When residents call the local 211 hotline that connects people with social services, they are most likely to be asking for help with housing assistance, a chronic issue for Orange County, and officials with the hotline say that trend shows there’s a strong willingness to accept help.
“There’s a narrative around people not looking for a home or perhaps waiting for things to just get to a point where they’re out on the street, and that’s just not what we’re seeing in the data,” said Elizabeth Andrade, executive director of 211OC, which is operated by the Orange County United Way. “The data we’re seeing, how people are calling requesting help, how people are eager to stay housed, how they don’t want to enter homelessness … I think it reinforces the need for more housing.”
Orange County United Way, a social services nonprofit, hosted what its leaders called 211 Day in Costa Mesa on Tuesday, Feb. 11, to go over what data collected from 211 calls show about people’s needs. Andrade and others discussed that data and more in front of a crowd of nonprofits and government agencies.
Orange County United Way in July 2023 took over the three-digit 24/7 hotline that connects people with social services.
When people call 211, they are connected with an operator who can listen to their needs and get them connected to a government or nonprofit provider that can help them, ranging from helping find shelter to tax prep to mental health support.
In that first year of data, housing dominated service calls made to 211 OC. About 51% of calls last year were related to housing issues, including getting emergency shelter and searching for affordable housing or rent assistance.
Andrade said there’s a need for housing help across all forms, including rental and utility assistance, emergency shelters and affordable housing. She said part of the reason 211 gets so many housing calls is because of the need, but also it’s been advertised as what the hotline can be used for.
Other common issues people call about include getting food and meals, utility assistance and mental health/substance use support. 211 OC has also received a sharp rise in the percentage of callers who are over 65 years old, from 3% in 2022 to 8% last year.
While the OC economy at large remains strong, Andrade said the benefits are not shared equally. Black and Latino households make far less per year than White households, she said.
“This income gap directly impacts access to stable housing, food security and childcare,” Andrade said.
Andrade and others spoke about the benefits of nonprofits and government agencies participating in a countywide data sharing and referral network as part of 211 OC.
The network now has 75 organizations participating that provide health and human services throughout the county. Andrade said it’s important to have coordination between the different organizations that provide services to people in need and it helps centralize forms people fill out and taking information on their cases.
“By sharing information across providers and the help of the platform, individuals avoid the need to repeatedly retell their stories, which reduces the emotional strain on them and minimizes trauma,” said Sue Parks, CEO of Orange County United Way. “It also enhances operations specifically for providers, saving time and effort and improving results.”
Kenya Beckmann, chief philanthropy and health equity officer at Providence, South Division, a not-for-profit collection of healthcare facilities, said there are 9,000 nonprofits in Orange County and fewer than 100 actively participate in the network.
“Imagine that we changed that,” Beckmann said, adding that the nonprofit community can learn to do this work together in ways that can turn the social “safety net into scaffolding” that people can climb.
Christine Sanchez, CEO of the Delhi Center in Santa Ana, said the neighborhood it serves has an average income of just over $25,000 a year. Alone the center’s staff couldn’t address all the needs people come to them with, but being a part of the network allows them to refer people to other organizations that they know can help.
“We cannot do everything,” Sanchez said. “But it allows us to respond to the very needs that walk in our doors.”
