CHATTANOOGA, TN (March 14, 2024) — Leaders from United Way of Greater Chattanooga today celebrated the news that their 211 service will soon be expanding to help more families in need, thanks to $1.5 million in one-time Community Project Funds secured by Congressman Chuck Fleischmann (TN-03).
This is the first time that United Way of Greater Chattanooga has sought support through the Community Project Funds program. The 211 funding was initially requested by Congressman Fleischmann in March 2023 and was approved by the United States House of Representatives and the United States Senate with broad bipartisan support the week of March 4, 2024.
These one-time funds will allow 211 to expand its services in new ways, particularly with regard to connecting residents to job placement, training and skills development, and other workforce development opportunities.
“Congressman Fleischmann’s steadfast support makes a tremendous difference in the lives of families across the Tennessee Valley,” says Lesley Scearce, President and CEO of the United Way of Greater Chattanooga. “Our vision for 211 is to help people in moments of crisis, but in ways that build upward economic mobility as well. Through his support, Congressman Fleischmann is helping take this system into the future.”
“For more than 100 years, the United Way of Greater Chattanooga has been connecting people and resources to build a stronger, healthier community,” says Board Chairman Jay Dale. “We are grateful that Congressman Fleischmann clearly understands how important the United Way and 211 are to the health and viability of his district.”
Local sources of funding, including ongoing support from the City of Chattanooga and Hamilton County Government are critical to meeting the current demands on the service: 211 navigators will receive more than 81,000 requests for help this year, 82% of which are from Hamilton County residents. Scearce is optimistic that these funding relationships will continue.
“Demand on our 211 service spiked at the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic and it has not relented,” she says. “All of our public sector partners have a role to play in building economic mobility in our region.”
ABOUT UNITED WAY OF GREATER CHATTANOOGA. Since 1922, the United Way of Greater Chattanooga has worked to unite people and resources to build a stronger, heathier community.