211 Saskatchewan is expanding from online to call and text as well, and a launch event was held this morning in Swift Current.

It's a service that provides people access to community services, while also gauging the needs of the community.

The United Way secured corporate sponsorships from the Community Initiatives Fund (a $600,000 commitment over the next three years), and CanPacific Potash ($150,000) for the expansion.

"It's all about removing barriers," said United Way Saskatoon and Area CEO Shaun Dyer of the expansion. "Every tool you can place in the hands of someone, enable them to access the service and support that they're looking for, or just to find a place to connect in the community, that's an important thing."

Roughly 60 people, including a lot of community-service workers, were at Riverview Village Estates for the event.

Robyn Edwards-Bentz, CEO of United Way Regina, shared Dyer's excitement about the change.

"We've been hearing from service providers who've indicated that it's really, really hard for our clients to find the services they need when they need them the most," she said. "So you feel like investing in a service provision, but if people still can't find what they need, there's some kind of disconnect. So we're excited about the opportunity to be able to let them search independendtly, confidentialy, find the services that they need, and find the resources."

Edwards-Bentz added that the service would make it easier to make evidence-based decision on where investments should be made.

Saskatchewan is the third province to implement the service in a province-wide manner, after Ontario and Nova Scotia.

Stacey Schwartz, executive director of the Swift Current United Way, said having the service available via phone will be big for improving rural access in the southwest.

"Because our region is a lot of rural communities, isolation is a hard reality from what limits people from accessing certain resources," she said. "I think 211 is going to help begin to bridge that gap, just by having the means to text, outreach, find what's available in your area or the closest resource to you."

211 Saskatchewan encompasses all services from those dealing with mental health to housing to employment to addiction.

In 2017, 110,000 people used the 211 Saskatchewan website. Edwards-Bentz notes that's without there being a lot of public awareness of the website.

Here's a video of Dyer speaking to the crowd.