The United Way has a special 211 phone number where people call for everything from finding financial assistance, to help with anxiety in this market. "Call it the 911 for every day," I'm told.

211 (www.211.org/) provides counseling from a live person who can connect callers to local resources. Its specialists attempt to assess budget priorities, level of job security, and eligibility for benefits. The organization provides job training, job placement services, and even credit counseling.

Last year, 211 handled nearly 10 million calls, with even more callers seeking help this year. But let's just talk about the last couple of weeks. I asked United Way to break out some numbers:

In rural Alabama, in the Lake Martin area, nearly two thirds of all calls this year CAME IN THE LAST TWO WEEKS. The top request is for help paying power bills, followed by help in resolving a mortgage delinquency or default, with requests for food coming in third.

In Grand Rapids, Michigan, requests for shelter are up 62 percent from a year ago, and affordable housing requests for Section 8 vouchers are up 142 percent. Requests for employment programs have also more than doubled, while the number of people asking for food is up nearly 50%.

In Central Ohio, suffering from one of the highest foreclosure rates in the nation, crisis calls are up 41 percent this month compared to a year ago. People are calling about financial assistance for food, shelter, utilities, as well as calls expressing anxiety, depression. Some callers have even talked about suicide.

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In Connecticut, calls are up 64% from a year ago. Specific requests for help with utility and upcoming heating bills are up 140%, with people needing help paying for food up nearly 50%. Perhaps most interesting here, there's been a 15 percent rise in people asking for consumer assistance and protection, which includes "services related to money management, consumer protection, credit rating assistance and mortgage foreclosures."

Finally, in New York, no specific numbers, but United Way says there has been a spike in calls about mortgage/rent issues, where to buy groceries for less, and what to do if one loses one's job.

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