Regulators move to referral service
New 2-1-1 phone line will link callers to myriad social services
By Eve Mitchell, BUSINESS WRITER

The measure was approved unanimously by the state Public Utilities Commission. But don't expect to dial 2-1-1 tomorrow and get help finding subsidized child care, emergency housing, or the nearest food bank. It could take up to nine months or even longer before consumers can dial 2-1-1, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

Once it's up and running, it will be a free call for people using a land-line phone. The service will be introduced in various counties or regions at different times as it becomes available.

However, 2-1-1 service will not work from wireless phones. The Federal Communications Commission has previously exempted wireless carriers from having to provide the service.

Local phone companies will route land-line 2-1-1 calls made to a PUC-designated information and referral agency, whose representatives will direct callers to resources that can help them.

"(It could be) teen-age runaways looking for help, or a family looking for a food bank, or an abused spouse looking for safe haven ... a relative looking for hospice care. These are some examples of people seeking help," said PUC President Michael Peevey.

"Navigating the world of social service agencies is a very difficult environment," said Sharon DeCray, program director at Hayward-based Eden Information and Referral, which will apply to be designated as the 2-1-1 provider for Alameda County. "If they dial 2-1-1, they'll be able to ask questions and get answers."

Providers selected to provide 2-1-1 will fund the cost of the service.

But while 2-1-1 calls placed from land-line phones won't cost the caller anything, pay phone providers are not required to provide free 2-1-1 calls.

SBC -- which operates the majority of pay phones in California -- has not yet decided whether it will charge for 2-1-1 calls placed from its pay phones, said spokesman Fletcher Cook.

Also, once the service is available in an area, pay phone operators will no longer be able to use 2-1-1 for other uses such as providing a number for refunds.

Other states -- Georgia, Connecticut, Florida, Idaho, Minnesota, Nebraska, North Dakota, Texas, Utah and Wisconsin -- are already providing 2-1-1 service.

Eve Mitchell can be reached at (510) 208-6474 or emitchell@angnewpapers.