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B. Organization Capability (Continued) <br />How does your program differ from similar ones provided in the community? How do the programs complement <br />se offered by other agencies? <br />The 211 Helpline is the only existing community helpline and crisis hotline that is available 24/7 to assist the residents <br />of Indian River County in their need for information, resources and emotional support, including crisis intervention and <br />suicide prevention services. There are no other similar programs in Indian River County, especially which can provide <br />the high quality of comprehensive services that are offered by 211. This program is easily accessible to individuals in <br />crisis via phone, text, email, chat or independent searches through our online database of resources. <br />Collaboration is at the heart of the services provided by the 211 Helpline, and this program greatly complements the <br />other agencies and programs that are operating within the community. Our agency consistently seeks out new <br />partnerships and has agreements with agencies throughout every community that we serve. We rely on our partner <br />agencies to provide us with updated information regarding their available services and accept referrals from individuals <br />in need that reach out to 211. This system of collaboration benefits the individual in need of help, by connecting them to <br />appropriate agencies they may previously have been unaware of. It also benefits the agencies that we work closely with <br />because it can reduce the number of individuals who reach out to them that do not qualify for their services, which in <br />turn allows them to conserve resources for those who they can help. Additionally, the 211 Helpline redirects many non- <br />emergency calls from the local 9-1-1 centers and other law enforcement or government offices. This allows these <br />agencies to reserve community services and resources, to be better utilized in immediate local emergencies. <br />Currently, 211 has information stored in our extensive database on 104 Indian River County agencies and their various <br />assistance programs. This database stores information on over 1,600 agencies across our entire service area, and <br />each agency is contacted a minimum of annually to receive updated about their services. The relationships that we <br />have built with these agencies are critical to the overall operation of the 211 Helpline, and all of these agencies provide <br />us with information and accept referrals from 211. This collaboration in turn improves the local health and human <br />services system as a whole. <br />5. Please describe the staffing requirements of these programs. Be specific in indicating the number of paid <br />roressionai positions and paid support start positions. <br />The operation of the 211 Helpline is staff intensive and requires a high-level of up-to-date technology and telephone <br />frastructure. In order for our agency to maintain the necessary level of technology and retain qualified staff members, <br />ie rely on the support of our various funding partners who collaboratively fund the 211 Helpline Resource Center. Due <br />to this, when our organization develops the budget for this vital program, the costs are split between the Treasure Coast <br />Resource Center and the Palm Beach County Resource Center. Therefore, as it relates to Indian River County, a <br />contribution of $18,500 results in the residents of this county receiving access to services that actually total over $2 <br />million in costs. Due to our partnerships with other funders within our entire service region, Indian River County's <br />investment to this program is able to be multiplied for the benefit of the county's residents. Much of this is possible <br />through the inherent cost efficiencies and savings that are built within our single facility model of operation. In doing so, <br />Indian River County residents are able to benefit from all of the services that are provided by the 211 Helpline at a <br />fraction of the cost compared to what it would be if we were to expand our physical premises beyond a singular <br />location. The 211 Helpline relies on our generous funders, like Indian River County, to be able to maintain this system <br />and continue to operate and serve the communities within Indian River County and the Treasure Coast. <br />Currently, 211 has a total of 63 employees, 52 of which are full-time and 11 of which are part-time. Within our individual <br />programs, the Sunshine Telephone Reassurance Program and our Caregiver Program have three part-time employees. <br />Our Help Me Grow program has five full-time employees that serve our entire service region. The MYFLVET program at <br />211 currently has two Veteran Care Coordinators on staff. In addition, we have a Treasure Coast Community Relations <br />Specialist who is present within Indian River County and attends community meetings and events in order to remain in - <br />touch with the constantly evolving needs of those who we serve within the county. Our organization also has a staff <br />person who is embedded with the Mental Health Collaborative and located in Indian River County. <br />Every single day, 24 hours a day, 211 's Resource Center Specialists are available via phone text, email, or chat for the <br />residents of Indian River County who may be struggling. Our Resource Center currently is staffed by 33 Resource <br />Center Specialists, 27 of whom are full-time and 5 who are part-time. Two of these Resource Center Specialists work <br />as supervisors, as well as effectively managing incoming requests for help from individuals in distress. In addition, there <br />is a Resource Center Manager who supervises all of the helpline program staff. The costs associated with 1 full-time <br />Resource Center Specialist out of the total 28 Specialists is partially funded by Indian River County. <br />The 211 HelpLine is vital in helping the residents of Indian River County, and increasing our staffing capacity will make <br />it possible for our agency to further enhance our impact following the launch of 988. By remaining available, 24 hours a <br />t <br />y, 7 days a week, and providing our lifesaving services at absolutely no cost to the individual, our agency is able to <br />ectively reduce the barriers to accessing the mental health, health, and financial resources that are often present for <br />historically underserved populations in our community. It is often the case that when we respond to a request for help <br />from an individual who is having a mental health crisis that their needs are more complex than originally presented. <br />211's Resource Center Specialists are skilled at assessing and identifying the immediate needs of the individuals who <br />215 <br />