Aside from our Intake and Assessment hotline, one of the ways that we on the frontline try to assist as many clients as possible is through a call-back system. This past month, instead of answering calls in our hotline queues, I worked on call-backs. Through the call-back system we connect with individuals who contacted us for help through either our website’s online intake system or via referrals from organizations like Stay Housed L.A. and out-of-state legal aid services programs.
The call-back system has continued to grow each month as more clients find out about it. It is an easier way to get started and allows them to pick their preferred call-back time (although it is important to note that these referrals get three call-back attempts before we stop making attempts).
In this blog post, the client intake I’ll be focusing on comes from a Stay Housed L.A. referral we received. This client was facing an unlawful detainer (eviction notice) and I believe it is an important intake to highlight since it is a good example of how helpful the referral and call-back process can be for clients.
On April 25th, I received a referral from Stay Housed L.A. for Marlene (fictitious name), who had indicated that their preferred contact time was “anytime,” so I attempted to contact her later in the day. She answered but said it wasn’t a good time for her, so we decided to begin the intake the following morning. Marlene, who had recently started a job, was happy to hear we were able to work with her availability and that it wouldn’t have to disrupt her work schedule.
As we agreed, I contacted Marlene the next day and we completed the intake. Through the intake process, we were able to determine she was just served the unlawful detainer on April 25th, giving her more than enough time to get some advice and file her response before her deadline.
About two to three hours after our initial call, I called Marlene again and was not only able to read her the advice, but also to schedule an appointment for her to get assistance with filing her response before her deadline. Marlene ended the call stating how grateful she was for our services and the fact that we were able to get to her in such quick succession from the point when she initially made her referral with Stay Housed L.A.
The ability to either reach us and our services through external referrals or our online intake system is a great help for so many of our clients who may not be able to do so through the regular Intake and Assessment hotline telephone queue.
