Beginning in May, New Yorkers will have 24-hour, seven-day-a-week access to a team of 30 specially trained operators dedicated to helping callers with social service-related requests in what is now the nation’s largest social service information and referral call center - 3-1-1.
I have announced the expansion of the city’s 3-1-1 customer service center to provide a simple entry-point for New Yorkers seeking information and referrals about social services on Monday April 21.
We have also launched a seven-language public outreach campaign, which highlights the expanded services New Yorkers are now able to learn about - now they can “3-1-1 it.”
New York is lucky to have the largest network of non-profit health and human services agencies anywhere. However, sometimes the very size of this network can make it difficult to connect to the services you need, and all too often the information you need is only available during business hours.
One of the great benefits of 3-1-1 is that it’s available all the time - 24-hours-a-day, seven-days-a-week. And if it can be such a useful and powerful tool in repairing potholes and fixing traffic lights, it could do an equally effective job helping people in need. We want that to be true for all the social service-related requests we get, too.
“This complement to 3-1-1 continues to target some of the city’s most at-risk populations of children under age 5, disconnected youth and the working poor, as identified by the Center for Economic Opportunity,” said Deputy Mayor for Health and Human Services Linda I. Gibbs. “Thirty call takers are specially trained to handle complex health and human services issues, and will respond to inquiries, as well as make the referrals to the appropriate city agency or one of our many community-based partners.”
Also being unveiled is a public outreach campaign, which highlights the new, expanded services New Yorkers are now able to learn about, but can also access them by calling 3-1-1. The campaign will feature the familiar 3-1-1 logo, introduce a new 3-1-1 tagline: “Your city. Your needs. Your number,” and tell New Yorkers they can, for example: 3-1-1 senior services; 3-1-1 your noisy neighbor; 3-1-1 graffiti cleanup; 3-1-1 food assistance; 3-1-1 domestic violence counseling, or 3-1-1 a tree request.
The new black and yellow ads, designed by NYC & Company, will appear in English, Arabic, Chinese, Haitian Creole, Korean, Russian and Spanish and will be displayed in bus shelters, on subways, street banners, and in other locations throughout the city. While most of the examples of what 3-1-1 can do appear in multiple languages, social programs like accessing immigration and naturalization services that are predominantly used by immigrants appear more often in the non-English ads. The city’s taxi cabs and official vehicles will receive new bumper stickers reflecting this campaign.
“United Way of New York City is so proud to be the city’s partner in bringing 2-1-1 services to New York City via the gateway of 3-1-1,” said United Way of New York City President and CEO Gordon J. Campbell. “Through expanded 3-1-1, New Yorkers will now be able to easily access nonprofits and nongovernmental social service agencies in all five boroughs, whether to obtain assistance and services for themselves, a loved one or a friend. Callers will be not only be given contact information, they will be assisted in accessing an enhanced set of appropriate services.”
“Back in 2002, envisioning a city more accessible than ever to its customers, the 3-1-1 system was created to make it happen,” said Department of Technology and Telecommunications Commissioner Paul J. Cosgrave. “Five years and 62 million calls later, 3-1-1 continues to make a difference for New Yorkers - from child care to senior services and everything in between. Just “3-1-1” what you’re looking for, and we’ll be here to answer the call.”
Michael Bloomberg is the mayor of the city of New York.
