LOXAHATCHEE, Fla. — I went to the 211 Helpline building in Lantanna on Thursday, and what I saw was jaw-dropping.
Cockroaches scurrying around, tight, cramped quarters for employees to work in, and a building that has deteriorated over the years, past the point of repair.
To bring you up to speed, 211 is a free crisis hotline that serves Palm Beach, Martin, Okeechobee, St. Lucie, Indian River and Martin counties. They have suicide prevention and crisis training, and make phone calls to lonely seniors, council veterans, first responders, youth, and more.
They have been fundraising to build a new building in their existing footprint.
As I walked down a cramped hallway with Ty Barnes, the chief strategy officer for 211 Helpline Palm Beach and Treasure Coast, he admitted the building isn't great.
"We have currently outgrown our facility," Barnes said. "It's well beyond its useful life. A couple of years ago, we set a very aggressive goal of raising $6 million to build a new [storm-rated] facility here on our site and demolish the old building."
The exterior of the building had water leaking from several spots, an air conditioning unit that had seen better days, broken concrete parking markers, a foul stench from a nearby lift station, plants growing out of gutters, and plywood covering a window.
Inside it was clean, but the work areas were cramped. Even though the exterminator had been there days earlier, we spotted four cockroaches scurrying about.
Friends of the non-profit are hosting a fundraising event Friday.
411 on 211 Palm Beach & Treasure Coast cocktail event:
The Four Seasons Palm Beach
Friday, Sept. 6
5:00 p.m. – 8:00 pm
For more information on the 211 Helpline, click here.
