Lake County relaunches 211 service with new website, contractor and outreach plans

Terry Lockson, Chief Climate Resiliency Officer and Tribal Liaison for Lake County, briefed the Board of Supervisors on the relaunch of 211 Lake County, saying the service now has an updated website and renewed county oversight.

Lockson said the county’s contractor is Interface Children and Family Services, based in Ventura County, which maintains national and local resource databases and staffs a 24/7 operation. "You can call, text, or contact them through the website, which again is 211lake.org," Lockson said, adding the contractor employs roughly 90 staff and that a Lake County–dedicated team will curate local resources with ongoing updates (Lockson said the local database will be updated at least once a year and that updates have been ongoing).

The relaunch preserves incident-focused response: Lockson described a separate incident site (211now.com) that will aggregate emergency information and allow the contractor to scale staffing during disasters. She said 211 has been used for public safety power shutoffs (PSPS) and care coordination; 17 PSPS-related care-coordination cases were opened in 2025, she said.

Lockson listed current special projects and partnerships including PG&E care coordination for customers with access and functional needs, a statewide hate-incident reporting database, and referrals for tobacco-cessation support through the Kick It California project, which Lockson said concludes at the end of the month. She also described optional opt-in text alerts for food-distribution updates and for notifications when cooling or warming centers open; those alerts carry a per-notification fee that a partner group identified in the presentation will cover for several years.

Board members asked about outreach and ensuring local jurisdictions and tribal programs are represented in the database. Supervisor Cebatia suggested using unused highway/Caltrans digital signs to publicize 211 and asked whether there is a process for cities and tribes to submit contact information. Lockson said she will inquire about signage and will raise tribal participation at an upcoming Tribal Leaders breakfast, noting some tribal programs are restricted to tribal members and may not be appropriate for public listing unless the tribe requests it. She said agencies can submit resource information through an online location on the 211 site and that county staff will meet with departments to avoid duplicate listings.

A member of the public who identified herself as Mylene said she had never heard of 211 Lake and asked whether the service has a Facebook page and what homelessness and housing services are listed. Lockson explained the site is a searchable database and that callers who need rent or housing help are referred to local organizations that provide those services.

Supervisor Paiske said the relaunch increases accessibility for residents who do not use social media and described 211 as a 'concierge service' for finding local supports. Lockson said printed collateral would be available in the county lobby and digital materials can be requested from the website.

No motion or vote was recorded on the presentation; the board opened the item for public comment, heard one speaker, and concluded the item without formal action.