Toronto

By Rebecca Field Jager

It’s not like she hadn’t asked for help. At 53, Sandra had endured years of struggle. A long-time sufferer of fibromyalgia, and the single mother of an autistic boy who in 2009, had been molested by a trusted, family friend, the once-spirited Toronto-native knew that guilt and grief were consuming her – and that chronic pain and financial hardship were gnawing away at what was leftover. And so, like many people besieged by difficulties, she tried to reach out. She made countless calls, she searched the Internet, she asked friends and strangers for advice, but misinformation, lack of information or too much information defeated her. Instead of finding help, one afternoon in the middle of January, she found herself unable to get out of bed.

“I had my phone with me,” she recalls. “And I remember thinking, this will be my last call.”

She dialed 2-1-1.

A real person answered. Ekaterina, a 23-year-old Information and Referral Specialist, is fluent in English, French and Russian. She spends her days at the call-centre located in downtown Toronto, navigating her way through their vast database, talking to folks from all walks of life, seeking all manner of help. The nature of requests varies daily and often changes with the time of the month or the time of year. Tax-time, Christmas holidays, the dreary months of winter, and so on each create a unique set of challenges. And while some callers are simply looking for a number, others are looking for a way out of their despair.

“Sandra was very distressed,” Ekaterina says. “She was so upset she didn’t know what she was looking for.”

With seven months on the job under her belt, and backed by an education in family and community social services, Ekaterina knew she had to get as much information as possible from Sandra in order to assist her properly. Training, experience and instincts kicked in; she asked questions, listened intently and responded compassionately. An hour-long conversation later, and Ekaterina was able to provide contact information for two agencies tailored to Sandra and her son’s needs. “By encouraging people to let it all out, it helps them relieve some stress and gives me a better idea of what we were dealing with,” Ekaterina explains. “Getting them to share their story helps them and it helps me.”

For Sandra, the call changed her life. Although she found the sourcing of appropriate numbers was in itself a great relief, it was the human connection that had such an impact.

“She really listened to what I had to say, what I needed, how I felt. She told me she knew of others who had similar problems. Most importantly, she told me to be strong, that I was on the right path, that I could get through this.”

Sandra says too that she has listened to the advice Ekaterina offered. “She made suggestions such as making a list of priorities and journaling, both of which have helped me.”

Today, Sandra is in the process of working with Child Advocacy and CAMH, the agencies the 211 I&R Specialist recommended. Although she and her son haven’t yet become fully immersed in their programs, just knowing things are in place fills her with optimism. Once an established singer and songwriter, Sandra’s illness, her son’s special needs, and the terrible thing that happened to him, have taken a toll on her career. But no longer her dreams. She is currently working from home and rediscovering her music.

Asked if she would recommend 211, she quickly answers yes.

“It’s available 24/7 so you can call anytime, the middle of the night if that’s when you really need to talk to someone. It’s not just the information they give you that is helpful, it’s that when someone gives you information from a good place, you’re more apt to be stronger and more focused so you actually go and get that help. The young woman who answered my call that day turned things around for me.”

Windsor

By Shelley Divnich Hagger

211 truly wants to help make your day better

Looking for assistance, answers or access to community services can be a complicated and overwhelming task. Searching the Web might require you to dig through layers of pages; calling a phone number can bring dozens of automated menu options. Even the latest apps won’t do you much good if you’re not even sure where to start. But for residents of Windsor-Essex, all it takes is a single phone call – simply dial 211.

“Learning that there’s someone there to speak to is comforting for callers,” says Operator Candice Fader, of Windsor. “They’re thankful to be speaking with someone who truly wants to help.”

Fader has worked as an Information and Referral Specialist since the 211 Southwest Call Centre first opened in Windsor in 2007. In that time, she and others in the same role have assisted callers seeking information on every topic imaginable:  from dog licenses to drivers’ licenses, from finding a food bank to finding a doctor.

The 211 Southwest Centre now serves residents from Windsor to Oxford County. Caller needs fall into several categories. In 2011, more than 10% of the Windsor-Essex area’s 34,000 callers were seeking community services. 211 callers also sought information on local events, long-term health care, EI, landlord and tenant issues, mental health concerns and emergency financial assistance. 211 will also follow up –with a caller’s permission – to ensure that their referral was the right direction to take. And when a caller may need additional assistance communicating with other agencies, 211 can act as an advocate or work with an advocate of the caller’s choosing.

Shelley Bernardon of Windsor needed to apply for a copy of her British Columbia birth certificate, but was getting nowhere on her own. “I’d called multiple numbers,” says Bernardon. “Each time I was given the wrong information or told I was calling the wrong place.” Searching online was also fruitless.

“I’d heard about 211 on television,” says Bernardon. “They gave me the correct information in a single phone call.” Not only that, someone from 211 called Bernardon back a day later, just to ensure she’d been given the correct information and that her problem had been resolved.

It’s not easy to ask for help. It’s even more difficult when you don’t know where to begin. “It’s very satisfying to know I’ve helped make someone’s day better, or even just given them a feeling of hope,” says Fader. “Often, all they (callers) need is the realization that others care and that they’re not alone.”

