Looking for social service help? Dial 211

You no doubt know all about 911. You probably also know about 411, and maybe 311. But 211?

"I don't think it's as well known as it should be," said Samantha Jayme, outreach and education coordinator for Safe House. "I tell everyone at every presentation I do, and there's always people who've never heard of it -- even people in my field."

Her field is social services, and 211 is a social services hotline of sorts.

Cass Palmer, president and chief executive officer of the United Way of Southern Nevada, said 211 originated with the United Way on the national level. It's now in most states, though not all. In Nevada, operations began in February 2006.

"In concept, we had all of these citizens saying, 'Hey, I need help with this agency or with this issue,' " Palmer said. "Any social service that's out there -- prescriptions, information on homelessness, education to health or income-related issues. Navigating insurance, finding a good doctor. They didn't know how to navigate the maze of all of the social service agencies. The concept was, 'I need a single go-to source.' "

A person in need of help can simply call 211 and find an operator who's trained about social service agencies and the help they can provide, Palmer said. The operator is a sort of caseworker, a contact that the caller can return to if need be.

Palmer said the statewide Nevada 211 effort involves four agencies in addition to United Way of Southern Nevada. HELP of Southern Nevada provides the call center for this part of the state; in Northern Nevada, funding is provided by the United Way of Northern Nevada, with the call center provided by the Crisis Center.

"Mixed in there is the state of Nevada," Palmer added.

Fuilala Riley, vice president and chief operating officer of HELP of Southern Nevada, said the statewide system took 84,000 calls last year -- quite an increase from the 20,000 calls of six years ago (an associated website, www.Nevada211.org, also offers help). She estimated that 80 percent to 85 percent of the calls come from Southern Nevada. Palmer noted that's mainly a factor of the difference in population size.

Riley said the top five topics of calls change from time to time, although there are some constants.

"First and foremost lately have been rent and utility assistance," she said. Next comes food, then medical and health care and housing, she added.

People calling about housing often are looking for affordable units, sometimes in the same general area in which they live so their children don't have to change schools, she said.

Health care calls usually involve people who don't have health insurance and need access to medical care, she said.

"Rent and utility assistance and food, those three areas kind of intertwine," she said. "One month it's all rental assistance, the next month food is probably up there."

When the recession hit, there was a spike in calls about unemployment benefits.

"They didn't know how to file or where to call," Riley recalled.

In the case of Safe House, those calling may be victims of domestic violence or are calling for someone who is. Jayme estimated that about 10 percent to 15 percent of Safe House's clients come through the 211 system.

Riley said the nine operators of the Southern Nevada component staff the phones from 7 a.m. to 4 p.m. weekdays; the Northern Nevada center covers the rest of the operation, which went 24/7 in October. All operators are trained on services all over the state.

In other states, there may actually be two or three 211 networks within the same metropolitan area.

Jayme said she values the system beyond client referrals.

"It's great, because as much as I may know about a lot of resources, there's so much out there that I don't know," she said. The system helps her find clients help that Safe House may not provide.

Palmer said there are still more uses for the system. When the air-race fatalities occurred in Northern Nevada last September, he said the 911 system was overwhelmed by people looking for information.

"They activated 211 as the go-to for information calls," Palmer said. "It worked out beautifully, relieved the pressure on 911.

"Even on a routine, regular basis, the call volume at 911 went down dramatically when we established 211."

Contact reporter Heidi Knapp Rinella at hrinella@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0474.