"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, (Testimonials) yet is often overlooked as a means to help people in crisis and transition.
Houston Community Voice Mail 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.
How Does It Work?
Remember the last time you mislaid your phone? How did it feel? Did you miss important calls from family, work, or friends who had no way to reach you? What a relief to find it again!
That sense of relief is what Community Voice Mail is all about.
Community Voice Mail provides a phone number to people who lack a reliable way to be contacted. Here's what people say about what that means:
The Coalition for the Homeless of Houston/Harris County is the lead Community Voice Mail agency in Houston. In partnership with 147 social service agencies throughout Harris County, Community Voice Mail Houston is helping 4,017 people to reach their goals and helping our entire region connect people in crisis to opportunity and resources that they would otherwise miss.
We know it works! Like any voice mail account, it can be checked from any phone. Clients receive their local phone number, set up their greeting, and begin giving it to employers, landlords, and family. Even for people with cell phones, a Community Voice Mail number is there even when minutes run out. Community Voice Mail is entirely free to the user. Each year, when we measure results, consistently 76% of Community Voice Mail users reach one or more of their goals within 6-8 months.
The ongoing success and expansion of Community Voice Mail hinges on caring people who will step up to ensure it is available in our community. Would you like to help us?
It costs just $36 a year to support one voice mail user. Consider supporting one person, or more by making a quarterly or monthly recurring $36 gift. Click Here for donation options.
On behalf of the Community Voice Mail users throughout the Houston/Harris County area, thank you for helping extend a communications lifeline to hundreds/thousands of our neighbors.
Results /Outcomes:
2009 Houston CVM Snapshot
2009 CVMN Snapshot
2009 CVMN Annual Report
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 in 2008, 70% of CVM clients reported achieving one or more of their goals.
On average in 2009, 76% of CVM clients reported achieving one or more of their goals.
Broadcast Messaging:
Broadcast Voicemail and Broadcast Emails add 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 information related to jobs and/or housing would be the most important information to receive.
HCVM Broadcast Emailing Blog
www.houstoncommunityvoicemail.blogspot.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