways associated with that zip code. To ensure data is not duplicated when viewed in aggregate, users can only view data from a single United Way service area at a time.

We recommend that users reference the “Geography” view of 211 Data Pulse for trend analysis, as the geographic boundaries of other views (Districts, United Ways) can change over time. These changes can affect how data is aggregated and may make comparisons over time less reliable.

• Understand the impact of the 211 information and referral system across the United States.
• Identify trends in needs and resource gaps, both within and across communities.
• Spot emerging or persistent needs that could benefit from coordinated action, advocacy, or further study.
• Support data-informed decision making in conjunction with other datasets (e.g., public health, housing, economic indicators) to identify and prioritize interventions to build stronger communities.

• Rank or draw conclusions about level of need in one area relative to another. A higher number of needs in one area could be due to greater awareness of 211 or a 211 provider operating a specific program in that area (e.g., a child care resources line) as opposed to greater overall need.
• Use the data to allocate resources without considering local context. While 211 Data Pulse can highlight areas of reported need, decisions about funding or programming should also incorporate local data sources and qualitative community insights.
• Draw conclusions about the effectiveness of a specific program, investment, or 211 provider in serving communities and reducing need. Many factors can influence the data reported on 211 Data Pulse. An increase or decrease in numbers should not be causally tied to any specific program or investment.