Oklahoma’s resource hotlines will receive state funding this year for the first time in a decade after Gov. Kevin Stitt signed into law a measure creating the 211 Hotline Revolving Fund, but future funding remains uncertain. 

The free 211 hotlines operate 24/7 and connect hundreds of thousands of callers each year with resources like housing and mental health support. But the hotlines’ resources have been stretched thin by an ever-growing need for services.

The bill allows the Oklahoma Department of Human Services to budget money from state appropriations to the new fund for “maintaining a robust 211 system.” This year’s state budget includes $3 million for the 211 hotlines. It will be up to legislators to decide how much will be allocated to the hotlines in future years. 

“This is an important first step, and HeartLine will continue building partnerships and advocating for long-term, sustainable funding to ensure 211 remains available for Oklahomans,” said Margi Preston, CEO of HeartLine.

During an October interim study, directors from the 211 Eastern Oklahoma and HeartLine asked legislators for a $3 million yearly appropriation to cover hotline operating costs. United Way has largely funded the hotlines since 2016 using donated money. The state previously paid for 30% to 40% of the hotlines’ costs before an economic downturn in 2016 led to funding cuts, according to a spokesperson for Tulsa Area United Way. 

Read More As calls grow, Oklahoma’s 211 hotlines could get long-sought state money 211 hotlines call on Oklahoma lawmakers for state funding

Stable funding is needed to ensure long-term stability of the hotlines and meet a growing need for the resource, hotline directors told lawmakers during the study. In response, Sen. Jo Anna Dossett, D-Tulsa, introduced Senate Bill 1290 to create a state-funding structure for the hotlines. Directors at 211 Eastern Oklahoma said Dossett shared the bill language with them prior to the measure’s introduction. 

“SB 1290’s passage into law finalizes a long effort to commit public dollars back to 211,” Dossett said in a press release. 

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Bill coauthor Rep. Kevin Norwood, R-Owasso, said he learned of the hotlines’ funding needs during last year’s interim study. He called the need “critical.” 

“We want to make sure someone would answer the call when people didn’t know where else to go,” Norwood told The Frontier. 

Money allocated to the hotlines can’t be used to provide referrals, information or assistance to any organization or service that “performs, promotes or facilitates abortions,” according to the measure. The amendment was requested by Sen. Dusty Deevers, R-Elgin, in March. Hotline operators must instead refer callers to crisis pregnancy centers, adoption agencies and other “life-affirming resources” that support expectant families in “choosing life.” 

Alison Anthony, president and CEO Tulsa Area United Way, which operates 211 Eastern Oklahoma, said the hotlines have long worked under clear referral standards based on which services are legally available in Oklahoma.

State funding will help sustain the hotlines and allow philanthropic dollars raised by United Way to instead be used for improving and expanding services, Anthony told The Frontier in October. 

“We will still need community support to help the service grow and work better for families, and our annual fundraising drive also supports many of the nonprofits that 211 refers people to every day,” Anthony said. “But this does put 211 in a much better position than it has been in for years.”

Another bill coauthored by Dossett and Norwood, House Bill 4095, creates a “stronger framework” for 211 hotlines to operate within by placing it under Department of Human Services oversight and establishing a clearer way to coordinate reporting, emergency response and funding recommendations, Anthony said. Gov. Stitt signed the measure on May 12.

The measure places the Oklahoma 211 Collaborative that monitors the call centers under the oversight of the Department of Human Services and reduces the collaborative’s governing board from 15 to nine members. 

Preston said the changes represent an important step toward strengthening the state’s 211 system by creating a higher level of coordination to streamline services. 

“Every day, we hear from Oklahomans who don’t know where to turn,” Preston said. “211 is often that first call for help, and strengthening it means more people can get connected to the support they need.”