2-1-1 of WNC 2010 Report to our Community

United Way’s 2-1-1 of WNC 2010 Report to Our Community

2-1-1 of wnc is ...a community service information line that links people to health and human services in Buncombe, Henderson, Madison and Transylvania counties.

...ACCESSIBLE Phone (land lines & cell phones)

Online and by E-mail 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year Multilingual Free/Confidential

2-1-1 helped me: ...KNOWLEDGEABLE 2-1-1 maintains a database with details about more than 2,000 local public and nonprofit programs.

...RESPONSIVE

85 percent of calls were answered within 30 seconds. When people call they talk to a local Referral Specialist.

• “gain more info about community services in a timely manner” • “with resources and leads to follow in order to get the help I need” • “by listening to me” • “to find food” • “locate a support group” • “get connected to treatment”

...EFFECTIVE 89 percent of callers surveyed stated they learned new information about community resources by calling 2-1-1.

...HIGH QUALITY 2-1-1 is nationally accredited by the Alliance of Information and Referral Systems (AIRS).

• “find options for help with my electric bill” • “receive the info that will point me in the right direction” • “tremendously” Sample responses from 2010 caller survey

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by the numbers Because 2-1-1 of WNC talks to people from all walks of life and directs people to a wide range of community resources, we are in a unique position to notice trends in our community.

2-1-1 of WNC shares this information with community decision-makers such as local coalitions, area institutions, elected officials and more. This information can be helpful to those crafting or advocating for various public policies or community projects.

2010 statistics Calls (in/out)

54,605

Call Records

38,146

Online Database Visits

8,374

Call Volume Trend 2008 36,763 2009 48,646 2010 54,605

Call Types

44.5%

32% increase from 2008 49% increase from 2008

43.1%

10.4%

legend

.2%

1.7%

Referral ���������� assessing the needs of callers and identifying appropriate resources Information ���� responding to specific inquiries about human services Contract ��������� providing services to callers via contracts with outside agencies Advocacy ������� taking steps on behalf of callers to overcome barriers to services Crisis �������������� performing crisis intervention to ensure the safety of callers or others

Top 5 Needs By Financial Request Total Expressed: $879,159

Basic Needs: 35%

Organizational & Community Services: 12% Health Care: 12%

2-1-1 Caller Needs by Category and Volume

Housing Expense $349,968

Utility Service Payment $341,020

Medical Bill Payment $83,395 Utility Deposit $31,421 Home Rehab $12,500

Individual & Family Life: 9% Criminal Justice & Legal Services: 8% Income Support & Employment: 8%

19%

Top 5 Needs By Volume 13%

12%

Mental Health Care & Counseling: 7%

6%

4%

Consumer Services: 5% Environmental Quality: 2% Education: 2%

Housing Individual & Shelter & Family Support

Utilities

Food

Health Services

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2-1-1 has served Buncombe County since 2001, Henderson County since 2003, Transylvania County since 2004 and Madison County since 2007.

call volume

2010 United Way 211 Need

by zip code Count

28753

zip

help us reach more people

Legend january

A family called, searching for assistance with food after a layoff. They never had to ask 14 for help before, and our referral specialist was able to make the - 63 process a little easier.

1- 2

3-14

3-

15-63

15

64-98

64 - 98

99-186

99 - 186

187-307

187 - 307

308-395

308 - 395

• Link to our web site and forward our e-newsletter.

396-846

396 - 846 28791

• Use 2-1-1 as a source of information about what

847-1453

847 - 1453 ability to speak to people of all

1454-2266

1454 - 2266 connect one of her student’s

2267-3149

other helpful resources.

2267 - 3149

3150-9837

3150 - 9837

We’re proud of our reach, yet as you can see on the map to the right, many people are still not using 2-1-1.

We want to be the first place people turn to for community service information, and we need your help to spread the word!

• Share our materials with your customers or employees.

• Invite us to speak at a staff meeting, civic group, professional association, or faith meeting.

resources exist and what people in our community need.

• Ensure accurate referrals by updating your

organization’s listings in the 2-1-1 database.

zip

1-2

march

Taking advantage of 2-1-1’s

languages, a teacher is able to parents to ESL classes and

zip

marshall

28804

august

The receptionist at a house of worship had someone come to the door looking for housing assistance. She called 2-1-1 for the gentleman and let him speak directly to the referral specialist. asheville

zip

hendersonville

brevard

28712

november

A man called about day care options for his aging mother.

He lived in another state but his mother lived in Brevard so he was grateful to find a central place for all the information he needed.

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real lives

2-1-1 of WNC provides quality information to individuals and area professionals about a wide range of community health and human services and resources, many of which fall in the areas of EDUCATION, INCOME and HEALTH. The previous statistics give us a sense of scope and scale. The stories that follow put a face to those numbers and remind us why we work to create opportunities and inspire hope for a better tomorrow.

HEALTH

INCOME

EDUCATION

In 2010, 2-1-1 advocated for youth success by providing community program data to a group convened by United Way of Asheville and Buncombe County. Community members, service providers and subject matter experts participated in a series of discussions to identify the best way to leverage United Way of Asheville and Buncombe County’s resources and create lasting change in one particular area of our community. The group identified middle school success as one of the key issues our community needs to address.

