The Millennium Circle Membership has listened and voted to award the Family Service Association of NEPA – Help Line –PA 211 Transition, the recipient of the 2013 Millennium Circle Grant of $20,000.
Excerpt from the Family Service Association of Northeastern Pennsylvania:
“The program is simple. Anyone throughout ten counties of Northeast PA and access to a telephone can dial ‘211’ at any minute of the year and be connected to Help Line for linkage to critical human and social services. Trained, professional caseworkers will assess the callers’ stated and implied need and guide them to the organizations and programs that best match the need. Emergency needs such as heating fuel, utility assistance, shelter, substance abuse treatment, mental health crises, child abuse/neglect, elder abuse/neglect, crime victims services, domestic violence services can all be accessed through 211, as can other services for consumer information, landlord/tenant rights, or insurance information and resources. Service resources and programs are only valid if they are used. Help Line drives the traffic to our community resources.”
“Data on thousands of agencies, programs, and services need to be entered manually into the statewide system. Stated succinctly, Help Line can handle the additional calls, but we struggle to carve out the time to do the data entry and data mining necessary to convert to a true ‘211’ system, complete with resource data accessible through the internet, call tracking, and an automated resource information update feature. Once the data mining and entry is complete, Help Line, because of the intricate cross-web of after-hours services tied to the program, will serve as a model to the state for comprehensive, centralized services.”
Click here to learn about the grant recipient.
Click here to view photos from today’s luncheon.
We congratulate and thank all of the finalists who did an exceptional job in presenting the compelling needs within their respective organizations.
