Supervisors to Consider 5-Year Contract for 211 Service

RIVERSIDE, CA - County supervisors Tuesday will consider a proposed five-year contract with a Riverside-based firm to provide 24-hour 211 call center service, connecting parties with government agencies and nonprofits that can help them with a variety of needs.

The agreement with Community Connect, slated for discussion on the Board of Supervisors' policy agenda, stipulates a "sole source provider" award to the company to handle 211 referrals until June 30, 2021, at a maximum cost of $410,000, or $82,000 a year.

The current contract with Community Connect expires at the end of the current fiscal year -- June 30.

Community Connect was designated by the California Public Utilities Commission in 2004 to serve as the county's 211 provider, under the supervision of the Riverside County Department of Public Social Services.

Call center specialists are trained to refer 211 callers to agencies and nonprofits best able to assist them with obtaining Medi-Cal benefits, veterans aid, food stamps, disability care and free or low-cost transportation.

Specialists are also trained in crisis intervention, much like suicide hotline operators, and can additionally field child, dependent adult and senior abuse complaints.

Under the proposed agreement, all calls must be logged, noting callers' zip codes, needs and whether they received referrals.

In the previous five-year period, Community Connect received an average 9,000 calls annually, the vast majority of them related to accessing the CalFresh program, which is part of the federal Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, documents stated.

Additional 211 information is available at http://www.connectriverside.org/ .

— By City News Service.