LANTANA, Fla. — I want to take you back to a recent "Shining A Light" segment on WPTV where our T.A. Walker profiled the 211 Helpline in Lantana.
Soon after his live segments wrapped for the day, T.A. burst into the WPTV newsroom.
"This place needs help," he said.
T.A.'s passionate comments spurred me to visit the crisis center for a deeper look.
I learned that for far too many people, Lisa Moss might be the only voice they hear all day or even longer.
"I take up to 50 calls a day," Moss said.
Moss is a resource specialist of nine years at the 211 Helpline that serves the five local counties WPTV covers.
"They don't have anyone else to talk to," Moss said. "When I get a call like the one I just had, I really feel like I was connecting with that caller."
The support provided by 211 taps into more than 1,600 resources, and the help is free and confidential.
Ty Barnes, a leader at 211, elaborated on a challenge the crisis center is facing.
"It's pretty bad," Barnes said, while describing the building they've been working at for 30 years.
We saw crowded offices, with people and supplies packed in floor-to-ceiling, as well as pieces of walls and floors peeling away.
Barnes pointed out that the inside breakroom is an important space for workers to recharge so they can help those in crisis. As we saw firsthand, the inside room is run down and uninviting, much like the only outdoor area to decompress.
"It's an older, metal facility that's not hardened or storm rated," Barnes said. He stressed that's especially an issue because calls for help tend to skyrocket during a storm.
Barnes showed us the solution: images of the new and updated building they are raising funds for. He told us they are close to crossing the mark in necessary funding thanks to federal and state grants and a number of community donations.
The hope is the support keeps coming so that the new building becomes a reality sooner rather than later, and employees like Moss can keep pouring their hearts into their work.
"I feel wonderful most times when I get home from work, because I was there for someone at the right time," Moss said.
For more information on the 211 Helpline that offers crisis and suicide prevention resources, as well as support programs for people of all ages, click here.
