Unhoused People Who Call 211 For Emergency Winter Shelter Should Expect Long Wait Times, If They Can Get Through At All

People without shelter could face another round of long wait times to find beds through the 211 hotline as yet another strong storm barrels toward Southern California this weekend.

At the peak of the most recent atmospheric river, people were waiting an average of three hours to reach a 211 operator and get connected to a bed, if they got through at all.

The city of Los Angeles and L.A. County, which funds the nonprofit 211 hub, were notified about the long wait times, frustrated callers, insufficient funding, and inaccurate availability more than eight months ago. However, limited steps were taken to fix those concerns before the Augmented Winter Shelter Program was activated again earlier this month, leaving advocates frustrated with the official response to extreme weather events.

How 211 weathered the last storm

When LAist called 211 on Feb. 5 as the second atmospheric river was pummeling the region, it took three hours and 30 minutes to get through to someone.

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That was a little longer than the average experience for most callers that day and the Sunday before, according to Amy Latzer, the chief operating officer for 211 LA.

More than 12,500 calls came through from Feb. 1 through Feb. 13, but with just 13 operators, they were only able to answer 38% of them.

“That means during the peak, you're never going to have more than maybe nine people answering calls, and there's thousands of calls coming in for assistance,” she added.

Latzer said they just don’t have the capacity.

In a May 2023 report sent to the city, county, and the Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority (LAHSA), 211 LA outlined major operational challenges from the 2022-23 winter shelter season, including having only “one-third of the resources necessary to handle the call volume.”

They had 17 operators available during that time period, which is four more than this season, but just a third of what the report said is necessary to staff 211 around the clock.

The average wait time was 55 minutes, but the longest was more than 13 hours and 25 minutes, which the report said caused anger and frustration among callers.

Overall, 211 said it’s clear the response was insufficient to meet demand, and the report made a dozen recommendations to better prepare for the next weather-activated emergency.

“I don't think we got a response from anyone,” Latzer said. “I think there was acknowledgement — like received, thank you — but there really wasn’t any action.”

Communication did improve this time around, the availability was updated more frequently, and the hundreds of beds and vouchers the city and county added were critical, Latzer said, however, she noted that the need far outstrips the resources available.

LAHSA’s response

The 388 beds that were available through LAHSA’s Seasonal Winter Program were at capacity, and all the 459 additional beds through the Augmented Winter Shelter Program were used, according to Ahmad Chapman, the agency’s communications director.

LAist asked LAHSA about its reaction to last year’s 211 LA report, the concerns the report raised — such as long wait times and insufficient resources — and if any steps have been taken to implement their recommendations.

“LAHSA works with 211-LA in its capacity as the region’s official information and referral line operator, as designated by L.A. County,” was the only written response to the questions.

L.A. County Supervisor Lindsey Horvath, who is also chair of the LAHSA Commission, said in a statement to LAist she’s looking to ensure 211 is adequately staffed.

“The wait times were too long and prevented all who called to seek shelter from receiving it,” she said in a statement.

What local officials are saying

L.A. City Councilmember Nithya Raman, whose fourth district covers parts of Silver Lake, Hollywood Hills, and Van Nuys, said only a fraction of the people her office referred to the Augmented Winter Shelter Program were able to get a temporary room, and some after most of the rain had passed.

Raman requested a verbal update from LAHSA and 211 at Friday’s council meeting about the shelter program and the improvements needed.

She asked what changes they’re making to prevent long wait times for future storms, and Latzer referred back to the 211 report.

Raman said she hadn’t seen the report and requested a copy.

She told LAist the report not being shared with members of the city council in advance of their budget process is one of the many ways in which the “fragmented system leads to ongoing challenges.” 

Raman said there needs to be stronger lines of communication between LAHSA, 211, and the city, and they need clarity on how to evaluate the response to make sure mistakes aren’t repeated. 

“I think what we need, particularly in the budget cycle, is greater flexibility to authorize spending for extreme weather events like what we saw last week,” she said. 

Raman said climate change is altering how the city experiences weather, so having the flexibility to respond to intensive rain, extreme heat, and other emergencies is an essential consideration for the next budget.

Advocates say Angelenos are stepping up

Pete White, the founder and co-executive director of the Los Angeles Community Action Network (LA CAN), told LAist they stopped referring people to 211 because it took “forever” to actually get an operator on the phone, and the information they provided wasn’t always reliable.

“It's damn near cruel and unusual punishment for people who are looking for help and you know you can't provide the help, but you're having them stay on phone calls,” he said.

But White said that in the absence of government help, regular people stepped up — warm blankets, tents, boots, tarps, and hot meal donations started pouring in.

“That is still so limited in scope,” White added. “There were still thousands upon thousands of Angelenos that just suffered with nothing.”