Move over, 911 and 411. The 211 social-services information line is ready to roll out Friday in Riverside, San Diego and several other Southern California counties.

Hoping to capitalize on the success and familiarity of the three-digit emergency and telephone information lines, promoters say 211 will become the number Riverside County residents think of when they need child care, help for elderly parents, assistance with utilities, counseling, housing, food or shelter.

At the same time, said Mary Salvador, chief executive officer for the Volunteer Center of Riverside County, there aren't so many similar numbers that the 211 debut might breed confusion with 911 and 411.

"Now, the last agency that takes the last '1-1' number, they might be worried," Salvador said with a chuckle.

The Volunteer Center of Riverside County was selected by the California Public Utilities Commission in August 2004 to be the 211 provider for Riverside County.

With Friday's debut, the 211 line will replace an 800 number in use for the volunteer center's existing telephone referral service for social service agencies. That line connects residents to 800 agencies that offer about 2,000 programs. The same information will be provided on the 211 line around the clock in both English and Spanish.

Because 211 will be easier for people to remember than a 10-digit 800 number, the center expects a sharp increase in calls over the next 12 months, Salvador said.

"We're expecting about 40,000 calls," she said. "That's double what we get right now. That's a guesstimate from what we've heard from other counties and states that have switched over to 211."

Salvador said 211 should eliminate the runaround that often accompanies a person's search for the right agency.

"They won't get so frustrated calling five or six places before they find the service that they need," Salvador said. "You might have an elderly mom who needs Meals on Wheels or adult care. Rather than start calling all the long-term care facilities, you can call 211 and get free access to the social service agencies that provide those services."

Besides opening up communication lines, the service will deliver detailed information on the needs of Riverside County residents that county and agency officials can call upon when designing programs, she said. Salvador said there will be an added benefit of taking pressure off 911, because about 30 percent of 911 calls are for nonemergencies.

In introducing 211, Riverside County will join San Diego, Orange, Los Angeles and Santa Barbara counties, which also plan to go on-line Friday. A program is up and running in Ventura County, which decided to make a splash with its startup date of Feb. 11. Across the nation, 211 already serves about 40 percent of Americans, or about 120 million people in 31 states, according to the Web site 211.org.

Riverside County's program is projected to cost $625,000 a year. Salvador said the center has received funding from grants, the county and three-fourths of Riverside County cities, which were asked to contribute 13 cents per resident. Temecula and Lake Elsinore voted to contribute, she said, and Canyon Lake will consider next week whether to do the same.

Murrieta City Manager Lori Moss said the City Council will take up the matter July 19.

Lake Elsinore Councilman Thomas Buckley said the new telephone service is worthy of support.

"211 helps people navigate the bureaucratic maze in dealing with government social service agencies," Buckley said. "Where 211 has been put in, in other places around the country in the past, nonemergency calls to 911 have dropped significantly. 211 takes away a lot of those calls. Therefore, it improves public safety."

Temecula Mayor Jeff Comerchero said the cost is minimal.

"It's a relatively small price to pay for the benefit that will be provided," Comerchero said.

Contact staff writer Dave Downey at (951) 676-4315, Ext. 2616, or ddowney@callifornian.com.