Reprinted from the Health District's quarterly publication mailed to district residents (Fall 2003)
TOPIC: FirstCall: A resource to call on
 
by kathy hayes

A recently laid-off dad received an eviction notice, and a single mom working the night shift is desperate to find after-hours childcare for her 5-year-old. A family moving to Estes Park wants to know what resources the community offers.

Help with these issues and more is now available by dialing three easy-to-remember numbers: 2-1-1.

Free to the public, the 2-1-1 number has been designated nationwide as the number people can call for information and referral services that will direct them to agencies and resources that can help.
In Larimer County, FirstCall is the agency that provides this service and that also serves as a connecting point for people wishing to volunteer and programs needing volunteers.

Specialists answering the phones work with callers to assess their needs, then direct them to appropriate people and services, so they can actually get the help they need.
about firstcall
2-1-1 hours
8 a.m. – 8 p.m.
Monday -Thursday
8 a.m. – 5 p.m. Friday

Eventually, the line will be open 24 hours, 7 days a week and will be available across the entire state.
To find out more, visit www.firstcall-vc.org. Tap on the FirstCall link, and you can print out a community resource list with names and phone numbers of helping organizations in Larimer County.

FirstCall maintains a database of more than 1,000 nonprofit organizations in Colorado and scores of government agencies.

“Our job is to know how all these services work together — who does this, who takes over when,” says FirstCall Executive Director Mary Robertson. “The specifics of working with service agencies can be really complicated, but that’s what we do.”

By providing this service, FirstCall saves individuals and families the time and frustration of navigating the often confusing maze of agencies and services — and saves agencies the time of redirecting calls from people who don’t know where to turn to for help.

“We also watch for gaps in the services,” says Robert-son, “and then bring those gaps to the attention of the appropriate communities. We’ll say, ‘This is a problem; what can we do about it?’” Representatives from various helping organizations will work together to try to resolve the problem.

One of four pilot sites initiating 2-1-1 in Colorado, FirstCall is collaborating with other pilot sites to eventually expand services throughout the state and make the line available 24/7.

“We’re now doing community outreach to assess services and locate community partners,” says Robertson. “One of our goals is to prevent duplicating specialized knowledge.”

A key benefit of the 2-1-1 pilot program is that it will generate information from all over the state about existing services and needs that aren’t being met. Says Robertson, “This may help us develop regional cooperation that will ultimately connect anyone in the state with an organization that can help them.”