United Way studing

The United Way of Metropolitan Nashville is studying whether using a 211 telephone prefix would help callers find social services quickly, much like 911 is used for emergencies. If it comes to pass, it would be a part of a national trend for such a social services gateway.

Last July, the FCC handed the non-profit world one of its heftiest tools when it designated 211 as a health and human services abbreviation nationwide.

Phil Martin of Mercatus Communications, the United Way