WASHINGTON — As crime rose in the District last year, advocates called for better access to social services to help prevent it. D.C. responded by launching a 211 "warmline" — and people are dialing in.
A spokesperson for the Office of the Deputy Mayor for Health and Human Services said in the first month since its October soft launch, the warmline received 785 connected calls.
The warmline is a partnership between the Child and Family Services Agency and the Office of Unified Communication.
They said the top reasons for the calls were housing and shelter, utilities, food assistance, income support and benefits navigation.
“Anything that will help people reach out; anything that will be easier to improve access to the services that are available in the community, I think that's very, very positive," Juanita Price, Executive Director of Hillcrest Children and Family Center, said.
The center she leads is one of the organizations operators connect callers with who dial into 211. Some of the other groups include Edgewood/Brookland Family Supportive Collaborative and Family Success Centers.
That DMHHS spokesperson said these centers provide an array of services that include case management, parenting education, therapy and psychiatric evaluation, substance use disorder intervention, housing assistance, and more.
The Hillcrest Children and Family Center focuses on behavioral health care and social services, which they've been providing for more than 200 years.
Price said the center was founded in 1815 by Dolly Madison and Marcia Van Ness, the original goal being to provide services for orphans from the War of 1812. She said that makes the center one of the oldest social services agencies in the United States.
“We have passion for our work, and we try to show up every day with the purpose to serve the community," Price said.
Price said they offer counseling, therapy, intensive clinical services, psychiatric services, supportive housing and employment, even school-based services for children. She said they're currently working with 25 schools throughout the District.
“We try to help people to understand that mental illness is in no way a death sentence, that you can recover, you can thrive, you can accomplish," Price said.
Hillcrest Children and Family Center's work was honored just last year, with Price earning the National Council for Mental Wellbeing's Lifetime Achievement Award.
D.C. wants residents to have access to distinguished services like theirs, so this soft launch is just the beginning of what they hope the 211 line accomplishes.
A D.C. spokesperson said this year, they plan to focus on adding violence intervention measures to the 211 services.
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