Information and Referral

• National
• Washington
• King County
• Call Volume
• Problem Summaries
• Regional Problem Summary Code Information
• Crisis Line

2-1-1

2-1-1 is the abbreviated dialing code the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) authorized to “…provide easier access to comprehensive information and referral service for health and human services resources.” [www.crisisclinic.org/211kc.html]. The phone number is meant to work much like 9-1-1 as an easy to remember number that will route to the nearest call center that can provide assistance, in this case information and referral rather than emergency.

 National

• 2-1-1 prefix was authorized in July 2000
• By November 2008 over 234 million Americans have access in 48 States, Washington D.C and Puerto Rico^[1]
• The system incorporates existing information and referral providers and databases
• 2-1-1 acts as a single access point promoting efficiencies for both callers and providers
• Following local disasters, 2-1-1 acts as a hotline for relief and recovery so 9-1-1 and the Red Cross can focus on safety
• Community Resources can be shared on the internet to allow both web and telephone access
• Information is available for those wishing to donate or volunteer in the local community

 Washington – WIN 2-1-1

• There are 8 Call Centers serving Washington State.  King County is designated as region #6 in Washington State.
• www.win211.org/ statewide data base of health and human service providers
• In 2008, WIN2-1-1’s call centers received 361,859 calls, a 24% increased compared to the 2007 ^[2]
• 6,425 health and human service providers in Washington state
• 10,201 sites in Washington state
• 18,205 local services
• Services include TDD/TYY for the hearing impaired and English interpretation for those with limited English speaking abilities

 King County

• Crisis Clinic which has been providing information and referral since 1963 is the designated 2-1-1 provider for King County.
• 2-1-1 operations began in February 2006
• Crisis Clinic communicates with callers in 155 languages through teleinterpreter services
• 107,873 incoming calls to King County 2-1-1 in 2008 a 7.2% increase over the prior year
• Hours available as published in 2-1-1 Factsheet dated March 3, 2008
  • Monday through Friday: 8:00AM to 6:00 PM

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Call Volume

Call volume represents the number of incoming calls and number of calls operators place in response to caller needs.  In addition to call volumes the Crisis Clinic tracks the number of problem codes representing issues that are addressed in a single call.  Because several issues may arise in a single incoming call the volumes will not be identical.  Immediately below is the tally of King County based caller volumes.  Below the call volumes are details on problem summaries.

Download Data | Source: Crisis Clinic, Caller Data Report: 2-1-1 Community Information Line

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Problem Summaries

Problem summaries reported by the Crisis Clinic reflect the types of issues that are identified over the course of a conversation between callers and 2-1-1 staff. There are 15 themes tracked for reporting. Because multiple issues may arise the number of Problem Summaries cannot be directly tied back to the call volume.

Three Problem Summaries accounted for 81.6% of the problems/needs identified by callers: Basic Needs (23.6%), Financial (28.9%) and Other – e.g., calls for directory assistance, holiday assistance (29.1%).

2008 Calendar Year summary

Download Data | Source: Crisis Clinic, Caller Data Report: 2-1-1 Community Information Line.  Comprehensive details available upon download

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Regional Problem Summary Code Information

North King County

• 3,196 incoming calls were received in 2008, a 9.3% increase over the prior year
• The number of callers identifying themselves as homeless decreased from 290 in 2007 to 283 in 2008
• Problem summaries (separate issues addressed) went up by 22.4%
• Every Problem Summary field recorded an increase with exception of the category Social Insurance Programs" which dropped from 6 down to 3 in the North King County subregion
• A comprehensive download showing changes between 2007 and 2008 can be found on the following link:

       Download Data | Source: Crisis Clinic, Caller Data Report: 2-1-1 Community Information Line North

East King County

• East King County received 8,692 calls in 2008, a 7.6% increase over 2007
• The number of callers identifying themselves as homeless decreased from 876 in 2007 to 865 in 2008
• Problem summaries (separate issues addressed) went up by 2.7% 
• East King county saw an increase in Problem Summaries with the exceptions of "Community Involvement" and "Relationships"
• A comprehensive download showing changes between 2007 and 2008 can be found on the following link:

Download Data | Source: Crisis Clinic, Caller Data Report: 2-1-1 Community Information Line East

South King County

• South King County received 36,982 calls, up from 32,098 in 2007
• The number of callers identifying themselves as homeless decreased from 3,746 in 2007 to 3,528 in 2008
• Problem summaries (separate issues addressed) went up by 19.9% 
• "Relationships" was the sole problem code to show a decrease from 2007-2008
• A comprehensive download showing changes between 2007 and 2008 can be found on the following link:

Download Data | Source: Crisis Clinic, Caller Data Report: 2-1-1 Community Information Line South

Seattle

• Seattle saw a decline in call volumes with 48,141 in 2007 then 46,614 in 2008, a 3.3% decline
• The number of callers identifying themselves as homeless decreased from 8,151 in 2007 to 5,888 in 2008
• Problem summaries (separate issues addressed) went up by 2.7% 
• A comprehensive download showing changes between 2007 and 2008 can be found on the following link:

Download Data | Source: Crisis Clinic, Caller Data Report: 2-1-1 Community Information Line Seattle

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Crisis Line

The Crisis Line is a 24 hour immediate emergency assistance hotline run by the Crisis Clinic.

Crisis Line Highlights from 2007Annual Report:

• 216 volunteers contributed 27,000 hours of service
• Community Resources Online is linked to the WA State 2-1-1 datasets.
• Calls are accepted from the community and professionals/clinical staff
• 4,800 callers were seriously considering suicide, 78% agreed to a safety plan
• Teen Link, using trained teen callers answered more than 1,000 calls.  Additional training was provided in the classroom

Resources

211 Website: http://www.resourcehouse.info/Win211/

^Footnotes

^[1] 2-1-1 US, from http://211us.org/ February 17, 2009. 

^[2] http://www.win211.org/docs/WIN%20Newsletters/WIN2114thqtrnewslette%202.pdf
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