With a single phone call, all residents of Ontario can move closer to the help they need. “Just to feel like the person on the phone was listening, and was patient with me, made a difference,” says Bernardon. “And they got it right in one try. Next time, I won’t even bother running in circles – 211 will be my first call.”

 

Ottawa

211 caller data to improve community-service delivery
Ontario 211 caller data enhances the way in which human services are funded and delivered in Ottawa

A new partnership between Ontario 211’s Ottawa call centre and a group of local researchers will make a significant difference in the way in which human services are funded and delivered in the capital.

Starting this spring, Ontario 211’s Ottawa-based call centre will feed basic, anonymous caller-profile data—gender, approximate age, the first three digits of callers’ postal codes, and the nature of the services requested—to a team of academics that has compiled a detailed demographic and socio-economic profile of Ottawa’s 97 neighbourhoods.

For the researchers, the data-sharing exercise will further enhance an already-detailed picture of Ottawa’s discrete communities. Others will benefit too. For ordinary citizens, the arrangement will yield better access to essential community resources. For funding agencies, the additional intelligence will make program-investment decisions easier, and for policy makers and community organizations, the data will create a more complete picture of service needs and overlaps.

“The data we collect from 211 will enable us to further refine our study and identify holes in the delivery of human services throughout Ottawa’s neighbourhoods,” says David Hole, Project Coordinator with the Ottawa Neighbourhood Study (ONS). “From there, we can create an even more complete picture of our community that decision-makers in government and service-delivery organizations can use to make informed choices about program planning, community engagement and service delivery.”

United Way Ottawa is particularly interested in the results of the 211/ONS agreement. Every year, the organization faces tough decisions about how to best allocate the tens of millions of dollars it receives in community donations. Comprehensive and detailed neighbourhood profiles, such as those developed by ONS, enable United Way’s planners to target areas of the city where service-delivery gaps exist and where efficiencies could be created.

“The capacity to match human-services supply data with demand is tremendously valuable for us,” says Karen Milligan, Director of Communications with United Way Ottawa.

United Way Ottawa isn’t the only community-based organization that will benefit from the 211/ONS agreement. The service-delivery groups funded by United Way Ottawa also use ONS data to improve the way in which they meet community needs, and to make applications for further grants from the funding agency.

“Two years ago, United Way Ottawa issued its first-ever open call for proposals,” says Milligan. “It invited human-service agencies to submit proposals for programs to be funded by community dollars. Because applying agencies have relied on ONS data to inform their submissions, the quality of funding proposals we have received has been exceptional. We expect that quality to increase again once 211’s data is mapped onto the ONS.

 

Collingwood

By Marg Bruinema

211 is a tool in a mother’s toolbox

As a mother of two Jennifer Robinson is always on the lookout for what’s best for her family.

Among her staple of resources is the 211 service, which opens a world of possibilities with a simple three-digit telephone call.

“I’ve called them a couple of times because they’re great, really nice people,” said the Collingwood woman. “I’ve called them for just businesses, the health unit, stuff like that.”

More recently Robinson was concerned about registering her son for school – 211 helped connect her to the two schools she was interested in talking to and the child is on the road to attending his first year in kindergarten this fall.

211 is answered live by a highly trained expert in social and human services.

That’s especially important to *Mary, who also recently called the service.

“I have a mental illness so I have a hard time finding things in the phone book like regular people,” said the local woman. “I do try to look things up if I can. Because it’s confidential you can call in and say: ‘This is what I’m going through right now, what would you suggest?’”

From a service perspective, it’s something that the area really needed, said Dale Biddell, Executive Director of the Southern Georgian Bay United Way.

“211 provides a terrific group of referrals,” she said. “It keeps people from making umpteen phone calls. For us, as an adjunct agency in the community, they’re absolutely serving a very important purpose.”

The point of 211 is to get people what they’re looking for, said Pam Hillier, Executive Director of Community Connection, the organization that provides 211 service in Central East Ontario, which covers 1.2 million people in 8 counties.

“We’re the number to call when you don’t know who to call,” she said. “We don’t give advice, we explain to the callers what services exist.”

That could include someone who has just lost their wallet and needs to replace their identification and credit cards. Or it could be a teenager who just discovered she’s pregnant and has no idea what services she’s going to need.

“While the caller is asked for no information, beyond their first name, their requests are tracked. This helps services in the community gauge the needs of their residents,” said Hillier.

“We track all the calls that come in and we report that back to the stakeholders,” she said. “It’s a support system for the whole human services.”

* Name has been changed to protect the caller’s identity

Niagara

By Kelly Putte

Niagara sees a sharp rise in complex 211 calls

211 in Niagara expects to get walloped this year with a record-setting 75,000 calls for help, many of which will be messy, time-consuming and difficult to solve.

The free telephone-based information service saw a sharp rise last year in the number of calls it took that were categorized as complex. Complex means callers with problems that are multi-layered and involved and therefore more difficult to sort out.

In 2010, complex inquiries to Niagara 211 numbered 331. By 2011, the number had jumped dramatically to more than 1900 calls.

