Fast-dial 211 helps funnel important calls

DIALING IN—Elaine Martinez Curry (standing), director of 211 Ventura County, and Esmeralda Torres, a call center specialist, refer a caller to a counseling center. People can call 211 if they have either individual or family problems, and be directed to help. The centerwhich has a bilingual staff, receives more than 1,700 calls per monthIt’s been one year since the 211 referral service simplified the lives of Ventura County residents who require social services.

In February 2005 the need to remember hotline phone numbers or a directory of social services agencies was eliminated. County residents needed only to dial three numbers—211—to find help for problems ranging from child care, rental assistance and health-related issues to substance abuse and domestic violence.

Ventura County was the first in California to implement the free service.

“We’re very proud of that,” said Elaine Martinez Curry, 211 Ventura County director.

The 211 service is expected to be implemented nationwide soon, providing 161 million people in 39 states with access to a variety of human and health agencies. Northern California is scheduled to launch the service this spring. Prior to 211, Ventura County was served by the Interface Children Family Services “800” Helpline, which received an average of 1,100 calls a month. The 211 call center handles nearly twice that number, according to Martinez Curry.

Interface operated (800) 3399597 for 30 years. That number still functions by getting callers to the people at 211.

Martinez Curry said during the first few months of operation, 211 call volume increased 70 percent. Although that’s tapered down slightly, a new trend has emerged: the center is receiving more calls from men than from women. All calls are confidential and no personal information is kept without the caller’s permission, she said.

Calls from the elderly have increased about 20 percent, but not necessarily because elder abuse is increasing, Martinez Curry said. According to feedback from seniors, it’s because it’s easier to push 211 on a phone than remember an 800 number.

To illustrate, Martinez Curry told of a senior who’d recently fallen and was unable to get up. The woman could only reach the top row of numbers on her phone and called 211. The call center specialist called emergency services and stayed on the line with the victim until help arrived.

A dozen trained specialists man the phones 24 hours a day, every day of the year. About 85 percent of them speak Spanish and English, but by using an interpreter line, specialists can help people in 150 languages.

Martinez Curry said Ventura County’s 211 has become a model for other counties in Southern California.

Three counties—Orange, Riverside and Santa Barbara—don’t provide 24-hour service, and they contract with Ventura County for after-hours coverage. Their callers are unaware of the transition, thanks to the center’s new phone system that tells the specialist where the call originates.

“It ensures the . . . mission of 211 happens for all of Southern California,” Martinez Curry said. The new phone system and the move in January to larger quarters in Camarillo are the latest improvements to the 211 call center.

The service is funded by private and government grants, with United Way its major sponsor. That’s by design, said Martinez Curry, a member of the 211 state planning committee. She said the group didn’t want taxpayers to foot the bill.

Although most calls to the center are for basic needs—food, shelter and clothing—they represent just a fraction of the challenges in which 211 can help.

“We’re almost like a clearinghouse,” Martinez Curry said. Call center specialists can give referrals for a wide range of needs, from where to find winter shelters to low-cost or free tax preparation.

If callers need services in another county, city or state, they only need dial 211 Ventura County to be helped. This is especially useful for residents who live in cities bordering other counties or with family who live elsewhere.

Recently, an executive called, worried about his elderly mother, who lives in another state. Her wheelchair was broken and she was unable to leave the house. He couldn’t fly out to help and wanted to know what could be done for her. The call center specialist gave him the names and phone numbers of social service agencies to contact in his mother’s area.

And last month a youth called distraught over his mother’s recent death. He wanted to find his father but only knew that he lived on a military base in San Diego. The center got him in touch with family services at the base and grief-support groups. He called back later to say thank you and tell them that he had located his father.

“I think (211’s) been more successful than we imagined it would be,” said David Smith, United Way president. “It’s provided tremendous visibility for United Way. It’s really exceeded our board of directors’ expectations.” Call center specialists

The 12 call center specialists are more than phone operators. They’ve gone through dozens of training hours in crisis intervention and domestic violence situations and often must de-escalate stressful situations over the phone.

After training, each is paired with a more experienced specialist who guides them for the next six months as they answer calls.

The specialists have either a bachelor’s degree or at least four years of experience working at a social service agency.

They often go beyond the call of duty, said two-year specialist Esmeralda Torres, who has a bachelor’s degree in criminals and corrections and a certificate in addictive disorders.

For example, Torres said, if a person can’t afford to buy their medication and there’s no agency to help them, she checks the Internet to find out if the pharmaceutical company has a payment assistance program. She gives the person the contact information and tells them to call back if it doesn’t work out.

Where there are three or more resources, specialists must provide three referrals for each need a caller has.

Specialists constantly refer to the Blue Book, an exhaustive listing of government and social service agencies in Ventura County published annually by Interface.

The same information, but updated weekly, is available on the Internet at www.211ventura.org. The book is available to the public; check the website for details.

To ensure the information that specialists provide is comprehensive, social service agencies meet with them twice a month to update them on any changes. The center also has a resource manager whose countywide search for community resources includes checking the Acorn newspapers.

Interface

Although Interface and 211 are closely associated, they’re separate entities. Interface is one of the community resources referred by call center specialists.

The organization operates about 50 social service programs in four areas: youth, mental health services, domestic violence services and child abuse prevention.

For youths, services include: •mediation and conflict resolution

•delinquency prevention

•24-hour crisis intervention, counseling and housing for homeless, abused and runaway children ages 10 to 18

•preemployment training and support

•after-school social and skill-building activities

•healthcare and medical services

•violence prevention through teen theater

•safety and sexual abuse prevention programs

•teen pregnancy prevention programs Mental health services include:

•therapy

•safe places for supervised visits by noncustodial parents

•treatment programs for parents adjudicated for child abuse

•corporate wellness training for employees

•adult and teen anger-management programs

•shelters for women and their children

•educating middle and high school students on date violence prevention

•mentoring programs that pair teens with younger teens and adults with foster youths living in group homes

•community education on domestic violence •child advocates for court cases