2-1-1 SLO County

San Luis Obispo County has a long history of providing 24-hour referral and support services to those in need. Incorporated in 1970, Hotline of San Luis Obispo County recruited and trained volunteers to answer information, referral, crisis and support calls 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year.
 
In 1998 the Alliance of Information and Referral Systems (AIRS), United Way of America, United Way 2-1-1 (Atlanta, GA), United Way of Connecticut, Florida Alliance of Information and Referral Services, Inc. and Texas Information and Referral Network filed a petition for nationwide assignment of an abbreviated dialing code for access to community information and referral services; two years later the Federal Communications Commission, in a unanimous decision, concluded that “assigning an N11 code for such purposes is in the national interest.” Since that time, communities and states across the country have been implementing 2-1-1 systems into their infrastructure, allowing them to connect residents with important health and human service resources, as well as provide disaster-related information in times of natural or man-made disasters.
 
In SLO County, Hotline implemented 2-1-1 in 2007. Unfortunately, due to limited funding streams, Hotline was forced to close its doors in 2009. To preserve these important services, United Way of San Luis Obispo County and Transitions-Mental Health Association stepped in; today, information and referral calls are still answered by knowledgeable, bilingual call specialists, and Transitions provides more in-depth crisis and support counseling when callers have immediate mental health needs.
 
2-1-1 services in SLO County would not be possible, however, without tremendous support from the community; we would like to thank the following organizations for their contributions.

For additional information about 2-1-1 SLO County, please contact the United Way office at (805) 541-1234 or email 211@unitedwayslo.org; click on the links to download an 11x17” poster or 8.5x11” flier. To get help, dial 2-1-1 to speak to a call specialist.