Niagara’s faltering economy, its record jobless numbers, an aging population and the lack of an accessible transportation system could be to blame for the large increase, says Rosanna Thoms, Executive Director at Information Niagara, which runs the 211 service.

And even though the region’s unemployment rate has dropped and the economy may be picking up, the effect of these economic woes tend to be more lasting particularly for people who are disadvantaged, elderly, isolated, disabled and new to Canada, many of which describe a typical 211 client.

“Whenever there’s a downturn in the economy what starts to happen is fallout,” says Thoms. “You may have someone who lost their minimum-wage job and collected employment insurance and now can’t find work. The lack of money makes them behind in their rent or there’s insufficient food and that person gets depressed and their life starts to get complicated.”

211 and its website, 211ontario.ca, is a confidential, one-stop service for the wide assortment of human and social services offered by non-profits, community agencies and governments.

The St. Catharines office provides service to five other regions, including Hamilton, Waterloo, Brant County, Guelph, Wellington County and Haldimand and Norfolk Counties, an area that represents more than 1.8 million people. During weekends and evenings calls are diverted to 211 in Toronto. A interpretation service is provided for callers in 150 languages.

While a 211 specialist handles many routine questions about flu shots and where to apply for a passport, examples of complex inquiries might be:

A senior citizen suddenly loses her vision and can only think to call 211. The service links her immediately to 911.

A nurse calls seeking help for a soon-to-give-birth immigrant mother who has no family or friends to look after her two-year-old while she delivers her baby.

A man calls looking for psychological help to try to deal with the physical abuse he’s taken from his wife.

“When someone presents like that we have to make sure they’re in a safe situation at the time,” says Debra Kingsley, an information services supervisor with 211. “The information specialist would likely go through what finances he has available and explore his level of support and look at any serious health issues and explore whether the doctor even knows about it.”

The 211 service also provides assistance to:

  • emergency services by relieving misdirected calls from 911 and freeing emergency response teams to deal with real emergencies.
  • public health by acting as a central point for updated information on flu clinics and other timely health issues.
  • public safety personnel, serving as an easy-to-remember number to give to at-risk populations.
  • non-profits and sliding fee-for-profits by being connected to clients who otherwise may not have known where to turn.
  • community-wide outreach and awareness efforts, allowing 211 to connect social workers, clergy, doctors, lawmakers and others to programs in the community so they know where to refer people they serve for help.

211, which is partially funded by the United Way, was launched in Niagara in November 2005.

Dufferin-Peel

211 helps seniors with no heat for three years

Reaching out for help is difficult and no one knows this better than 211 in Dufferin-Peel, an information and referral service that offers help to those who don’t know where to turn.

211 is a free and confidential telephone-based, one-stop shop that helps people sift through the wide assortment of human and social services offered by non-profits, community agencies and governments.

“If I could tell our community just one thing, it would be to tell those who are in need that there is help – and it’s just a phone call away,” says Rebecca Cowell, a 211 database coordinator and former information and referral specialist. “211 is all about empowerment and providing information to make informed choices.”

Phone calls to 211 are answered by Certified Information and Referral Specialists who undergo thorough training in order to provide accurate information and referrals.

211 phone counsellors handle many types of questions. Its mandate is immense.

Need some help getting settled into Canada?  Call 211.

You don’t know where to turn now that your last EI cheque has arrived? Call 211.

You’re looking for a support group to discuss your child’s disabilities. Call 211.

Counsellors work the telephones 24-7 from the Regional Municipality of Peel call centre offices in Brampton.   The service is available for callers in 150 languages.

“Many resist reaching out for help because they fear that there’s a stigma attached to the struggles they face: abuse, mental health illness, poverty and homelessness – to name a few,” says Cowell. “I hope this fear doesn’t become a barrier and that callers come to trust our staff to provide assistance that’s accepting and judgement-free.”

Often callers call in with one concern, which ultimately leads to quite another matter or an issue that’s much more complex than why the caller initially sought help. Because people have such difficulty asking for help, I and R Specialists are trained to read between the lines, to ask the right questions to draw out the answers that will reveal other issues, says Cowell.

A Peel region resident called Cowell to ask for information about a program in which seniors were granted financial assistance to help maintain their homes. By digging a little deeper, Cowell learned that for three years, the woman and her husband had lived with a leaky roof and no heat thanks to a broken-down furnace. She managed to find them a shelter they could live in while their house was being repaired.

“They didn’t know that they didn’t have to live like that,” Cowell says. “People call for one specific thing and, if you’re skilled to ask the right questions, you’ll find there is often more than one thing going on and that you can work to get them assistance.”

Although Peel region and Dufferin county boast a large number of community resources available to people in need, Cowell is still surprised that many residents don’t know there’s help available, even for the most basic human requirements.

“It still shocks me to find that when people call looking for help that they had no idea that food banks, financial support and shelter even exist.”

211 was launched in Peel in 2007. The County of Dufferin, which includes Orangeville and Shelburne, was added to the service last year.

In Ontario, 211 is now available to all residents. More than 55 per cent of the Canadian population has access to a 211 service.