More than a phone away

Sometimes people call the Ombudsman Office because they simply cannot reach a government agency to resolve their problem. One such call was received recently from a young womanliving in Dayton. She reports calling the person who is handling her housing case through Greater Dayton Premier Management, but she was never able to leave a message. The young woman’s sink is stopped up, and she is requesting assistance from management to have the plumbing problem repaired.

The Ombudsman contacted a supervisor at the agency and learned that on certain days the staff phones are forwarded to an agency cell phone. With the forwarded calls no one could leave a voice message. The staff were asked to set up voice mail on their agency cell phones so that callers can leave a message. The supervisor also scheduled an inspection for the following day in order to deal with the stopped sink.

TheOmbudsmanfollowed up with the woman to learn if shewere satisfiedwith the outcomeofhercomplaintand thewomanwas pleased that her problem received attention and was resolved.

TheOmbudsmanColumn,a production of the JointOffice of Citizens’Complaints, summarizes selected problems that citizens have had with governmentservices, schools andnursinghomesintheDaytonarea. by writing to the Beerman Building, 11 W. MonumentAvenue, Suite606, Dayton45402, or telephone (937) 223-4613, or by electronic mail at ombudsman@dayton-ombudsman.org . Additionally, please “like” us on Facebookat“DaytonOmbudsman Office.