What is 2-1-1?
Every hour of every day, someone in San Diego County searches for services, from substance abuse treatment to care for a child or aging parent. More than 2,000 community agencies provide 5,000 health and human service programs. Finding your way through this maze can seem insurmountable. Where do you start?
With 2-1-1, help starts with one little number.
2-1-1: Help Starts Here.
2-1-1 is the dialing code for free, 24-hour community, health and disaster information in San Diego County. 2-1-1 has been set aside by the Federal Communications Commission for the public to easily access community information. Callers receive personalized information from a live phone specialist who can answer questions about a variety of services and information.
A community-wide service
Every corner of the community is touched by 2-1-1, from the businessperson who uses 2-1-1 to help an employee find parent and family services, to the senior citizen who calls 2-1-1 about financial scams. In times of a regional disaster, 2-1-1 is the link for all citizens to the most up-to-the-minute information on road closures, evacuations, shelters, and recovery resources. Law enforcement agencies see scarce resources freed up when inappropriate calls to 9-1-1 decline because the public has another easily-remembered number to call for non-emergency needs.
2-1-1 Beyond San Diego County
Though only introduced in 1997, 2-1-1 dialing already reaches 198 million people across the nation. Well over 65 percent of the country has access to 2-1-1. (For more information, see www.211.org.) In California, 18 counties have active 2-1-1 dialing service.
Read more about 2-1-1 San Diego »
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Real people, real heroes
Three examples of 2-1-1 in action (click to play):
50 ways 2-1-1 works across America »
2-1-1 is making a difference in lives all around the country. Here are just a few of the ways 2-1-1 helps your neighbors every day.
