FAQ #2 — Since you're part of the county, could you put in a good word for me?

2-1-1 Riverside County is a service of the Volunteer Center of Riverside County. Upon hearing this many people assume this means that we are a county agency. Sometimes a caller needing a specific service will ask us to use our influence to assist him/her in some way. It is then that we have to explain that our agency is actually a private non-profit. We have no ties to the county (though we often refer people to county departments). This means that if a community member or caller is frustrated with some particular service provider within the county, the only power we have is to listen and document. We cannot actually hold any county agency accountable. This also means that if people have concerns about 2-1-1, taking these concerns to the County will not be very useful either. Our position as an outside agency allows 2-1-1 to advocate for the public by giving people the best possible information available to us. After all, our mission statement reads:
2-1-1 Riverside County: The primary link between our neighbors in need and the quality of life they strive to achieve.