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Amid this sweeping pandemic, our community faces fear, confusion, and isolation alongside the coronavirus. Interface is part of the community with you. That is why Interface is working around the clock to expand 2-1-1 Ventura County – a resource for anyone, anytime – because:
As you read this, we are expanding 2-1-1 Ventura County, furiously adding more call specialists, to combat the fear, confusion and isolation that are byproducts of the coronavirus pandemic. A little over one week ago, the Governor urged business closures and older residents and those with medical risks to shelter at home. Within hours the calls coming in started to shift. Anxiety about the virus shifted overnight to seniors calling about their inability to secure food, calls about lost jobs, predatory landlords demanding early rent payments. We knew these calls were coming, but the dramatic shift surprised even us.
Then later in the week Ventura County officials called upon 2-1-1 at Interface to quickly assume the public health hotline during the COVID-19 crisis. And we are answering that call – because that’s what we do. But in truth, we don’t yet know just how we are going to do it. That’s why we need you.
As you read this, we are onboarding 50 new call specialists, all trained to work remotely as the safest approach for themselves and our community. Our 2-1-1 is ramping up – last week we fielded 12,000 calls. This next week we’re going to take 24,000 calls and texts from all over California.
At the same time, we understand the impact the current COVID-19 crisis is having on families – including yours. Families experiencing abuse will see a heightened risk because of the added stress and social distancing. We are still meeting our clients’ needs for mental health care and domestic violence intervention by using innovative methods and modifying our approach to provide more services via telecommunication at this time.
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We need your support now more than ever so we can stretch this vital community resource and service we’ve built at 2-1-1 Ventura County to meet this moment and the months of recovery to come. The experience we have at 2-1-1 is deep and hard-earned. Walking through disasters with our fellow community members isn’t necessarily the experience we wanted, but we have it, and today we are using 2-1-1 to comfort and guide our community 24/7 through this unprecedented pandemic.
Please help us answer this call – all the calls. Help be the reason we say, “Yes!” Our community and state face an incredible challenge. Please join us as we face it, fight it, and overcome it together.
Gratefully,
