Nov 1, 2005 12:58 am US/Mountain
Dialing 211 Helps In Desperate Times
by Molly Hughes
DENVER (CBS4) ―
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Jeanine Simmons and family.
CBS4
By dialing 211, a local woman in a desperate situation, found the kind of help that changed her life.
Picking up her kids from daycare is just the kind of errand that Jeanine Simmons will never take for granted because it's a sign that her life is back on track.
Just two years ago, Simmons was seven months pregnant with her youngest daughter and homeless.
"Being homeless is hard, especially when you have kids," Simmons said. "And having them live like that is hard."
Simmons moved from house to house, living with friends and family members, with no place to raise her daughters.
"I didn't have nothing," Simmons said. "I just had my clothes and my kids."
As a desperate last hope, she called 211.
"I called that number and it changed my life," Simmons said.
The call center agent gave her a list of phone numbers for housing programs, food banks, bus tokens and everything she would need to get back on her feet.
"I felt like hopeful, maybe we'd have a place to go," Simmons said. "You know hopeful that we wouldn't be in the streets or in a shelter."
From there everything fell into place for Jeanine and her girls.
She got into the transitional housing program at Warren Village and went to school to take classes in financial planning and parenting.
"It takes determination," Simmons said. "You have to be determined, you do, you have to be determined."
Jeanine now has her own apartment and a steady job.
"I'm very proud of myself, I'm proud of my life," Simmons said.
211 is one-stop shopping for hundreds of programs and services available in the community.
It can be called for any kind of social service help, such as, shelter, food and financial assistance. The number can also be called to volunteer and help the community.
211 has been up and running for 2 years and the call volume continues to grow as more and more people need help.
(Copyright © MMV CBS Television Stations, Inc.)
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