The 211 information and referral line is free and confidential 24/7, serving 13 counties across the Central Florida area — including Orange, Seminole and Osceola but also Citrus, Collier, DeSoto, Hardee, Highlands and more. The helpline operators are connecting callers with available resources and information on shelters and housing assistance; sandbags and tarps; food, clothing and hygiene locations; special needs registry and medical supplies; and emotional and crisis support. Crucially, you’ll talk to a trained and qualified human being, not an AI or clunky automated menu.
Orlando Weekly spoke to Catherine Rea, VP of 211 & Crisis Services, about the 211 helpline on Wednesday afternoon, ahead of Hurricane Milton’s landfall in Central Florida.
Collectively, how are you and your staff holding up? I’m assuming this is going to be a very, very long night.
Catherine Rea: We’re holding up well. We have a very large team of about 70 staff members here at 211 in Crisis Services. We all work remote, and we’re all prepared as the best we can be, fielding calls and getting people the information they need. Usually, the peak of our calls are pre-storm and then again, post-storm.
What is the skillset of a 211 operator-specialist?
We call them specialists in their training because we’re not only a 211 information referral contact center, but we’re also the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline Center. All of our specialists are extensively trained in information and referral, and then also in crisis and suicide intervention services.
What’s your current call volume like, and do you expect an uptick in the next seven or eight hours?
We saw the peak in our calls Monday and Tuesday, as people are preparing because they want to know where the sandbag locations are, evacuations and shelter, water, all those things pre-storm. Today, we’re seeing the call volume actually decreasing steadily, which is always a good sign. That means people are hunkering down and hopefully in place and safe. We always see a major upsurge post-storm, so we will likely see an uptick in calls, greatly likely tomorrow and Friday, and then into the next week.
How do your operators keep on top of dynamically shifting situations, like, for instance, this center is suddenly out of sandbags, this shelter is full, etc. There is a lot of information fog to cut through.
That’s a good question. Number one is that we’ve been here a long time serving our communities in Florida, as well as we have points of contact in each of our service areas that update us with any resources and program changes. Because, to your point, yes, resources and programs come and go very quickly. We have a resources team on our staff that monitor those and update our resource database as we go, on a regular and ongoing basis. That provides the updates for directly for our specialists. So when a call comes in, they have the most up-to-date information on providers and programs.
And you are available 24 hours a day?
That’s, I guess I’d say, the beauty of 211. It’s not a Google search. If you dial 211, you’re able 24/7 to talk to a real person to help guide you to any information or resources you, your loved ones or family may need. So yes, we are available, and we are operational, and we’ll be working through the storm and through the evening.
There’s value in talking to an actual human, especially when you consider how many automated menus folks are going to have to deal with over the next few days.
Absolutely. Also, we’re a blended Crisis Center, so if people call 211 for information, referral, or if they are in crisis, we don’t make them hang up and dial 988. Because our specialists are all extensively cross-trained, we can handle those calls.
Would you talk a little bit about the emotional support services offered by 211 operators?
We’re here to help the community, whether it’s through crisis support or a simple referral. And many people, I think, don’t realize that though they may be calling about shelter or sandbags, through a simple conversation with one of our specialists, they may come to realize that they qualify for other services that are available out there. We like to do a holistic approach with our callers and our contacts.
I should mention that it’s not just calling. We’re available 24/7 at 211 via phone, or you can text your zip code to 898211, and we can do live texting with our specialists to get those resources texted out as well. We also offer email and chat services, and we have a wonderful online database at our website at Heart of Florida United Way. It’s the exact same database our specialists use. So when they’re updated, that’s updated and it’s very easy to use as well.
Is there anything, generally, you want to say to your community base ahead of Milton hitting our area?
We’re available 24/7, Orange County also has [the] 311 [helpline], and they are a wonderful partner of ours. They cover Orange County services as well. But they use us a lot, and we work together a lot as well. We just want to get the word out that we are fully operational through the storm, and after the storm. And also, I would like to give a shout-out to our team members. We have a team of about 70, and we’re all working remote, and they’re doing a wonderful job, and they are seasoned professionals.
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This article appears in Oct 9-15, 2024.