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Help line phones ring off hooks

By CAMILLE C. SPENCER
Published March 10, 2007

When county officials started a 24-hour social service help line last fall, they weren't sure if people were going to call.

That was 12,186 calls ago - and counting.

The 211 help line has been such a success that it prompted officials recently to add four new phone lines to the existing eight. Officials are also looking for volunteers who want to help answer phones.

"I heard other communities with 211 had this kind of immediate growth, but I didn't know what to expect in Pasco," said Susan Arnett, president of United Way in Pasco. "But it the number of calls validates the need for 211."

Pasco was the third largest county in the state without a 211 help line when it was launched Oct. 1. The goal was to put people in touch with organizations that provide food, clothing, shelter and money to residents in need.

The help line also allows residents to obtain emergency information during a hurricane, such as shelters and evacuation routes.

Since its inception, the majority of calls to the help line, open seven days a week, have been in three categories:

- About 14 percent sought help from social service groups during the holiday season.

- About 38 percent called for information or referrals, or to get phone numbers of social service groups or shelters.

- About 28 percent of the callers were inquiring about the United Way's Prosperity Campaign.

The campaign, which offers free tax help for low to moderate income residents, generated about 270 calls on Feb. 2, the same day a Times story ran on the campaign.

That's in comparison to the 75 calls per day the call center usually receives. It was the center's busiest day.

"We couldn't get an outside line because of calls coming in," Arnett said.

The help line is staffed in Pasco from 8:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Monday through Friday by a mix of seven full-time, part-time and volunteer workers. County officials don't disclose the call center's location for safety reasons.

After hours and on weekends, Pasco calls are answered at a Pinellas call center.

High call volume has prompted United Way officials seek help from people who want to volunteer to answer phones.

Some say the success of the help line, funded through October 2008 with $270,000 from county government and the United Way, is because of its simplicity.

"It's so much easier than trying to remember a long number," said Karen King, 211's project coordinator.

Arnett said the types of calls received at the 211 call center help social service groups determine what issues are affecting residents.

"It's a thermometer for the community," Arnett said. "With the housing situation being what it is, we are getting more calls from people who are involved in the construction business and are going through the last of their savings.

"They are requesting financial assistance to pay mortgage and utility bills."

Arnett said she's excited for the future of the help line.

"It's an incredible service we're allowed to offer," she said.

Fast Facts:

Volunteers needed

Anyone interested in volunteering at the call center should call 211 for information.

[Last modified March 10, 2007, 00:05:10]