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| Central Referral Service, Inc. / 2-1-1 WNY - 2009 Annual Report |
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2-1-1 WNY
Central Referral Service is the Hub or primary call center for the 2-1-1 service in Erie, Niagara and Wyoming Counties and oversees the 2-1-1 service provided by The Southern Chautauqua County United Way for the counties of Chautauqua and Cattaraugus. In 2009, 2-1-1 in the Western New York region served over 46,000 area residents which represent a 12% increase in volume from 2008. This dramatic increase in call volume, despite the cut back in marketing necessitated by state budget cuts, demonstrates the need for the service and the impact of the simple three digit telephone number, 2-1-1.
In 2008 the 2-1-1 web site had 3,800,000 hits, in 2009 the number of hits, just to the 2-1-1WNY web site reached just under 5 million!
New York State funding cutbacks forced us to find ways of informing the community about the service without the benefit of an advertising budget. By far the most successful initiatives were the series of ¼ page advertisements offered by the Buffalo News as a public service. Once again the Talking Yellow Pages provided us valuable exposure and of course the non-profit community spreading the word.
The current financial situation nationally, statewide and locally has influenced the number of persons turning to 2-1-1 for assistance:
- Persons who were 'just making it' before, will quickly find themselves in need of help. For these people the system is very confusing and intimidating. To have a simple phone number, to remember, that will help these people sort out their situation and inform them of what they are and are not qualified for will not only save the caller a great deal of time and frustration but also the health and human service system a great deal of money. It has been estimated that for every correct referral we make we save the system 22 minutes of time. Considering there will be tens of thousands of new persons entering the system the cost of not having a viable 2-1-1 system is considerably more than the cost of having one.
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For persons more familiar with the system, 2-1-1 now is more valuable than ever.
- Their needs will be greater; therefore they will need more help.
- Because of state cutbacks, many services will be forced to cut back, perhaps by changing eligibility requirements, hours, geographic area served or to cease operations entirely.
- Persons familiar with the system may need to find service alternatives. 2-1-1 is the only up to date information source on service availability and requirements. The health and human service agencies themselves use 2-1-1 extensively. For all the reasons above, 2-1-1 is critical to the system. We direct callers to the right service, the first time, thus saving the service the time and money of scheduling, meeting with and then re-referring new clients that come to them incorrectly. 2-1-1 permits agencies to help only with the services they were created to help with then to refer clients to 2-1-1 to assist with all the other needs of the client.
We follow up with many of our callers to insure we provided the best quality of service possible as well as to assist with other needs. The responses to our follow up show, we believe, that the community is very positive of the service we are offering:
- Did the 2-1-1 agent understand your problem?
- Did the caller receive accurate information?
- Was the caller satisfied with the 2-1-1 agent's professionalism?
- Was the caller satisfied with the speed of response?
- Would the caller call 2-1-1 again?
Our database staff maintains the only complete listing of every government program, non-profit agency and support group in the 5 county region. It is not only important to gather information but to insure it is up to date and coded in such a way as to permit persons looking for a service to find it quickly.
Emergency and disasters are another key component of a 2-1-1 service and unfortunately in 2009 our region had its share. The tragedy of Flight 3407 found 2-1-1 being the information source for the public. Our database staff created a database within hours of the crash and maintained it throughout the event. Our telephone staff was able to share up to the minute, accurate information with the community. During this event our service expanded to 24 hours and was able to relieve first responders from having to respond to information requests from the community. We handled over 1,200 calls. When we received a question we did not have an answer for we found the answer and called the inquirer back with information.
Central Referral Service as the 2-1-1 Hub working with its Partner site assisted approximately 400 area residents during the 2009 floods. Similarly, 2-1-1 has provided assistance to the local health departments with their response to the H1N1 (Swine Flu) problem. As with the other events, 2-1-1 proved to be a resource to local governments which we quickly mobilized and cost effective.
DD Info Link
Funded with Family Support funds, this one of a kind web site listing services aimed at persons with a developmental disability and their families as well as professionals serving the field. The web site: www.DDInfoLink.org lists services from Allegany, Cattaraugus, Chautauqua, Erie, Niagara, Genesee and Orleans Counties. In 2009 the site had 772,500 hits.
During 2009, CRS staff, working with staff from the W.N.Y. Developmental Disability Service Center and under the direction of the D.D. Advisory Committee recoded all listed services and developed better search methods to make the site more effective.
Re-entry Database/Web Site
Under contract from the Erie County Department of Mental Health, CRS is finalizing a database and web site www.WNYNewStart.org which will provide information on services and information for persons being released from prison. It is believed the project will assist ex-offenders as they attempt to restart their lives.
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