211 phone referral line a big success, UWVC official tells Rotarians

The Ventura County 211 program was the first in the state and one of the first in the nation; the service is now available in about one-third of the United States, said Smith.The service is “now reaching about 70 percent of California’s population.The “cornerstone of the Community Impact program was 211” which replaced the 800 number formerly operated by Interface. “There are dozens of calls each month from residents of Santa Paula,” among the thousands that the 24-hour free service receives each year.The 211 call center averages about 2,100 calls each month from those seeking everything from help with unruly teenagers to the location of food banks.Among the many senior citizens who have turned to the 211 service was a 78-year-old man who said he and his wife needed assistance...their refrigerator was broken and their home needed repair, said Smith.“211 put them in touch with Habitat for Humanity” whose volunteers repaired the home and found the couple a new refrigerator.