Press Room: San Bernardino Sun News Article
Aid line can be mutual: 2-1-1 callers may give helpful data
By Emily Sachs, Staff Writer
(June 17, 2006) – When the 2-1-1 phone line debuts in San Bernardino County three months from now, thousands of needy people searching for public services will find immediate assistance.
But the most lasting effect could come in the form of reports
generated from the types of callers and their various needs.
Discoveries could divulge whether a dearth or deluge of services
exists, whether people live near available assistance or if
people's biggest problems have no answers.
"We will have a tremendous volume of data," said Gary Madden,
director of 2-1-1, which is overseen by the Inland Empire United
Way, based in Rancho Cucamonga.
Preliminary information from the Help On Call line, a baby version of 2-1-1, shows nearly 35 percent of the 1,072 calls from March to April were for shelter, housing, rent assistance or motel vouchers.
During the same period, only a handful of callers sought tax help, transportation or information on courts or probation.
The line's arrival Sept. 20 in San Bernardino County will make it the eighth county in the state with the service, but one of the last in Southern California.
It had been expected to start in July, but $250,000 in funding from First 5 San Bernardino won't be considered by that board until its August meeting. County supervisors have pledged $1 million over four years. Inland Empire United Way will cover remaining expenses.
The help line now operates weekdays via a toll-free number.
Its database lists 400 agencies and 800 local programs. More are added daily, Madden said. This summer, temporary workers will visit rural areas, including parts of the High Desert, to find overlooked programs and agencies.
Trained operators will work with callers to direct them to what they are seeking, be it diapers or work-training programs.
Food, utilities, medical care and temporary financial aid were other leading needs of callers, according to early figures from the United Way. The vast majority of callers were women who spoke English.
Information like this is invaluable to nonprofit agencies trying to craft compelling and competitive grants, said Elaine Rosen, board president of the Resource Center for Nonprofit Management in Moreno Valley, which helps agencies in San Bernardino and Riverside counties.
"(2-1-1) could say, `You know, we got 200 calls from people who are homeless . . . needing food, needing medical assistance from such and such an area,' " Rosen said. "They could really help pinpoint it and be really a central data clearinghouse."
Specifically, the city of San Bernardino will receive a personalized map showing locations of all the available and known services. Madden said it could illustrate that the neediest populations are far away from the programs they could most utilize.
Plans for the 2-1-1 line are to interview selected callers to find out everything from whether their questions were answered to whether they vote a detail that could open the eyes of elected officials, Madden said.
Until its debut, the 2-1-1 social-service information hotline
in San Bernardino County is operating from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.
weekdays at (888) 435-7565.. Information is also available at
www.211sb.org.