Washoe311 is the county’s resident service call center, answering inquiries from residents and managing public records requests and internal reporting. When the pandemic hit our community in March 2020, Washoe311 expanded its service to provide support to the Washoe County Health District’s COVID-19 hotline. In February 2020, Washoe311 received 448 calls; in March 2020 it received 6,226 calls.
“COVID-19 challenged us to expand, adapt, and reinvent the call center. Our staff are highly trained professionals, and we’re proud of the service they provide to the community,” County Manager Eric Brown said.
The call center employs four communications professionals who respond to inquiries via phone, email, and voice mail during business hours. Some of the top questions that they receive include COVID-19 testing and vaccination, building permits and inspections, voter registration and a large variety of road concerns during the winter. Washoe311 is the main hub for public records requests for the county as well. The Washoe311 website also gives further insight into the services that they provide and the opportunity to submit requests online.
Washoe County recently partnered with Crisis Support Services of Nevada (CSSNV) to field inquiries after hours and on weekends. CSSNV provides 24/7 support to the community via call or text for anyone experiencing a personal crisis across Nevada. CCSNV is also the call center for the Human Services Agency’s child-abuse hotline.
”We at Crisis Support Services of Nevada are so happy to be collaborating with Washoe311 and Human Services Agency to ensure that Washoe County residents get the services they need,” CSSNV Executive Director Rachelle L. Pellissier, MPA, said. ”This collaboration provides an excellent nexus for resident inquiries, child-abuse hotline, and crisis calls, and enables CCSNV to provide even more service to the community, as well as provides for ‘no wrong door’ when Washoe County residents are seeking vital services.”
In 2020, Washoe311 and its after-hours service fielded nearly 47,000 inquiries, more than three-fold its call volume in 2019. The staff has answered calls throughout the pandemic, civil unrest, wildfires and floods. On March 11 (3/11), Washoe County invites residents to recognize the people on the other end of the phone line, those serving the community at Washoe311.
For more information on Washoe311 and to browse its knowledge database, visit www.washoecounty.us/311.
Crisis Support Services of Nevada:
Call 1 (800) 273-8255
Text CARE to 839863
Reporting child abuse and neglect 1 (833) 900-7233
