Letters to the Editor: Provide a boost to L.A. County’s 211 hotline to help the homeless

To the editor: Carla Hall writes of her difficult experience trying to obtain shelter for a homeless woman, who was also a victim of domestic violence, using the 211 hotline.

As Los Angeles County’s official information and referral service, 211 is deeply frustrated. We are critically underfunded, and the homeless support system we connect people to is broken and inadequate to the task of providing homeless people with the services they need. It is heartbreaking to tell desperate people there is no other help.

We stand ready to work with the county to ensure that the 450,000 individuals and families we serve each year can actually connect to an effective system.

Robert Liljenwall, San Gabriel

The writer is president of 211 LA County Inc.