phone service

Hi!
I work at the Humboldt Community Switchboard, an information-and-referral phone line that provides references to people in Humboldt County, California, to get them connected to resources and services. I am training new volunteers, and I want them to get a sense of their work as fitting into a larger political picture, where they are interfacing with the whole network of oppression and injustice that lead people to be without services, housing, safety, etc.
Is there any history of the use of information-and-referral phone lines during times of great political activism? I know about pirate radio use during big events like the WTO protests, but I'm wondering if people have set up phone lines, rapid response networks, etc. during these types of events. I'm trying to put together a timeline for this type of use for information and referral services.
Thank you!
Lane