Community Voice Mail

People who are phoneless, have low or no income, and are in need of phone service to find employment, housing, social services, medical services, legal services, or safe communication from domestic violence, may be eligible for free voice mail. Community Voice Mail (CVM) provides individuals with a personal phone number to use to retrieve private and important messages from employers, landlords, case managers, health care providers, family and friends. Messages can be retrieved 24 hours a day, 7 days a week from any phone. Community Voice Mail helps clients gain independence and privacy.

Who is eligible?
People who are phoneless and low-income qualify! CVM is meant to be a primary source of phone service, not voice message for people who already have a phone.

How it Works
Community Voice Mail is computer operated and administered by non-profit agencies. Individuals can retrieve their messages from any phone by simply dialing their number and entering a secure PIN created by the client.

CVM and the Washington Telephone Assistance Program (WTAP)
Recent law makes former CVM participants eligible for the Washington Telephone Assistance Program. WTAP allows eligible customers to access local telephone service at a rate of $8.00 (plus taxes and fees) a month and receive a discount on the connection fee. With a referral from the agency where you received your CVM, you can now enroll in WTAP. It is a quick, easy, one page form and after two weeks, you can call the phone company and get connected! See the WTAP section of this site for more information.

Where Does a Person Sign Up?
For a list of agencies in your area that participate in the CVM program, visit http://www.cvm.org or call 1-800-386-9182.

To view an informational video about Community Voice Mail click the link below: