2-1-1 Kern County

Connecting people with information

Everyone experiences emergencies from time to time. For some Kern County residents, however, each day is a struggle for financial stability and independence. When an emergency hits, they need somewhere to turn for help.

2-1-1 is an easy to remember phone number that connects individuals with resources in our community. With approximately 3,000 nonprofit organizations in Kern County, plus scores of government agencies, finding help can be confusing and intimidating. People who need help often do not know where to begin.

2-1-1 centers are staffed by trained specialists who quickly assess the callers' needs and refer them to the help they seek including services for rent assistance, food banks, affordable housing, health resources, child care, after-school programs, elderly care, financial literacy, and job-training programs.

It's simple to remember, accessible to everyone at no cost, available 24 / 7 with multilingual capabilities.

Here in Kern County, Community Action Partnership of Kern is the 2-1-1 call center. United Way of Kern County currently provides $100,000 per year in funding for the 2-1-1 effort.

National 2-1-1 Website

Examples of 2-1-1 Services

Food and Housing Resources: food banks, clothing, housing and rental and mortgage assistance.
Health Services: access to health care for the uninsured or under-insured, prenatal care, medical information lines.
Mental Health and Crisis Support: crisis intervention, counseling, substance abuse assessment and treatment.
Income Support: Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) assistance, job training, and education programs.
Help for Seniors and People with Disabilities: adult day care, Meals on Wheels, respite care, home health care, and transportation.
Resources for Children and Families: child care, after school programs, family resource centers, and tutoring.
Emergency and Disaster Response: including information, volunteer screening and charitable contributions options.

2-1-1 Protects Public Safety in Emergencies and Disasters

Relieves 9-1-1 call volume, allowing faster response to emergency calls.
When disasters strike, 2-1-1 plays a major role fielding non-emergency calls, which leaves 9-1-1 operators free to handle true emergencies.
California 2-1-1 operators pitched in to help evacuees from Hurricanes Ike and Gustav. Read more about it.
2-1-1 is in the Federal Bioterrorism Act, part of infrastructure needed for disaster preparedness.

2-1-1 Reduces Taxpayer Costs

Directs non-emergency calls away from the more costly 9-1-1.
Efficiently uses limited resources by streamlining the referral process, and reduces costs associated with statewide 800 numbers.
Achieving statewide 2-1-1 coverage will require approximately $2 million investment in infrastructure, data integration and networking.
State-wide total annual operating costs estimated at $30 million.
2-1-1 will save the state millions annually when fully operational.
2-1-1 in Southern California handled 130,000 calls in the 5 days after the Oct 2007 wild fires. Go to Trial By Fire to see how 2-1-1's regional response underrscored the need for this State-wide network.