Dialing 211, a new free telephone service that went into effect Oct. 1, provides callers with information about non-profit and government organizations to people.
“It’s a referral for general services,” said a 211 operator, who wasn’t authorized to release her name.
The operator explained that people can call 211 for many different reasons, including rental assistance, referral for food banks and utility assistance. “It’s to help the community, mostly low-income,” said the operator.
Not only is 211 used to find out information about things like how to find a job, apply for food stamps, or register to vote, it also can be used for people who are disaster victims looking for housing, food, and family members.
According to the Community Action Partnership of Kern, 26 states have access to 211 services and the remaining states are in the process of planning a 211 service.
211 played an important role after the 9/11 attack in Connecticut. The 211 system assisted people who wanted to donate and volunteer and also handled calls for the besieged Red Cross, as explained by the CAPK.
The service is available 24 hours a day, seven days a week. The operator explained that they take the calls locally from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. and then calls get transferred to Ventura where they take calls from 5 p.m. to 8 a.m.
“We receive 115-250 callers per day,” said the operator, “and most calls come during the middle or the end of the month. The beginning of the month is slow.”
The operator explained that the service is currently available in various counties, including Orange County, L.A. County, San Francisco County, Ventura County and many others.