CHARLOTTE -- There's a new way for the homeless and families in need to access resources in North Carolina.

North Carolina 211 is a 24 hour a day, seven day a week, 365 day of the year hotline to provide health and human services information and referrals.

"The thing that's being requested most is a stable home. It's shelter,” said United Way Executive Director Sean Garrett. “We know that's the reason someone is homeless is they don't have a stable place to be."

The 211 service is also helping with data entry for the thousands of service providers in the area -- helping them maintain records on clients and also share it within a database to other providers.

"From there we're going to get real time data that will tell us what people are asking for, what they're being referred to, and then how do we need as a system to adjust the way we serve children and families across our region,” said Garrett.

You can dial 211 in all 100 North Carolina counties or visit NC211.org.