Open House Celebrates New Partnership with United Way

On February 11th, National 2-1-1 Awareness Day, 2-1-1 Orange County hosted an Open House to celebrate the newly enhanced partnership between 2-1-1 Orange County and Orange County United Way. In early 2010 United Way extended shared office space to help 2-1-1 better leverage resources and create a collaborative environment for the two organizations. 2-1-1 Orange County currently leases 1,625 square-feet of space in the United Ways Irvine facility.

2-1-1 Board President Jeff Lutz and Executive Director Judy Bowden expressed their gratitude to the United Way for the opportunity to share a new and larger home from which to serve the Orange County community. The needs of our county are changing, said President Lutz. We are seeing the newly poor. People simply do not know where to turn and who to call. We are assisting people who have never asked for help before. Maria Chavez-Wilcox, President and CEO of Orange County United Way, extended her enthusiasm. It is a blessing for us to have 2-1-1 in our offices so we can hear firsthand the needs we are facing in our communities.

Orange County Sheriff Hutchens also spoke at the event, underscoring 2-1-1s vital role for emergency preparedness and the relief it offers to the emergency response system. 2-1-1 has successfully diverted calls that often were placed to 9-1-1, she said, ultimately saving law enforcement resources and time.

Attendees had the opportunity to tour the 2-1-1 Call Center and see Information and Referral Specialists and volunteers in action as they answered calls from residents in need of services. 2-1-1 Orange County continues to make a significant difference to the residents of Orange County as they provide critical information on shelters, housing, food, job placement, and a broad range of health and human services.

Supporting the 2-1-1 Act

A new bill, HR 211, is being supported in Congress that will facilitate nationwide availability of 2-1-1 telephone service for information and referral on human services and volunteer services, and other purposes. Many 2-1-1 call centers lack the resources needed to build an adequate telecommunications infrastructure, provide appropriate staff levels and training, establish or maintain 24-hour-a-day service, ensure complete and accurate informational databases, and reach rural populations. This bill will help support existing centers, and establish new centers to make the 2-1-1 services accessible to all residents.

Let your voice be heard now! Send a message to Congress by clicking this link.

The United Way's Champion the Cause online form makes it easy! Encourage your member of congress to pass The Calling for 2-1-1 Act by signing United Way's electronic petition.

Bill specifics:

 Will direct the Secretary of Health and Human Services to award a grant to each state to establish a program or fund an existing program which will make 2-1-1 service available to all the residents of a state with phone service.

 Will require a state match, meaning each participating state must ensure that at least 50% of the resources of the program funded by the grant will be derived from other sources.

 Will mandate that grant recipients collaborate with human service organizations to provide an extensive database of services with which to provide information and referral to persons utilizing the 2-1-1 service.

Be Prepared. Register with AlertOC.

In efforts to keep those who live or work in Orange County informed of important information during emergency events, the County of Orange in partnership with many Orange County cities has launched AlertOC. This public mass notification system is a critical component of emergency preparation and response.

Registering is simple through www.alertoc.com. Select the city or area in which you live and/or work from the map. After signing up for this free service, residents and businesses may receive a voice, e-mail or text message when there is a perceived, upcoming or imminent situation that may require community action.

2-1-1 OC encourages community members to stay proactive. If you are in need of answers please call us toll free at 2-1-1. We are committed to disaster planning, response, and recovery. Our staff participates in ongoing cooperative disaster response planning in the community and is prepared to assist residents with information such as road and school closures, emergency shelters and other disaster related resources.

Quick Stats

January experienced a 25% increase in calls compared to January, 2009

February experienced a 9% increase in calls compared to February, 2009

February 2010 increase in referral requests compared to February 2009
• 318% Tax Assistance
• 271% Family Planning
• 233% Adoption/Foster Care
• 171% Child Abuse
• 118% Temporary Financial Assistance
• 65% Bus and Gas Vouchers
• 22% Substance Abuse Services

February 2010 increase in calls by city compared to February 2009
• Garden Grove 13%
• Huntington Beach 17%
• La Habra 30%
• Laguna Niguel 12%
• Mission Viejo 19%
• Placentia 20%
• Stanton 16%

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Contact Us
getconnected@211oc.org

If your household income was less than $48,279 in 2009 you may be eligible to receive the Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) of up to $5,657!

For More Information call 2-1-1 today or Click Here for a list of participating agencies.