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Looking for Help? START Here.
Finding the right help can feel overwhelming—especially when you are already facing a difficult situation. Whether you need assistance with food, housing, utilities, transportation, childcare, healthcare, or another basic need, you do not have to sort through the available resources alone.
START With A Conversation
When you contact Otsego County United Way, we will begin by listening and learning more about what you need. From there, we can help identify the organization or resource that may be the best fit.
In some cases, we may transfer or refer you directly to one of our community partners so you can receive the most appropriate assistance. While Otsego County United Way does not provide every service directly, we can help point you in the right direction.
​Otsego County United Way
989-732-8929
Need Help Right Away? Dial 211.
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Otsego County United Way works closely with Michigan 211, a free and confidential service that connects people with local programs and assistance.
Dial 211 if you need immediate help locating resources for:​
Food
Housing or Shelter
Rent & Utilities
Health & Wellness
Family
Support
Employment
Services
Other Essential Needs
Help is available 24 hours a day, seven days a week.​
​If you are experiencing a life-threatening emergency, call 911.
Find Local Resources
with Find It Otsego
Find It Otsego is an online resource guide created specifically for Otsego County. It brings information about local programs and services together in one easy-to-use place.
Find It Otsego is designed to help residents—and the organizations serving them—find accurate local information more quickly and easily.
Help That's Available in Our Community Service Building
We are proud to share our Community Service Building with organizations working every day to support our neighbors.
Our on-site community partners include:
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Otsego County Food Pantry
The Salvation Army
Northern Michigan Opioid Response Consortium (NMORC)
The Refuge
What is the START Collaborative?
The START Collaborative brings local organizations together to improve how resources are shared, coordinated, and accessed throughout Otsego County.
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Rather than duplicating services, START helps community partners communicate, identify gaps, share information, and develop better ways to connect residents with assistance.
The START Coordinator works behind the scenes to:
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Organize and maintain information about community resources
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Coordinate Find It Otsego
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Help local organizations locate programs and services for the people they serve
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Strengthen communication among community partners
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Identify gaps, barriers, and unmet needs
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Support collaborative projects that make assistance easier to find
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Help create a more connected and efficient system of care
Simply put, START helps the organizations helping our community work better together.
Are you a community organization?
START welcomes organizations, agencies, schools, healthcare providers, nonprofits, service groups, and other community partners that want to strengthen connections and improve access to local resources.
By working together, we can reduce confusion, prevent duplication, identify unmet needs, and make it easier for Otsego County residents to find the right help at the right time.
Working Together for Otsego County
This work has been supported by the Otsego Community Foundation’s Lampert Family Fund, the Otsego Community Foundation’s Gahm Family Fund, the Michigan Health Endowment Fund, the Tornado Response Fund, and Otsego County United Way.
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We are grateful for the investments and partnerships that have helped strengthen access to resources throughout our community.
