(Washington, DC) Today, March 11, 2022, marks the third annual National 3-1-1 Day observance, and the DC311 call center celebrated by offering a behind the scenes look at the DC311 Operation. Deputy Mayor Chris Geldart and newly appointed OUC Acting Director Karima Holmes answered several live 311 calls, and the Deputy Mayor presented Director Holmes with a Proclamation from Mayor Muriel Bowser proclaiming today, March 11th, “3-1-1 Day in Washington, DC.”
National 3-1-1 Day is a way to recognize the essential services provided by the District’s 24/7 operation, who, last year handled 2.1 million calls. DC311 delivers a one-stop service experience for residents and visitors searching for city services and information and was critical to supporting the city’s pandemic response. As a front door for residents who had questions about COVID testing, symptoms, and public safety guidelines, 311 agents were also trained to handle administrative, non-emergency 911 calls in the event that the 911 system became overwhelmed. Further, once the District began its phased reopening approach, the 311 Operation took on the DMV appointment scheduling process and supported vaccine appointment scheduling for the District’s seniors.
“DC311 is the conduit to connect the public with DC Government services and information, and we’re committed to making the user experience even better. In partnership with our servicing agencies, we’re constantly integrating new service request types that better enable the city to respond to and address evolving community needs.” said Karima Holmes, Acting Director.
This spring, DC311 will begin handling new service requests for the Department of General Services (DGS) for residents to report maintenance concerns for spray parks, District pool sites and dog parks. And for the first time ever, residents will be able to report neighborhood flood-related concerns via 311 thanks to a new integration with DC Water.
The Office of Unified Communications is committed to answering the call for both the emergency and non-emergency needs of residents, visitors, and stakeholders of the District of Columbia. In addition to calling DC311, there are multiple ways to submit service requests including the DC311 mobile app, the online web portal, Live Agent chat, on social media via Twitter, and by texting DC311 (32311).