On April 1, the Sunnyvale City Council unanimously adopted a resolution in support of creating a 211 referral phone number to serve the residents of Santa Clara County. Council member Manuel Valerio was not present.

The referral service will provide information on housing or programs for people with disabilities or in need of counseling services.

On Feb. 13, the California Public Utilities Commission voted to implement the 211 referral line as a nationwide referral number for information on social, welfare and health services and authorized individual counties to start their local planning.

City and county officials came together to discuss the use of 211 in Silicon Valley last year and formed the Silicon Valley 211 Steering Committee.

"This is an educational, single-purpose number people can call for a range of human services," said Mary Davey, chair of the steering committee.

"The Federal Communications Commission originally initiated 211 in an attempt to stop the frustration of people during social crises," Davey said.

Serving as a link between the public and social service providers, 211 can refer callers to emergency food, shelter and other services in the event of a major disaster such as an earthquake or terrorist attack. The 211 number will also offer assistance on a variety of social issues, such as homelessness, spousal abuse and health problems.

However, for medical or other emergencies requiring the help of police or the fire department, 911 is still the number to call.

Capt. Byron Pipkin, special operations officer for the Sunnyvale Department of Public Safety, said that since the 211 line is intended for social services, 911 operators will still handle a large volume of emergency calls.

"One idea behind the 211 program is that it will reduce the number of 911 calls. But we don't anticipate that it will reduce 911 calls for us," Pipkin said.

The 211 service is a good idea nonetheless, he said, and could prove to be a valuable resource.

Council member Fred Fowler said he agrees, even though the economy is bad and funding sources are as yet undecided. "Whether times are good or times are bad, these services are needed," Fowler said.

When residents call 211, they may be referred to nonprofit organizations in their area. This helps nonprofit agencies connect with the people they hope to serve, Fowler said.

According to Davey, so far 211 is available in 20 states, and it will reach 50 percent of the population by the end of 2005. The 211 service will be free to callers. Supervisors of Santa Clara County are expected to consider partially funding the $1.7 million cost in the 2004 budget.