Community Voice Mail projects exist in dozens of towns and cities around the United States, including Raleigh, North Carolina. Weil is a Program Manager with Wake County Human Services' Cornerstone, which started Raleigh Community Voice Mail in 1994. She says that voice mail gives users a way to stay in touch with supportive family and friends, in addition to making critical contact with employment and housing prospects. In turn, those organizations can make voice mail available to any clients without reliable telephone access. The Raleigh program was established with the help of hardware and software donations, volunteer technical assistance, and support from the Community Voice Mail Federation.
Voice mail can work as well in rural areas as it does in urban areas.
In fact, the need for reliable communication may even be more pressing in places where geographic isolation limits mobility. Community Voice Mail is an example of how new communication technologies can improve the lives of even the poorest families. Communities that do not take advantage of emerging resources risk being left behind when technology becomes the rule, rather than the exception.