Philly 311 was created as an avenue for Philadelphia residents to find information and report non-emergency quality of life issues without calling 911. Before 311, residents were relying on 911 operators to dispense information on everything from what to do about illegal dumping to how to manage raccoon infestations.
The 311 service is active in many other metropolitan areas and designed to provide residents with a comprehensive way of reporting problems to the appropriate governing body. For example, in Philadelphia, requests for grass cutting and notification of dangerous playground equipment may be reported to the city’s Recreation Department while issues related to property maintenance and construction like, worksite cleanup, dangerous building conditions, falling trees, overgrown grass, accumulating trash and fire safety issues would be sent to License and Inspections (L&I).
A PEW Philadelphia Research Initiative performed a study to show the program’s effectiveness after one year. The report states that Philadelphia’s 311 program, despite suffering from significant budget cuts, made progress in its first year. The program has been well received by the public with 68% of residents who used the service calling themselves satisfied (29% were dissatisfied). The study also shows that when compared to other large 311 systems, Philadelphia had longer wait times for callers during its early months, but made significant improvement as the year progressed. The report praised the handling of high call volume during the SEPTA strike, Phillies playoff run, and the major snow storms. (If this is your introduction to 311 there’s a reason: the mayor purposely limited promotions of the program so as to save money and avoid overwhelming it.)
To further improve the process and give residents yet another way of reporting issues, Philly 311 has instated a Neighborhood Liaison program. A Neighborhood Liaison is someone who serves their community by reporting issues directly to the city’s 311 program and provides the community with progress reports. The program is open to all residents willing to participate in a (free) two hour training program.
During the training, residents are made familiar with the various city departments and the electronic reporting system. Using the electronic system and a unique log-in ID, each reported incident is assigned a confirmation number that will be used to provide updates while the incident is being rectified. Once a report is filed, the responding agencies are held to guidelines that determine how long their response time should take. For example, a residential property that is not being maintained must be investigated by L&I within 45 days or a submitted report. A dead animal must be removed from the street by the Streets Department in three days and an abandoned vehicle within thirty. These guidelines, though not set in stone, create a sense of accountability that was noticeably absent before 311.
Neighborhood Liaisons, when working with (or as) Block Captains and representatives of their community, encourage civic action and demand accountability from their city government. When utilized fully, Neighborhood Liaisons also allow 911 to provide efficient emergency services.
To find out if a your neighborhood has a liaison, speak with your Block Captain and learn more at phila.gov/311 or contact Jim Sanders at 215-683-0871 or jimmie.sanders@phila.gov.
