The Cazenovia area, as part of Madison County, is now included in a three-county system that has been connected to the 2-1-1 nationwide non-emergency telephone service.
2-1-1 is an easy-to-remember telephone number that connects people with free community services and volunteer opportunities 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
“This is important for a couple of reasons. First, this service has been available for 90 percent of the country and the state, and our region has been missing out,” said Brenda Episcopo, executive director of the United Way of the Valley and Greater Utica Area, the group that spearheaded the endeavor to bring 211 services to the Mid-York region. “It’s also important for the people in our communities who need access to services and don’t know where to start.”
Madison, Oneida and Herkimer County leaders and community-wide organizations gathered recently to celebrate 2-1-1 Day with the launch of 2-1-1 Mid-York at the Utica State Office Building. Nearly 100 people attended, including local, state, and federal elected officials (or their representatives); police, fire department and emergency services personnel; and social services officials.
The Federal Communications Commission set aside the 2-1-1 dialing code for community information and referral services in July 2000. Trained phone operators help link callers to appropriate services when help is needed.
Around the country, 2-1-1 has played a critical role during times of disaster. It helps the elderly, people with disabilities, those who don’t speak English, people who are having a personal crisis, those with limited reading skills or any member of the community to find information about health and human service organizations and agencies that are able to help them.
Across the U.S., United Ways have led the charge to create a nationwide 2-1-1 referral system; the United Way of the Valley and Greater Utica Area applied for a state grant to operate the 2-1-1 non- emergency referral service for the Mid-York area. Ten counties, including Madison, Oneida and Herkimer, were the lone hold-outs on the 2-1-1 system that currently serves 93 percent of the New York’s residents and 90 percent of the nation, according to Episcopo.
“This is similar to the 911 system, but it’s not for police emergencies,” said Cazenovia Police Chief Michael Hayes. “Basically, it’s a needs-assessment dispatch center … they’ll direct you to the proper agency for whatever you need.”
For example, someone who is out of food or clothing can call 211 and be directed by a dispatcher to a local food pantry or clothing closet, he said.
The benefits of the new 211 system are that it not only offers help to people, it takes the burden of non-emergency calls off police agencies and 911 call centers. It can also help prevent certain crimes, such as people who steal food when their families are starving because they do not know where to go for help or where food parties are, Hayes said.
“I think it’s a great benefit,” he said. “It’s a great way to address the needs of people in these counties and get people the help they need.”
According to the organization, 2-1-1 Mid-York provides information about:
• Basic needs, such as food, clothing, and shelter.
• Consumer education and protection; how to manage finances.
• Crime prevention, witness and victim support, legal services connections.
• Disaster management, including storm and shelter information, emergency resources, and evacuations.
• Skills, behavior and character building.
• Environmental preservation and protection, accident prevention, public health and safety.
• Healthcare services, such as prevention, screening, evaluation, treatment, health and substance abuse.
• Job skills building, and finding and sustaining a job.
• Income support, including public assistance and support.
• Social and spiritual development, and volunteer opportunities.
• Mental/emotional health, including preventative, diagnostic, and treatment; community- and hospital-based.
• New resident settlement, and travel and tourism.
• Business support, such as meeting space coordination, access to equipment, services management.
In the Mid-York region, the two areas that 2-1-1 is anticipated to be most used for are mental health issues and basic needs, Episcopo said. This expectation is based on existing information, but one of the benefits of having 2-1-1 in the region now is that service will generate data to show what services are needed, or not needed, in the Mid-York region, she said.
“The data we get back will help us identify community needs and if we are we adequately meeting those needs,” she said.
The 2-1-1 service is confidential, free and multilingual. It is available in Madison, Oneida and Herkimer counties via landline and cell phone by calling 2-1-1 or 1-844-342-5211. Information can also be found online at 211.org.
Jason Emerson is editor of the Cazenovia Republican. He can be reached at [email protected].
