Press Release from Lower Columbia Community Action Program:
A new voice mail service provided by Lower Columbia Community Action Program (CAP) will soon help social service, government, healthcare, churches and other organizations to keep in touch with their clients in need.
CAP is the local host organization for the Cowlitz-Wahkiakum Community Voice Mail (CVM), the local affiliate of the Community Voice Mail Federation, headquartered in Seattle.
“For many people, Community Voice Mail serves as their only telephone connection to critical services such as housing, food, shelters and medical facilities,” said Mike Chapman, CVM Manager at CAP. “If someone is homeless, in transition or crisis, or perhaps needs confidentiality or protection due to domestic violence, CVM enables them to keep in contact with these services.”
CAP is currently promoting the service to local organizations for their clients.
“The key to ensuring that CVM is available to everyone who needs it is to have a large number of organizations that offer the service,” said Chapman.
CVM is simple to use for both an organization and their clients. CAP provides support, training and activity reports specific to the organization. Case workers at the organizations determine who qualifies for CVM. After a brief enrollment and training process, clients are provided with a unique telephone number that connects to their very own voice-mail system. They may provide their phone number to any organization, healthcare office, on their resume for employers, and even to family and friends.
Once a client’s CVM number is activated, case managers or others who have the phone number may call to leave important messages. Callers will not be able to tell the CVM system from any other telephone voice mail service. The client can call from any phone to receive their CVM messages. They may even respond to messages initiated by the organization that provides their CVM.
When the client no longer requires the voice mailbox, the organization can erase all messages in the mailbox and reassign it to another client.
Chapman says that CVM can provide a valuable service during times of disaster, emergency situations, or extreme weather conditions. “We have the ability to send a broadcast message to all CVM users. For example, when Hurricane Ike was bearing down on Houston, the local CVM manager sent a message to over 6,000 of the city’s homeless who were using the Community Voice Mail system, directing them to appropriate emergency shelters. A majority of them weren’t even aware of the impending hurricane.”
Nearly 50 organizations nationwide serve as CVM hosts to their regions, including sites in Los Angeles, Dallas, Houston, Chicago and New York. Collectively, they provided CVM service to over 60,000 people last year.
For more information about CVM, go to the CAP website (www.lowercolumbiacap.org), or contact Mike Chapman at 360-425-3430, Ext. 247, or mikec@lowercolumbiacap.org.
CAP is the local host organization for the Cowlitz-Wahkiakum Community Voice Mail (CVM), the local affiliate of the Community Voice Mail Federation, headquartered in Seattle.
“For many people, Community Voice Mail serves as their only telephone connection to critical services such as housing, food, shelters and medical facilities,” said Mike Chapman, CVM Manager at CAP. “If someone is homeless, in transition or crisis, or perhaps needs confidentiality or protection due to domestic violence, CVM enables them to keep in contact with these services.”
CAP is currently promoting the service to local organizations for their clients.
“The key to ensuring that CVM is available to everyone who needs it is to have a large number of organizations that offer the service,” said Chapman.
CVM is simple to use for both an organization and their clients. CAP provides support, training and activity reports specific to the organization. Case workers at the organizations determine who qualifies for CVM. After a brief enrollment and training process, clients are provided with a unique telephone number that connects to their very own voice-mail system. They may provide their phone number to any organization, healthcare office, on their resume for employers, and even to family and friends.
Once a client’s CVM number is activated, case managers or others who have the phone number may call to leave important messages. Callers will not be able to tell the CVM system from any other telephone voice mail service. The client can call from any phone to receive their CVM messages. They may even respond to messages initiated by the organization that provides their CVM.
When the client no longer requires the voice mailbox, the organization can erase all messages in the mailbox and reassign it to another client.
Chapman says that CVM can provide a valuable service during times of disaster, emergency situations, or extreme weather conditions. “We have the ability to send a broadcast message to all CVM users. For example, when Hurricane Ike was bearing down on Houston, the local CVM manager sent a message to over 6,000 of the city’s homeless who were using the Community Voice Mail system, directing them to appropriate emergency shelters. A majority of them weren’t even aware of the impending hurricane.”
Nearly 50 organizations nationwide serve as CVM hosts to their regions, including sites in Los Angeles, Dallas, Houston, Chicago and New York. Collectively, they provided CVM service to over 60,000 people last year.
For more information about CVM, go to the CAP website (www.lowercolumbiacap.org), or contact Mike Chapman at 360-425-3430, Ext. 247, or mikec@lowercolumbiacap.org.
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