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Connect Talent, Retain Talent
2-1-1 Implementation in Huron County
Status:
Active
Category:
Connect Talent, Retain Talent
Contact:
David White
Email:
david@firelandsforward.com
WHY IS THE PROJECT IMPORTANT
While Norwalk United Fund provides excellent service to its citizens, it lacks sufficient resources to offer 24 hour/ 7 days a week support. 2-1-1 is a service that greatly enhances access to community resources through a maintained database of providers, trained staff, and a multilingual call center. Ohio’s Alliance of Information and Referral Systems provides 2-1-1 service through partnered organizations to 90% of the state. According to the Federal Communications Commission, 94.6% of Americans have access to 2-1-1. Huron County’s labor force participation is consistently below the National Average. Data suggests that this can be attributed to the combination of employment barriers and below mean household income. It is clear that this resource has become the national standard for communities across the nation. Bringing 2-1-1 service to our region is imperative to economic growth and quality of life for our citizens.
OVERALL PROJECT GOAL
Implementation of Huron County’s 2-1-1 program will occur in three phases. The first phase will consist of building and validating local resource databases. This phase will begin with the award of the 2-1-1 contract and will end with the launch of the 2-1-1 platform. While updating the database will occur throughout the life of the project, it will be important to frontload effort to ensure that the resource is viable from the first call. A concentrated marketing effort will also occur within the first phase utilizing multiple platforms to achieve maximum exposure. Phase two will consist of a three-year trial period in which community stakeholders will gauge the utility of the resource and incrementally improve through deliberate assessment. During this phase, the 2-1-1 program will be fully operational. Data will be collected and analyzed in order to determine regional trends. Partnership between the Norwalk Area United Fund, Firelands Forward, and Mansfield/Richland County Public Library will be evaluated for sustainability. The third phase will consist of a decision point between renewing the contract and long-term implementation. Ultimately, 2-1-1 will undoubtedly provide utility to the region. It is important through this process to determine the most suitable form.
ACCOMPLISHMENTS TO- DATE
The Richland County (OH) service grew through its 37-year history from concept to reality. Along the way, a unique partnership between the Mansfield Richland County Public Library (MRCPL) and the Richland County Job and Family Services (RCJFS) formed in August 2004. Within another four years, the service transitioned their limited I&R coverage into a full 211-level venture. For the purpose of this proposal, we will refer to the service as First Call Richland County (FCRC). With ongoing operational improvements, FCRC earned national AIRS accreditation in August 2017. Community leaders in Ashland County approached MRCPL in 2019 to provide 211 services to their county residents. The COVID-19 pandemic escalated the need to activate the service, while the database development was still in progress. All parties weathered the ongoing conflict of raising public awareness that the service was available while continuously building the community resource data records on the fly. Starting in February 2021, the system’s responsiveness and flexibility were further tested as the Ashland County Health Department contracted separately with FCRC to provide assistance with their COVID-19 vaccination registration and scheduling requirements. This whirlwind three-month project produced a tremendous amount of transactions as customized call paths were created that directed certain calls to dedicated staff without impacting the general 211 calls coming in. The project ended prematurely due to process changes dictated by the Ohio Department of Health at the state governance level.
FCRC operates from its own building located at 36 W. 3rd Street, directly across from the Main Library in downtown Mansfield (OH). This location uses state-of-the-art call center software (inContact) to create customized queues and press path options for each incoming point of contact. A screenshot of the dashboard is listed as Image 2. An existing toll-free dedicated line is in place for Huron County (833-933-0507). If Erie County is added, a separate toll-free dedicated line will be requested from our vendor. Each line will have its own greeting and can be customized independently of one another. Currently all staff members are trained to answer 211 calls coming from any geographic location. If deemed appropriate to future operations, certain staff can be identified to take the lead on certain counties and the calls can be routed accordingly.
PEOPLE WORKING ON THE PROJECT
CITIES
Bellevue - Huron County
New London - Township
New London - Village
Norwalk - City
Norwalk - Township
Townsend
Willard
New London - Township
New London - Village
Norwalk - City
Norwalk - Township
Townsend
Willard
WE NEED HELP WITH
Community Partners filling out attached data sheet and submitting to the Norwalk Area United Fund or David White at the embedded email.
REFERENCE MATERIALS
| Program Fillable Intake Form |
| Agency Fillable Intake Form |
