The Heat is On!

I know it's been awhile since my last post...mea culpa. Before we get into the Frequently Asked Questions, I thought I'd highlight a valuable service provided by a couple of agencies in our county.

Here in Riverside County we have extreme heat warnings during the summer. During these extended periods of heat senior citizens, young children, and people with certain health challenges are particularly susceptible to heat-related problems. To compound the difficulties many people in this vulnerable group lack the financial resources to run their air conditioning/ fan(s) sufficiently to protect them. In response to this situation, two agencies in Riverside County have established Cool Centers in which affected individuals can obtain relief from the heat. The City of Riverside has a list of 17 Cool Centers throught the city of Riverside. Community Action Partnership has a list of 44 Cool Centers throughout the county.

In an effort to serve the community, 2-1-1 Riverside County has compiled a list of all the Cool Centers in our county. We have created a document known as a focus page with this list. It has hyperlinks with further information on each Cool Center such as hours of operation, eligibility, address and phone number. We hope that the information will be another tool in protecting the health and well-being of the most vulnerable members of our society. We invite you to visit our focus page via the following link (looks like a line but really is a link):

Cool Centers 2008


If the hyperlink is not visible, just use the Cool Center 2008 link in our favorite links section on the right of this blog.

Until next we blog.

How it works

From any landline in Riverside County (and some wireless providers as well), community members can dial 2-1-1 toll-free or (800) 464-1123 when they have a need. On the other end a number of trained Information/Referral Specialists expertly match the caller's need with the best resources in the caller's area. The goal is not to become a clone of 4-1-1, but rather to ascertain how best to help the caller receive what she/he needs. Sometimes in asking questions the Information/Referral Specialist can discover a need the caller had not identified initially and help meet it as well.

Our next post will highlight some of the frequently asked questions we receive at 2-1-1.

What is it?

2-1-1 is a national program created jointly the Alliance of Information & Referral Systems (AIRS) and the United Way of America to provide information and referral to people in need of non-emergency, basic human services such as food, shelter and childcare. The program was intended to relieve 9-1-1 of non-emergencies in order to focus on emergency calls. CAIRS (California Alliance of Information & Referral Systems) is the state affiliate of AIRS.

In February 2004 an application was submitted to the Public Utilities Commission (PUC) by the Volunteer Center of Riverside County (VCRC) and accepted on August 4, 2005. Through the continued hard work of those committed to the vision of 2-1-1, VCRC formally launched 2-1-1 Riverside County on July 1, 2005.

2-1-1 is a three-digit phone number designated by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), reserved for information and referral. By dialling 2-1-1 callers will speak to a trained specialist who can provide information and referrals regarding health, human and social services 24 hours, 7 days a week.

Our next post will be less formal and begin to highlight:

1. Different aspects of 2-1-1's service to Riverside County residents
2. Some of the programs and agencies in our Database
3. Frequently-asked questions
4. Upcoming events