Winter had arrived and Magnolia's apartment had no heat. The single mother with two children had few warm clothes and no warm blankets. Where could she turn?

211 was the answer. With 211 contacts with the Salvation Army, Catholic Charities and Interface Children Family Services, Magnolia received blankets and warm clothing for her youngsters. Her story is just one of thousands that have surfaced over the past two years since the launch of Ventura County's three-digit, easy-to-remember 211 telephone hotline. Magnolia's story reflects the positive impact that 211 delivers across Ventura County every day.

For those who have yet to hear about 211, some background information is in order. The first 211 service was established in Atlanta 10 years ago. In 2000, the federal government mandated 211 as the national three-digit phone number designed to provide critical health and human service information. Since then, 211 programs have proliferated, so that 211 service is now available to approximately 175 million Americans in 35 states, the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico.

In California, the first 211 program was developed in Ventura County through a partnership of the United Way of Ventura County, Interface Children Family Services and First 5 Ventura County. Since our program's launch Feb. 11, 2005, nine additional counties have gone live with 211 service, including Santa Clara County, which is becoming the 10th county today. The result is that, while two years ago, 211 didn't exist in our state, today, nearly 70 percent of the state's residents have access to it.

Magnolia's case is typical of the types of calls the Ventura County 211 call center receives daily — calls that focus on domestic violence, counseling needs, substance-abuse concerns, health issues, financial assistance, support for youth, elder abuse and the like.

According to year-end statistics, last year, the Ventura County call center handled a total of 19,428 calls, which was an increase of 13 percent over 2005. The months with the highest call volume were January, with 1,768 calls, and September, with 1,747 calls, with a monthly average of 1,619 calls.

Although 211 is serving all corners of our county, Oxnard continues to issue the greatest demand, with 5,644 calls in 2006 — 29 percent of all calls received by the call center. Ventura was second in call volume activity, followed by Simi Valley, Camarillo and Thousand Oaks.

While Ventura County's 211 line can provide support in more than 150 languages, calls in English have been predominant — 86 percent; followed by about 13 percent in Spanish.

What about the future of 211? Clearly the demand for 211 service will continue to increase. Critical health and human service needs in our community aren't evaporating. But, there is concern about the long-term financial sustainability of the 211 program. This year's financial needs for the call center, operated 24 hours a day, seven days a week, by Interface, topped $575,000. United Way and First 5 Ventura County contributed $200,000 and $100,000, respectively, in support of 211, with additional funds coming through grants, private donations and support from the business community.

More help will be needed in the future. United Way hopes it will come in the form of federal legislation that has been winding its way through the halls of Congress for the past three terms. If passed, the bipartisan "Calling for 211 Act" could provide as much as $150 million annually in matching funds to 211 programs across our nation. Federal funds could augur state funding in support of 211.

As always, thank you for your support of the United Way of Ventura County, and over the past two years, for your support of 211.

— David M. Smith is president and chief executive officer of the United Way of Ventura County.