211: Real help is on the line

By PHIL MULKINS World Staff Writer - 9/23/2009


The recession has meant tougher times for nearly everyone, evidenced by the Oklahoma unemployment rate climbing to a 21-year high of 6.8 percent in August.

The Rev. Steve Whitaker, executive director of the John 3:16 Mission, said earlier this year that his agency sees more and more people who are upset and need encouragement. Many seek counseling as a way to express their worries, he said, in addition to needing temporary assistance with things such as utility bills or food.

A service called 211 Helpline is available 24/7 to lend a hand.

Just like 911 for police, fire and ambulance, 211 is for every other kind of emergency.

The 211 system was implemented in northeastern Oklahoma during 2005 to serve as a hot line for social service information. In April 2008, Oklahoma became the 21st state to activate the system statewide.

The nonprofit program is operated by the Community Service Council of Greater Tulsa and supported by the Tulsa Area United Way, legislative appropriations to the Oklahoma Department of Human Services and Chapman Trusts, and other sources.

The region's 211 system logged 50,196 calls in its first year, and by 2008 the total had grown to 109,729. Most caller requests last year were for assistance with basic needs: 20 percent for utility bill assistance, rent payment and housing expenses, and 10 percent for food, clothing, diapers, etc.

Since the program receives about 12,000 calls per month, callers sometimes are put on hold briefly before being connected with trained specialists who assist them.

211 Helpline is a free call within its 18-county service area: Adair, Cherokee, Craig, Creek, Delaware, Mayes, McIntosh, Muskogee, Nowata, Okfuskee, Okmulgee, Osage, Ottawa, Rogers, Sequoyah, Tulsa, Wagoner and Washington.

The service offers general information, problem-solving suggestions, advocacy and referrals on free and low-cost services by 2,500 programs run by hundreds of agencies that help people in need. Among the areas covered are financial assistance, food, clothing, emergency shelter, housing, health care, counseling, support groups, legal aid and employment.

Those who operate 211 Helpline emphasize that the program is for anyone seeking services they can't find. That includes vulnerable people — the elderly, disabled, non-English speaking, the crisis-struck, illiterate or people new to their neighborhood — who need to find services that promote self-sufficiency. Callers are instructed about social service program eligibility requirements and which documents they should bring when visiting an agency to seek help.





Calls for social-service assistance hit record numbers

People in need know about the 211 Helpline, a 24/7 social-services hot line. An astounding 12,470 calls were logged in August — ahead of the 12,419 calls in July, both records for the service, according to its parent agency, the Community Service Council of Greater Tulsa.

2005: Before the 211 Helpline was established, a CSC referral service named Helpline took requests at 583-HELP. That number was staffed only during business hours and is no longer in service. In the first half of 2005, Helpline received 2,200 to 2,800 calls per month, but when the simpler "dial 211" service came along in July 2005, serving only six counties, the number jumped to around 5,800 — and 50,196 for that year.

2006: Calls started off with 5,501 in January, rumbled along in the 4,600 to 5,900 range, and spiked at 8,500 in August. An Aug. 30 Tulsa World story said 50,000 more Oklahomans had fallen to the poverty level, one in five families had no health insurance and only Florida, Texas and New Mexico led Oklahoma in having the most uninsured population. The price of gasoline surged to $3 per gallon, cutting into family food and health care budgets.

2007: Helpline 211 calls started at 7,205 in January, peaked in August at 9,500 and finished with 15,073 in December. The program's coverage area increased from six to 12 counties in April. On Dec. 3 of that year, the most devastating ice storm on record hit the Tulsa area, knocking out power — and often heat — to 246,000 homes. Calls for the year totaled 98,812 for an average of 8,234 per month.

2008: The great foreclosure avalanche and credit freeze were in full swing and Helpline 211 calls started at 9,030 in January and ran through the 7,000s and 8,000s through June before climbing to 9,586 in July and on to 11,285 in December — 109,729 for the year, or a monthly average of 9,144.

2009: The year began with 10,215 callers in January and stood at 12,470 through August.

Keith Anderson, manager of Information Services for the CSC, said calls to 211 can be broken down in categories summarized as "basic needs request monthly trends." The majority of calls (78 percent) come from Tulsa County. This year's total calls reached 85,193 through August and were on track to reach 127,790 for all of 2009, beating 2008's monthly average by 1,505.

The Helpline 211 Web site can be accessed at tulsaworld.com/211Helpline .





Tulsa World consumer writer Phil Mulkins wants to know which topics interest you most. Call 699-8888 or e-mail your interest to phil.mulkins@TulsaWorld.com or mail it to Tulsa World Consumer, PO Box 1770, Tulsa OK 74102-1770.




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