Press Room: FAQs
- What is 2-1-1?
- Who calls 2-1-1?
- Who answers 2-1-1 calls?
- What are the community benefits of 2-1-1?
- Do other states have 2-1-1?
- When will 2-1-1 arrive in California?
- When will 2-1-1 come to San Bernardino County?
- Who is advising 2-1-1 in San Bernardino County?
- How do agencies get listed on 2-1-1?
- How are you preparing for 2-1-1?
- How much will 2-1-1 cost?
- Who is paying for 2-1-1?
- I work for a Service
Provider. Will 2-1-1 result in my agency getting less
calls and having its funding cut?
What is 2-1-1?
2-1-1 is the national dialing code for free, 24-hour access to information about community resources. It is a one-stop source of information for people who don't know where to start when they need essential health and human services, from drug treatment to care for a child or aging parent.
2-1-1 will be deployed during disasters, centralizing myriad hotlines and providing an easily-memorized number for residents to call for help, information, to volunteer or to make a donation. 2-1-1's powerful database can be searched online, in print or by calling 2-1-1.
Who calls 2-1-1?
2-1-1 is for everyone:
- Adult children seeking services for elderly parents
- People who want to donate time, money, or goods to a nonprofit organization
- Laid-off workers struggling to feed their families
- Disaster victims seeking loved ones, housing, food, counseling
- Teachers, clergy, and agency staff seeking help for their clients
Who answers 2-1-1 calls?
In San Bernardino County, 2-1-1 service is provided by Inland Empire United Way (IEUW), the agency chosen by a broad group of stakeholders to apply to the California Public Utilities Commission to provide this service. The multilingual phone staff undergo lengthy professional training that prepares them to assess callers' needs and assist them with navigating a maze of human services agencies and programs.
What are the community benefits of 2-1-1?
2-1-1 creates the community infrastructure for linking the disparate and sometimes duplicative services of myriad local nonprofits into a more efficient, coordinated network. Nonprofits and service organizations will receive fewer inappropriate requests for help, and their marketing dollars will be stretched by participation in 2-1-1. Non-emergency human service needs will be directed away from police dispatchers at 9-1-1, freeing up law enforcement resources.
Perhaps most important—from a humanitarian standpoint as well as an efficiency one—improved access to health services will reduce the likelihood that individuals might delay seeking and receiving treatment for conditions that could become more painful and costly to address, often at public expense, in the future.
Do other states have 2-1-1?
As of June 2007 2-1-1 is serving approximately 198
million Americans, approximately 65% of the U.S. population.
By the end of 2008, 80% of the population is expected to
have 2-1-1 access.
2-1-1 serves approximately 172 million Americans - over 57%
of the US Population; 192 active 2-1-1 systems covering all
or part of 39 states (including 16 states with 100%
coverage) plus Washington, DC and Puerto Rico. Canada
has an additional 5 locations.
The first 2-1-1 system was started in Atlanta in 1997, followed by statewide service for Connecticut in 1999. After September 11, 2001, Connecticut's 2-1-1 system connected bereaved callers to services, fielded opportunities to donate or volunteer, and handled calls for the besieged Red Cross, demonstrating the central role 2-1-1 plays during a disaster.
The national planning initiative (www.211.org) is a joint project of the Alliance of Information and Referral Systems (AIRS) and the United Way of America.
What is the status of 2-1-1 in California?
The California Public Utilities Commission, the state's telecommunications regulatory authority, has authorized information and referral service providers in 12 counties to utilize the 2-1-1 dialing code: Alameda, Contra Costa, Los Angeles, Orange, Riverside, San Diego, San Francisco, Ventura, San Bernardino, Sacramento, Santa Barbara and Stanislaus.
CAIRS projects that 2-1-1 will be available to 80% of Californians by the end of 2007. View the status of 2-1-1 in California by clicking on the graphic below (will open new window).
When did 2-1-1 come to San Bernardino County?
On September 20, 2006, 2-1-1 San Bernardino County launched and now provides free and confidential information and referrals 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
Who is advising 2-1-1 in San Bernardino County?
2-1-1 in San Bernardino County is a community-wide effort led by a volunteer Advisory Committee with members drawn from local government, nonprofit, educational and other leaders.
How do agencies get listed on 2-1-1?
2-1-1 San Bernardino County thoroughly researches all of the agencies and programs listed in our database.
Find out the
benefits of adding your agency to the database, and
contact the 2-1-1 Resource
Specialist at (909) 980-2857 ext. 220 to today!
How did you prepare for 2-1-1?
Substantial capacity-building activities began in early 2005 and are transforming Inland Empire United Way’s Help on Call program with one part-time volunteer to a 24/7 2-1-1 Call Center with state of the art communications, database and backup phone and power systems.
How much does 2-1-1 cost?
Nationwide, 2-1-1 service costs an estimated $1 per capita per year on the high end. In San Bernardino County, with almost 2 million residents, that means about $1.5-2 million once the service is fully built out, expected by 2010.
Who is paying for 2-1-1?
A multi-faceted approach to funding has brought startup funding for 2-1-1 from a variety of sources. A $50,000 grant from the Weingart Foundation paid for the integrated phone system and Call Center Solution. Bank of America has provided $35,000 in grants toward 2-1-1 implementation and has continued their support. Inland Empire United Way, County of San Bernardino and First 5 San Bernardino are providing a large portion of the funding.
Other sources of funding and in-kind support are being pursued. 2-1-1 is also working on bringing awareness of the call center services to businesses and other organizations to build a largely self-sustaining program.
The bipartisan Calling for 2-1-1 Act, authored by Senators Clinton and Dole, would authorize a 50% federal match of $150 million for 2-1-1 development and service in communities nationwide. On the local level, 2-1-1 is actively soliciting additional partners and support from foundations, individuals and corporations. Plans also call for marketing a portion of the call center services to businesses and other organizations to help build a largely self-sustaining program.
I work for a Service Provider. Will 2-1-1 result in my service getting less calls and having its funding cut?
2-1-1 services have been operating for a number of years in over 140 communities throughout the US. In all of those communities, similar agencies to yourselves expressed the same concerns and found that their fears were not realized. The purpose of 2-1-1 is to improve access to services. 2-1-1 is a number that people call when they don’t know where else to turn. Your clients will continue to call you directly. 2-1-1 is a first stop -- not a one stop or a compulsory stop. 2-1-1 complements existing services. It does not replace them. It is a referral service. It would not be a credible service if there was not a strong infrastructure of community agencies to refer people to. Agencies generally find that they handle less inappropriate calls once a 2-1-1 service is established.