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2-1-1 Frequently
Asked Questions
What is 2-1-1?
2-1-1
is the three-digit telephone number assigned by the
Federal Communications Commission for the purpose of
providing access to information about local health and
human services. 2-1-1 has emerged from the nations'
Information and Referral (I&R) industry.
What is
Information and Referral?
Information and referral services operate as a critical
part of the health and human service delivery system.
Professional information and referral specialists assess
caller's needs, determine their options and best course
of action, direct them to appropriate programs/services,
provide culturally appropriate support, intervene in
crisis situations and advocate for the caller as needed.
What is the
problem that 2-1-1 addresses?
-Who
does a newcomer to the community call to find reliable
childcare?
-Who does a single mother call when she has no food and
her children are hungry?
-Who do you call when an earthquake strikes and disrupts
public services?
-Who does a worried father call to find drug counseling
for his teenager?
-Who do you call when a volcano erupts and spreads ash
over half of the state?
-Where does a new immigrant family go to sign up for
English language classes?
-Who does an employer call when she/he sees that an
employee needs a referral to mental health services or
to a social service agency to deal with a family
problem?
Information and
referral services can answer these questions and
hundreds more. But most people do not know who to
contact for information and referral assistance. 2-1-1
will change that, bringing familiarity and ease of use
across the state. In addition, 2-1-1 maintains an
efficient and accurate database of current community
resources and has the capacity to track gaps in services
for various community needs.
In a time when
budget cuts will most likely reduce services and
accessibility to information about services, 2-1-1 can
help fill the information gap. 2-1-1 provides a cost
effective, efficient way to connect people with the
services that are available. It can help make up for
the elimination of or the reduction of hours of
operation of information hot-lines and 1-800 information
numbers.
Who is
leading the effort to implement 2-1-1 in Washington
State?
Washington Information Network 2-1-1, a nonprofit
501(c)(3) corporation registered in the state of
Washington, is leading the effort. It is a
collaboration of more than 30 organizations that include
comprehensive and specialized information and referral
services, United Ways throughout Washington, key state
agencies, local community action programs and committed
private individuals. WIN 2-1-1 members come from rural
and urban areas and from both east and west of the
mountains. WIN 2-1-1's goal is to ensure that every
person in Washington has immediate access to health and
human services information, emergency and disaster
response information and public health information.
WIN 2-1-1 will
serve 6 million Washingtonians through eight regional
call centers.
How will
service quality be maintained?
Operating standards for 2-1-1 call centers have been
established by the national Alliance of Information and
Referral Systems (AIRS) organization. The AIRS
standards also call for accreditation of call centers
and certification of information and referral
specialists. These standards have gained acceptance
around the country as the industry standard for 2-1-1
call centers. WIN 2-1-1 has adopted these standards for
the operation of all 2-1-1 call centers in Washington.
What is the
plan for long term funding support for WIN 2-1-1?
A long
term funding support plan for WIN 2-1-1 is being
developed. The plan calls for a combination of ongoing
federal, state and local support. Legislation with
strong bi-partisan support has been introduced to
Congress that would fund a good portion of the first two
years of 2-1-1 in the State of Washington, while plans
for ongoing state and local funding are being developed
and secured. Significant state and private support for
the startup of WIN 2-1-1 has been demonstrated
throughout the State and additional local support
continues to be cultivated by the WIN 2-1-1- partners.
Who are the
financial partners supporting 2-1-1?
To
date, the Gates Foundation, the Boeing Employees
Foundation, the Verizon Foundation and others have
provided support to WIN 2-1-1. Locally, the United Ways
of Benton and Franklin Counties and Yakima County are
committed to providing financial support, and other
city, county and private sources are being solicited as
well. This year, the Washington State Legislature
allocated $1 million for capital support to build the
state technical backbone of the WIN 2-1-1 system.
How will
2-1-1 coordinate with 9-1-1? Will there be a
duplication of services?
There
will not be a duplication of services. In
fact, 9-1-1 and 2-1-1 services will complement each
other. Having a 2-1-1 in place will reduce unnecessary
non-emergency information calls going to 9-1-1 and to
other service agencies by individuals trying to access
services. 9-1-1- (and other service agencies) staff
will have a single, easy-to-remember number to which
they can refer individuals for immediate, personalized
assistance for non-emergency services. The 2-1-1 system
will ultimately reduce the 9-1-1 staff workload, thus
enabling 9-1-1 staff to prioritize emergency response.
How will
2-1-1 Coordinate with already-existing local information
and referral systems?
Currently, no comprehensive local regional information
and referral systems exists in the 12 county area that
comprises the Greater Columbia 2-1-1 region. However,
whereas with the local Area Agencies on Aging in our 12
county area there are some specialized local information
and referral services already available, 2-1-1 will
function as a clearinghouse for information and referral
to those specialized services. The WIN 2-1-1 database
will include all information and referral programs as a
referral option. Thus, the WIN 2-1-1 program will
reduce inappropriate referrals to those specialized
information and referral offices, as well as other
social service agencies.
Will funding
be taken away from current information and referral
programs to support 2-1-1?
No,
funding from current information and referral programs
will not be taken away to support WIN
2-1-1. Win 2-1-1 will be funded by a combination of
federal and state funding and by local partners. Local
partners will include United Way agencies, private
businesses and organizations as well as private
citizens.
Will the
technology for a State WIN 2-1-1 system really be
efficient enough to support a large natural disaster?
A
statewide telephone system is being developed to handle
calls throughout the entire State of Washington and,
similarly, the WIN 2-1-1 database also will be
statewide. If a natural disaster occurs anywhere in the
State, the technology and WIN 2-1-1 system plan will
allow one or more call centers to immediately and
seamlessly answer another region's calls if one or more
call centers goes offline. In case
of
emergency, plans are being developed to access
sufficient staff and volunteers to handle the
anticipated volume of calls in such an emergency.
How will
agency staff be able to keep their program information
updated?
Each
regional WIN 2-1-1 call center will be responsible for
maintaining an updated database using the same Resource
House software that is being used by all regional call
centers statewide. The WIN 2-1-1 software being used
throughout Washington will allow provider organizations
to check their data and use one of several options to
update it as needed:
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Agencies/organizations can update their information
on the 2-1-1 website (electronically)
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Agencies/organizations can mail-in information
update sheets
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Agencies/organizations can contact the 2-1-1 call
center information specialist by telephone
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Agencies/organizations can fax updated information
sheets to the call center
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