"The Best Message You've Ever Received?" 

The Houston Community Voice Mail Program provides FREE voice mail service to people without phones seeking jobs, housing, health care and safety. 

Why?  Access to communication is vital to reclaiming stability, yet is often overlooked as a means to help people in crissis and transition.

How Does It Work?

Community Voice Mail (CVM) provides people in need with a personal, 7–digit phone number.  CVM sounds just like an answering machine, allowing users to leave a personal and professional greeting for callers.  A CVM phone number looks like any other number, and does not signal the user’s status. Retrieving messages is easy. Simply dial the 7-digit number from any touch-tone phone and enter a short PIN number.  Users can then hear messages 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. 

The Houston Community Voice Mail program is part of the CVM national network of sites, empowering people in crisis and transition by distributing free 24-hour voice mail nationwide – directly linking individuals to jobs, housing, safety and stability.  Headquartered in Seattle, WA, the CVM National office webiste is www.cvm.org.

Results /Outcomes:

The Houston Community Voice Mail (HCVM) program has helped thousands of people in our community to get jobs and housing.  In 2008, HCVM served 3,917 Houstonians. 

CVM Clients typically enroll for multiple reasons and stay on CVM for an average of 6 months.  The main reasons for using CVM include:

• 84% Employment                                                                                
• 70% Housing
• 56% Social Services
• 55% Healthcare
• 31% Safe Communications, contact with family/friends

On average, 70% of CVM clients report achieving one or more of their goals.

Broadcast Messaging:

Broadcast Voicemail and Broadcast Emails adds value and assists clients with achieving their objectives.   In a 2008 CVM client survey, 59% of CVM users have an email address that they use on a regular basis.  85% indicated that in formation related to jobs and/or housing would be the most important information to receive.  

HCVM Broadcast Emailing Blog 
www.houstoncommunityvoicemail.blogsport.com

Follow this link to a map of Participating Agencies near you:

If you're Agency would like to offer HCVM directly to your clients as a case management tool Contact:

Scot More
Director of Community Resources
(713) 739-7514 ext 203