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2-1-1 Monthly Report for January 2019
Noteworthy Updates
During the month of January, 5,567 calls were handled by 2-1-1 Resource Specialists and 8,848 health, housing and human service referrals were provided. Of the unduplicated callers, 72% are female, 27% are single mothers with minor children, and 59% reported they are living with disabilities. (These statistics exclude callers who opted to not provide demographic information during intake.)

F or additional 2-1-1 stats for the month of January, go  here. For 2-1-1 stats for the current fiscal year-to-date, go here.
Partial Federal Government Shutdown

In January, 2-1-1 demonstrated once again its value and responsiveness to community needs. 2-1-1 received many calls from Bay Area residents who were affected by the partial federal government shutdown. We connected these federal employees and contractors, and their family members, to critical resources that provide financial assistance, food, employment, legal assistance, and more. Click here to read the 2-1-1 call examples for January, including those related to the shutdown.
Tax Season is Here

In anticipation of requests from clients looking for information on tax preparation assistance, the 2-1-1 database was updated in January with details on the VITA and AARP tax preparation assistance locations. 2-1-1 Phone Resource Specialists additionally received training on the Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) from United Way Bay Area. EITC is a refundable tax credit for low to moderate-income working individuals and families, particularly those with children. For information on EITC and if you qualify, as well as a list of free tax prep sites near you, call 2-1-1!
Call Examples
A woman called from Hayward where she was living in her car with her two children.  She was HIV positive and in the second trimester of a high-risk pregnancy. The caller was also a domestic violence survivor, and in spite of her challenges, was working full time. This call was transferred to Eden I&R’s AIDS Housing Information Project (AHIP) program. AHIP staff determined the caller met the criteria for a Mainstream Voucher through the Housing Authority of the County of Alameda (HACA). AHIP is a partner agency authorized to refer families for the program.
 
After gathering the necessary paperwork, the client met with AHIP staff the next business day to complete her application and AHIP staff hand-delivered it to the Housing Authority. A few weeks later the client met with the Housing Authority to get her Mainstream Voucher, and is now able to start her housing search. 

For additional 2-1-1 call examples handled in January, go  here.
Caller Feedback
" I was having a whole bunch of issues. I called and I thought I’d get a machine, so it was really nice to have a person answer.
She was really helpful. Thank you!”
Databases

Five new programs were added to the Services Database this month for a total of 1,216 agencies and 3,121 programs.  
103 new units were added to the housing database in January for a total of 73,803 housing units. Staff updated 4,729 records this month, a new record of updates in a month by the Housing Department.
AHIP (AIDS Housing Information Project) offers housing and human services resource referrals to People Living with HIV/AIDS (PLWH) via a designated phone line and through one-on-one, in-person assistance at clinics and AIDS Service Organizations. In January, AHIP handled 114 calls, provided 150 service referrals and 325 housing referrals.

This month, Eden I&R's AHIP Coordinator Judy Eliachar was selected as a new member of the Oakland Transitional Grant Area (TGA) Planning Council. The planning council is the advisory body that reviews and provides input into the operations of the Ryan White program (medical services for HIV/AIDS) in Alameda and Contra Costa Counties. Congratulations Judy!
Website
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Eden I&R's health and human services data is provided free through the agency's publicly accessible websites at www.edenir.org and  www.211alamedacounty.org , and www.achousingchoices.org .

In January, Eden I&R's websites received 37,757 page views and 6,773 sessions/visitors. 
Meetings & Presentations

In January, staff participated in 27 meetings, phone calls, and webinars with current and potential partners. Highlights included  a presentation by our Housing Coordinator to Union City Family Center about 2-1-1 Housing Services and ACHousingChoices.org .
Fairs / Events / Outreach
In January, Eden I&R served 221 people at training, events, and fairs and distributed 3,200 pieces of outreach materials to service providers and residents of Alameda County.

2-1-1 staff hosted a booth and provided resource referrals to participants at two separate Community Resource fairs at Laney College in Oakland.
Outreach materials were distributed by request to Support Circle Pregnancy Clinic in Oakland, Fannie Wall Head Start in Oakland, Native American Health Center in Oakland, CRIL (Community Resources for Independent Living) in Hayward, and Arthur Hall (Private Practice) in Hayward.
Disaster Preparedness Trainings

In January, the Disaster Preparedness Coordinator conducted trainings for:

⁃ Harambee Community Services staff in San Leandro on Personal Emergency Preparedness and Building and Agency Emergency Plan

⁃ American Indian Model (AIM) Schools school teacher/staff training in Oakland on Disaster Preparedness and Emergency Response 

Eden I&R provides a full range of disaster preparedness training classes. All trainings are interactive and fully customizable. Contact Disaster Preparedness Coordinator, Lars Eric Holm, at 510-727-9516 or   leholm@edenir.org to schedule your training today!
Staff In-Service & Training
In-service presentations were provided to staff by representatives from the following organizations:
Abode Services
(HOPE Van)
Alameda County Public
Health Department
International Institute of
the Bay Area 
Photo by William Iven on Unsplash
Technology

This month the message callers receive when they are connected to 2-1-1 was updated to communicate expected hold times. This enhancement is possible because of the new VOIP phone system we launched last summer.

The agency’s internal master project tracking list was updated to reflect progress made on important projects during the first half of the fiscal year and plans were made to complete the remaining projects for the second half of the fiscal year.
Volunteer Opportunities

Help us tackle some of the Bay Area's most challenging issues.  Eden I&R is looking for volunteers to support the organization at all levels. If you are interested in learning more about volunteer opportunities,  please contact Volunteer Coordinator Jeanette Mills at 510-727-9503 or    jmills@edenir.org .


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