211 SLO County Annual Report FY20-21

ANNUAL REPORT July 1, 2020 - June 30, 2021

211 SLO County is a program of United Way SLO County

Top: 211 Call Specialist • Bottom-Left: 211 SLO County Staff at 2:11 • Bottom-Center & Right: 211 SLO County Call Specialists working remotely

(805) 541-1234 • 211slo.org • 211@unitedwayslo.org • @211slo

ABOUT 211 211 is an easy to remember number for information and referral to health and human service programs. In 2020, 95.6% of the US Population lived in an area covered by 211 services, and 211 answered more than 18.5 million calls, responded to more than 1.5 million texts, and made more than 27.8 million total connections nationwide.

What is the impact?

When people call 211, they speak to a trained specialist who can find services most tailored to their needs. When callers find themselves in a tough spot, often multiple forms of assistance are needed. 211 can connect them to all applicable services to form a cohesive recovery plan. Then, once receiving services, the caller can take proactive measures to mitigate future struggles.

211 is available 24/7 to answer the question “I need help, what should I do?”. By directing callers to the correct service, 211 reduces the amount of inappropriate calls to 911 and other services. Callers with immediate crisis or mental health needs are connected to an appropriate hotline via warm transfer, which means that callers do not need to hang up the phone while being transferred. 211 also helps streamline intake at social service organizations by informing callers of the services offered and intake process ahead of time.

During times of disaster, 211 is an indispensable resource to help callers stay informed of recovery services. By helping us recover quickly when affected by disaster, 211 is key in strengthening the resilience of our community.

Is 211 SLO County local?

Yes! Each region’s 211 is independently operated. 211 San Luis Obispo County is operated by United Way of SLO County staff here in downtown San Luis Obispo.

We have over 3000 local agencies and programs listed in our directory. Calls are answered by a trained team of specialists at a call center operated by Interface Children and Family Services in Camarillo.

In the event ICFS is unable to answer calls, we have a network of centers prepared to assist our callers to provide continuous service.

OUR GROWTH IN THE PAST YEAR

A Note from Our Program Manager This past fiscal year was a period of significant growth for 211s across the nation, and SLO County was no exception. Our average monthly call volume increased by over 100 calls compared to the previous fiscal year, which in turn was significantly higher than the year before that.

In short, on average we received nearly 200 more calls per month than we did two years ago.

I don’t think it comes as a surprise that our call volume increased significantly after the first COVID-19 quarantine mandate in March of 2020. At the onset, most caller needs resulted from direct consequences of the pandemic: unemployment, rent assistance, food insecurity, etc. As testing sites opened up, 211 specialists helped callers find the nearest testing location. At the time of this writing, testing sites are still one of the top questions asked by our callers.

A second volume spike began in December of 2020, which aligns with the release of the COVID-19 Vaccine. During this time, 211 navigated callers to their nearest vaccine site.

Despite the large increase in health related calls due to COVID, housing resources remained the top caller need the 20/21 fiscal year. This speaks to the severity of the housing crisis and its correlation with the pandemic.

At 211, we are at the ready to address non emergency needs and we look forward to fulfilling your information and referral needs in the upcoming year.

Sincerely, Riley Smith

CALLS BY LOCATION Of Calls in SLO County with location data, the majority come from the City of SLO. Paso Robles and Atascadero comprise most of the calls in North County, while Arroyo Grande and Nipomo recorded the most calls in South County.

The average call length was 7.8 minutes, for a total of over 45,000 minutes on the phone over the fiscal year.

Note: Not all calls contain location data, and not all calls originate from SLO County. Caller location is determined by Zip Code associated with caller’s phone number.

HAVE YOU TEXTED US?

Text a keyword to 211-211 to get immediate help from one of our text flows!

Rent

Text ‘Rent’ to get help applying for the Housing Is Key California rent relief program!

PSPS

Text ‘PSPS’ to receive info on public safety power shutoffs.

COVID

Text ‘COVID’ for info on testing, vaccines, and more!

Taxes

Text ‘Taxes’ to find a Volunteer Income Tax Assistance site near you!

Internet

Text ‘Internet’ to see if you qualify for low-cost internet programs in your area!

Stress

Text ‘Stress’ to receive comprehensive assistance to help manage anxiety.

Want to message a live call specialist?

Just text your ZIP Code to 898211!

THANKS TO OUR PARTNERS

County of San Luis Obispo

Thank you to the County of San Luis Obispo and to the Board of Supervisors for your support of 211 through the Covid Relief Fund and the Preventative Health Grant. We are very grateful for this funding, and look forward to your continued partnership.

San Luis Obispo County Sheriff’s Office Thank you to the San Luis Obispo County Sheriff’s Office for supporting 211 SLO County since 2014. We greatly appreciate your continued partnership!

City of San Luis Obispo Thank you to the City of SLO Human Relations Commission for awarding us funding through the Grants in Aid. We appretiate the opportunity to use these funds to help the most vulnerable populations in San Luis Obispo.

City of Pismo Beach Thank you to the Pismo Beach City Council for your continued support of 211.

We are thankful to serve our entire county, and help those in South County connect to services near them.

Media Sponsors Thank you to KSBY , American General Media, ESPN Radio, and K-Jewel Radio for your media sponsorship.

OUR CALL FOR SUPPORT

Nationwide, 211 is asking for your support and advocacy to emphasize the need for a cohesive network of information and referral systems. While each 211 is independently operated, we all have a common goal of providing reliable information at no cost to the caller.

Whether it be a small 211 such as ourselves, or a large statewide/metropolitan 211, we need your support to continue to provide our services and strive for improvement. If you can, please consider donating to 211 SLO County or spreading the word about our services in the community. We appreciate all forms of support, and thank you lots for your backing of 211.

Click Here to Donate to 211 SLO County Click Here to Read Our National Letter of Support to Congress

THE 211 SLO COUNTY TEAM

Riley Smith - Database Management Specialist Linda Wingert - Chief Operations Officer Rick London - Chief Executive Officer

CONTACT US

211 Information & Referral Line - 211 or (800) 549-8989 United Way Office - (805) 541-1234 Email - 211@unitedwayslo.org

FOLLOW US

Instagram @211slo Facebook @211slo

VISIT US

211slo.org

LEARN MORE

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