New 211 Service Available in San Diego County

By Jim Evans

Everybody knows how to dial 911 in an emergency. Even small children have been known to use 911 to report emergencies. In fact, 911 is so widely recognized that the number of 911 calls for nonemergencies has, at times, overloaded the emergency response system. Enter 211.

The new 211 service is not for emergencies, but it serves almost 137 million Americans — more than 46 percent of the U.S. population, by providing information about community, health, and disaster services and referrals.

Even better, it is free, multilingual, confidential and is available 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

The first 211 system was started in Atlanta in 1997, and the concept has received bipartisan support. Calling for the 2-1-1 ACT, authored by Senators Hillary Clinton and Elizabeth Dole, would authorize a 50 percent federal match of $150 million for the development and service of 211 in communities across the country. To date, there are 169 active 211 systems in all or part of 32 states plus Washington, D.C., and Puerto Rico.

San Diego’s 211 service was launched June 30 and offers a one-stop source of information for residents who might not know where to start when they need to find essential health and human services. The service includes information on drug-treatment resources; volunteer opportunities; childcare; after-school programs; transportation; support groups; rent assistance; job training; medical information; care for aging parents; help for laid-off workers struggling to feed their families; employment support; crisis hotlines; and much more.

More than 2,000 community agencies provide more than 5,000 health and human service programs, and San Diego’s 211 service consolidates all of these resources into one simple number.

The new national 211 dialing code will also be deployed during disasters, such as the Cedar fire of 2003, providing an easy-to-remember number for residents to call for help, information, to volunteer, or to make donations. The result will direct nonemergency calls away from police dispatchers and free up law-enforcement resources.

For information about the new 211 service, dial — you guessed it — 211. If calling from a cell phone, use (858) 300-1-211. For additional information, visit www.211sandiego.org.