Dive Brief:
- Housing referrals from United Way’s 211 helpline, a phone number that connects to local assistance organizations in the U.S., reached a record high of 6 million in 2025, up from 5.6 million in 2024, according to a United Way Worldwide 211 Impact Survey released this week. Housing accounted for 31% of all 211 referrals, the most of any category last year.
- Utilities and food assistance followed housing in the number of 211 referrals, with 3.1 million for utilities and 2.5 million for food.
- "What we’re hearing across the 211 network is a sharp increase in people struggling — particularly around finding and keeping stable housing — which serves as a sounding alarm from communities nationwide,” Heather Black, vice president of 211 system strategy at United Way Worldwide said in a news release.
Dive Insight:
2025 was a challenging year for housing affordability in the U.S. The median existing home price hit an all-time high in June, and the number of cost-burdened renters continued to soar.
United Way last year documented 19 million calls to 211, up from 18.1 million calls in 2024.
Over the past decade, referrals for housing assistance have surged 150%. Housing last year also made up the largest “unmet need,” according to the organization. “In other words, there were not enough community resources available to handle the housing needs 211 callers expressed,” the report stated.
Utility-assistance referrals increased 6% compared with 2024 and have doubled over the past 10 years. Food referrals remained steady at 2.5 million compared with the year before but are nearly double pre-pandemic numbers, the survey found.
Other top 2025 referrals included legal, consumer and public safety assistance, followed by individual, family and community support assistance, mental health and substance abuse assistance and income support and financial assistance.
