Are you having a problem and don't know who to call? Try dialing 211
By Nancy Needham nancy@theacorn.com

Anyone who's hungry, homeless or suicidal can call a number for personal help any time of the day or night. It's free and it's easy to remember.

Just dial 211.

Those who suffer from substance abuse, depression, spousal abuse or feel cornered by life's circumstances can dial 211.

The phone will be answered by a volunteer with lots of information at hand.

The person is so helpful that when a single dad cooking a turkey for the first time called to ask how to make the giant bird edible, he got an answer, too.

"If we have time, we'll answer just about anything. We helped him cook that turkey because we knew that single dad might run into something else in the future, and we wanted him to feel comfortable calling us back," said Diana Malmquist, United Way of Ventura County director of community impact funding.

Volunteers answer calls from teenagers with drug abuse issues, from mothers with child abuse tendencies and from people in need of shelter, medical, dental, transportation, employment or legal assistance.

The 211 service is open 24 hours a day, seven days a week. It's been operating in Ventura County for about two years.

"This program is a success. It provides a terrific service," said David Smith, Ventura County United Way president.

It was the first 211 service in California, he said. Now the program is in place in 11 counties and around the nation. Volunteers get about 1,600 calls a month in Ventura County alone.

"We've accomplished all that we hoped for," Smith said.

Those who need rental, utility, or food and shelter information will get referrals to local places that may help them find relief.

Senior citizens and those who are victims of elder abuse can also find answers, Malmquist said.

"We hook them up with services," Malmquist said.

People who are upset or crying are comforted. Children are listened to. Those who are disabled are helped.

"Sometimes a senior citizen will call because they have gotten an exorbitantly high utility bill they can't afford to pay and they don't know what to do," said Elane Martinez Curry, 211 director.

Someone homebound due to illness recently called because they needed someone to come to their house to change their bandages, Curry said.

"We help these people connect with an agency that can help them," Curry said.