One of the initial steps to launching a middle school success project was to chart the existing resources. As a hub of local community service information, 2-1-1 provided a list of programs for middle school youth. Buncombe County GIS layered 2-1-1’s data onto a map of Asheville and Buncombe County, and this map was used as a planning tool by groups such as the Mayor’s RICH Task Force (Asheville).

This work furthers United Way’s efforts to strengthen the social and basic life skills that youth need for success.

I

talk to kids, parents and teachers from across our county in my role with United Way. Everyone wants the best for their kids and having quality out-of-school experiences is one of the top things I hear them talk about.

Having good data provided by 2-1-1 has helped me get a picture of what exists and has supported fact-based discussions about how to get more, quality, services to our kids.

Right now, I’m helping put together an after school program for middle school students in the Owen area, and, you know, just seeing the look in a parent’s eye when they ask “Can you start this program next week?” inspires me to work even harder.”

- told by Gina Gallo United Way Youth Success Manager

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HEALTH

EDUCATION

INCOME

In 2010, 2-1-1 advocated for people who were homeless and at risk of homelessness through an initiative called Homelessness Prevention and Rapid Re-Housing Project (HPRP).

HPRP is a program that rapidly transitions people who are homeless or at risk of homelessness to long-term housing stability through short-term assistance. 2-1-1 partnered with the City of Asheville, ABCCM, Eblen-Kimmel Charities, Pisgah Legal Services and Western North Carolina AIDS Project to implement this federal program in Asheville and Buncombe County.

2-1-1 conducted outreach and engagement to raise awareness about available services and offered information about HPRP to callers seeking help paying for or finding housing. 2-1-1 conducted pre-screenings for nearly 600 households and made referrals to HPRP providers for services such as case management, housing search and placement, financial assistance, and more.

This work furthers United Way’s efforts to increase availability and use of public and private services that provide basic needs assistance for people in crisis or with ongoing needs.

S

herri called me in October, when she and her daughter were living in a tent. Sherri is a single mother who had become homeless after losing her job and falling behind in her rent. A family member offered to help, but his home was already cramped, so Sherri and her daughter put up a tent.

Sherri had gotten a new job, but her savings weren’t adding up fast enough to cover the upfront cost to move into a new place. Summer turned into fall, and Sherri called 2-1-1 for help finding a warm place for her and her daughter to live.

I connected Sherri with a program called HPRP. When I followed up with her a week later, she was carrying groceries up the stairs into her new home.

- told by Keith 2-1-1 Referral Specialist

INCOME

EDUCATION

HEALTH

In 2010, 2-1-1 advocated for women’s health through an initiative call My Body My Test.

My Body My Test is a research study to help prevent cervical cancer by enabling women to test for HPV at home and connecting them with clinics for additional services. 2-1-1 partnered with UNC Gillings School of Global Public Health to reach out to women in Western North Carolina.

2-1-1 has a relationship with people who need help, so partnering with My Body My Test was a good way to reach people who could potentially benefit from the service.

2-1-1 pre-screened 500 high-risk individuals and made 172 referrals for this health intervention.

This work furthers United Way’s efforts to increase awareness of and opportunities for wellness, prevention and early detection.

K

ate’s sister had been diagnosed with cervical cancer 6 months prior, so she jumped at the chance when I offered to provide information about cancer prevention.

Kate was uninsured, had not had an exam in over ten years, and was afraid about possibly having undiagnosed issues. She said that if her sister had been able to get an exam early, they may have been able to diagnose her as having HPV, treat her much sooner, and avoid the surgery and radiation therapies that she received for her cancer.

As a result of calling 2-1-1, Kate was enrolled in My Body My Test. She received a home HPV test kit and got a no-cost pelvic exam at a local clinic. When I called Kate back to follow-up, she said that she was relieved to learn that she did not have HPV or cancer and was happy to be connected with resources for continued preventative health care.

- told by Rachel 2-1-1 Referral Specialist

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Contact us • Call 2-1-1 • E-mail 211info@unitedwayabc.org • Contact your local representative: Buncombe County

Find us in the places you like to be...

Rachael Nygaard, United Way of Asheville and Buncombe County (828) 255-0696

Our Partners

Henderson County

United Way’s 2-1-1 of WNC is a collaborative effort between the United Ways and county governments of Buncombe, Henderson, Madison and Transylvania Counties.

Sandy McGlashan, United Way of Henderson County

Underwriting

cover art: using

Madison County Steve Garrison, Madison County Government

In addition to funding provided by the partners listed above, we thank the following underwriting sponsors: platinum

(828) 692-1636

(828) 649-5854

gold

Transylvania County

Progress Energy Blue Ridge X-Ray

Steve Pulliam, United Way of Transylvania County (828) 883-8822

2-1-1 caller survey responses to the question “how did 2-1-1 help you?” we created this wordle.

results are fed into a program and the more often a word is mentioned in the survey the bigger it appears.

what’s a wordle? it is a weighted list in a visual design. survey