"People who need information about community resources in Ventura County need remember only one number to call: 2-1-1," said Maribel Marin, the president of the California Alliance of Information and Referral Services (CAIRS), the statewide organization of agencies that provide information and referral to the public. "Residents will be able to get services they need more quickly and with less hassle now that 2-1-1 is here."
2-1-1 is the new national dialing code for free, 24-hour community, health and disaster information. Like 9-1-1 for emergency service, 2-1-1 has been set aside by the Federal Communications Commission for the public to easily access community information. 2-1-1 was first introduced in 1997, and now over one-third of the country can call 2-1-1. With the launch of 2-1-1 HelpLine, California joins 29 other states that together have over 141 call centers serving over 102 million Americans.
"Starting this service in Ventura County on National 2-1-1 Day highlights the benefits that 2-1-1 can provide to all Californians," noted Marin. "We are looking forward to launching in more California counties this summer, including Los Angeles, San Diego, Riverside, Santa Barbara, Orange County, and San Francisco."
National 2-1-1 Day is being celebrated at a variety of events throughout the country. These events highlight the fact that 2-1-1 is a cost-effective answer to help people navigate the complex and ever-growing maze of human service agencies and programs. 2-1-1 call centers made a dramatic difference in the aftermath of Florida's four major hurricanes last year. Residents of counties where 2-1-1 was operative were able to quickly find emergency shelters, food and essential services without navigating a maze of 800 numbers set up by service agencies.
As the Riverside Press-Enterprise noted, "The 211 system has proven its effectiveness in Florida after Hurricane Charley. . . . Call centers quickly referred residents to services and reduced the volume of calls to 911, the three-digit number reserved for emergency response calls." (August 27, 2004)
"California's 2-1-1 centers will be poised to play a important public safety and homeland security role in providing access to emergency resources during and after disasters that can strike at any time," noted Marin.
The collaboration of Information and Referral Agencies, United Ways and government entities is crucial to the successful launch of 2-1-1 at the local, state and national level. CAIRS is partnering with United Ways of California to build a statewide 2-1-1 system for Californians.
