LYNNWOOD – When families became separated during the chaos of the Hurricane Katrina evacuations, emergency workers used 211 – a growing national system of social service information centers – to help reunite them.
“We got a story about part of a family in Dallas and the husband in Salt Lake City,” said Mary Hogan, a vice president of the 211 system in Connecticut who spoke in Lynnwood on Wednesday. She had just returned from Louisiana, where she provided technical assistance to 211 lines.
“It was nice to be able to call someone at 211 and say, ‘OK, here’s the situation,’ and have them take over,” she said.
Local government and social service representatives gathered Wednesday to hear about the 211 service, which kicks off in Snohomish County in February.
It will expand the services available on the Community Information Line, a toll-free number run by Volunteers of America that has linked callers in the county with social services for 17 years.
Based on the 911 emergency model, the 211 phone number connects callers with operators who can tell them everything from where the closest food bank is to where to donate used clothing and furniture to nonprofit agencies.
During emergencies, it also will help those who need assistance not provided by 911 services, such as where families made homeless by fires, floods or earthquakes can go for shelter.
The 211 lines have served another role during major emergencies, acting as a central number people can call who want to donate and volunteer, said Bill Brackin, program director for the Community Information Line. He has worked for seven years to bring the 211 system to Washington state.
Caller questions also may be used to track local social service needs, such as more housing for the homeless or special programs for seniors.
Snohomish County will be the home base to answer 211 questions from callers in all of northwest Washington, including Island, San Juan, Skagit, Snohomish and Whatcom counties.
United Way of Snohomish County is distributing 65,000 cards announcing the Feb. 11, 2006, kickoff of the 211 line, spokeswoman Deborah Squires said. The messages are written in English and Spanish.
King County is expected to kick off its 211 system the same day.
The new programs are part of a growing system of 211 lines nationwide. Now available in 32 states, the 211 system serves an estimated 137 million people.
The 211 lines will be expanded next year in central Washington and in Clallam, Clark, Jefferson, Kitsap and Pierce counties , Brackin said.
In the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, the 211 system helped up to 8,000 callers a day in Louisiana. One reason for its popularity, Hogan said, is that unlike 800 numbers, people can easily remember it.
“The beauty of the number is it is very simple – 211 is very easy to remember,” she said.
Reporter Sharon Salyer: 425-339-3486 or salyer@ heraldnet.com.
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