211 phone service to launch in Merced

Residents in Merced and Mariposa counties will soon have a database of resources readily available with the simple dialing of three numbers.

The Mountain Valley 211 Program is a referral and information system that aims to connect people to services they may need. By dialing 2-1-1, callers will be able to access information specialists who can refer them to local programs for assistance.

Residents will be able to connect to human services programs including: housing assistance, food pantries, job training, health care, tutoring, counseling and transportation, to name a few.

211 Mountain Valley will also support emergency response teams in disaster relief efforts. The program will be able to coordinate with the Office of Emergency Services to provide information regarding evacuations, road closures and shelters.

The program is scheduled to launch in October.

According to United Way of Merced County, the organization leading the program, 98 percent of California residents are already covered by a 211 system. It is estimated that in 2013, 211 call centers received nearly 2 million calls across the state.

About 50 percent of the calls in California request assistance for food, shelter, clothing and utilities.

Bob Bauer, director of program development at United Way of Merced County, said the program is a major undertaking. Building a database this large costs money and time, and until recently resources were not available to make this a possibility in Merced. Bauer explained that United Way is teaming up with Mariposa County and Merced County’s Human Services Agency for the local introduction of this service.

The call centers that will service Merced and Mariposa will be in California, most likely in the Central Valley. Fresno and Stanislaus counties have a 211 system in place, but smaller counties such as Madera don’t.

“It really depends on the economic condition and the size of the county,” Bauer said. “We’re right on the cusp of being able to afford this system.”

When the 211 service rolls out in the fall, United Way expects to have a database of about 1,000 programs and services available for callers. Bauer said he expects this number to double as the Mountain Valley program expands.

Assistance through 211 will be available 24 hours a day, seven days a week and in 150 languages.

Octavio Valencia, program coordinator at United Way of Merced County, said information specialists can also be reached through texts – a way of connecting with younger residents.

“Sometimes you make about seven calls before you reach someone who can actually help you,” Valencia said. “This will take care of that.”

The benefits of speaking with someone is that specialists can often discover other needs of callers and connect them with additional services, Valencia said.

United Way staff members have attended conferences to learn how to implement the 211 service. They have learned that in the Central Valley, nearly half of all callers are Latino and about 70 percent are female.

Many are young women with children 5 years old or younger, Valencia said. “These are people with specific needs.”

This story was originally published April 19, 2015 at 5:07 PM with the headline "211 phone service to launch in Merced."