No three digits are as embedded in the national consciousness as 911, the emergency assistance number. In San Jose and other communities, 911 gave birth to 311, the number to call for non-life-threatening police needs. Now comes 211, a number the United Way and an association of information and referral agencies want to establish for callers seeking help with urgent health and human needs, such as food and shelter.

Santa Clara County supervisors are considering the idea, even as they are about to make drastic budget cuts. The 211 system will cost money to establish, but over time it could produce considerable savings.

Establishing a new information phone number requires the approval of the California Public Utilities Commission, which sets guidelines and regulates phone use statewide. The PUC will consider the 211 number at a meeting Feb. 13. If the PUC votes yes, the county could have a 211 system operating by April 2005. The 211 number is already being employed in 20 states.

Dialing 211 will guide people to an array of services, including help finding runaway teens, rent and utility assistance, referrals for child abuse, and hotlines serving battered spouses and the suicidal. It can also be used for disaster relief in times of floods and earthquakes. This is especially important in Santa Clara County, one of the few large counties in California that does not have a centralized phone referral service, despite having 1,600 community-based organizations offering hotlines and referrals.

``Help is out there, but people in the present disorganized system can't find it,'' said Burt Wallrich, California's 211 coordinator. ``Two-one-one will make it possible for people to be connected to the help they need.''

Wallrich is part of a national initiative that began in July 2000 when the Federal Communications Commission set aside 211 as a nationwide referral number for health and human services information. Agencies across the country already provide such services, but the numbers change with each county and state. When fully implemented, a person could call 211 in any part of the country and get help.

In California, the Alliance of Information and Referral Services is organizing the 211 drive, focusing on county-by-county initiatives. Locally, Nona Tobin, community-building projects manager for the United Way, hopes to consolidate the services. If the county, cities and private donors decide to fund 211 next year -- the annual cost is expected to be $1.7 million -- the phone service could be staffed 24 hours a day, seven days a week. It is expected to eventually handle 100,000 calls each year.

Mary Davey, a community activist and chair of the 211 steering community, said the cost should not deter policymakers, even when budgets are tight. She predicts that installing 211 will relieve 40 percent of calls to 911, saving money by increasing efficiency.

The 211 line would be a great benefit to the county's social services clients, said Greta Helm, governmental relations director. At present, ``they look in the White Pages, the Yellow Pages and they don't know who to call. They may get so frustrated they just give up and don't get any services at all.''

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