SAN DIEGO - More than 350,000 calls go unanswered every month from San Diego residents needing food stamps, according to a county report obtained by U-T San Diego.
The problem was highlighted in an internal study that found five out of six calls to the phone network don't get through to the county's call center or face a wait time of more than 30 minutes, the U-T San Diego reported.
The county plans to address the issue by almost tripling its call center staff, increasing the number of phone lines to 192, and repairing its aging phone software, the study said.
Ellen Yaffa with the Social Advocates for Youth San Diego (SAY) said their non-profit organization's phone bank has exploded with angry and frustrated residents after they were not able to access the county.
SAY is a full service community organization group specializing in connecting neighbors with the right services, including helping people apply for food stamps.
“We are here to help,” said Yaffa. “Our agency has the people to pick up the phone and the staff to see if you qualify for these services."
SAY said they have been able to manage the extra calls and cases, while reducing the burden to the county.
The problem was highlighted in an internal study that found five out of six calls to the phone network don't get through to the county's call center or face a wait time of more than 30 minutes, the U-T San Diego reported.
The county plans to address the issue by almost tripling its call center staff, increasing the number of phone lines to 192, and repairing its aging phone software, the study said.
Ellen Yaffa with the Social Advocates for Youth San Diego (SAY) said their non-profit organization's phone bank has exploded with angry and frustrated residents after they were not able to access the county.
SAY is a full service community organization group specializing in connecting neighbors with the right services, including helping people apply for food stamps.
“We are here to help,” said Yaffa. “Our agency has the people to pick up the phone and the staff to see if you qualify for these services."
SAY said they have been able to manage the extra calls and cases, while reducing the burden to the county.
