CONTRACTS; HUMAN SERVICES (GENERAL); TELEPHONE;

HUMAN SERVICES;

You asked for information on Infoline/2-1-1. Specifically, you asked for (1) the enabling legislation, (2) its current state funding, and (3) details of the contract DSS has with the United Way to run the program.

SUMMARY

The 2-1-1 number is part of the United Way of Connecticut’s Infoline, an integrated system of telephone help that has provided a single source for information about community services, referrals to human services, and crisis intervention for over 25 years. It can be accessed toll-free from anywhere in Connecticut, 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. The state has provided financial assistance to the program since its inception.

In 1998, the United Way recommended using 2-1-1 as an easy to remember phone number to access Infoline’s services. The governor recommended providing nearly $ 1 million to the Department of Social Services (DSS) to consolidate various Infoline services into one program, and the FY 1998-99 budget contained $ 650,000 for DSS to make these changes, which went into effect in March 1999. No implementing law was enacted.

For FY 2003-04, DSS has a contract with the United Way of Connecticut to run Infoline/2-1-1 and the HUSKY Health Infoline in the amount of $ 3,818,723. (We do not know how these funds break down for each function. We can attempt to get this breakdown if you wish. ) The Infoline/2-1-1 part of the contract spells out DSS’s expectations of the United Way, including providing information and referral to an expected 200,000 callers, as well as reporting requirements and quality assurance measures.

INFOLINE/211 HISTORY

Infoline was created in 1976 as a public/private partnership between the United Way and the State of Connecticut. According to Melanie Lowenstein of the United Way, a working group was convened under then-Governor Meskill to come up with a single source for state residents to be able to get information about and referral to services. Lowenstein added that substantial amounts of federal anti-poverty program funds were coming into the state at that time and there was a perceived need to make sure people needing help from these programs would be able to access them. That year, the legislature apparently appropriated funds to the DSS, which in turn used it to contract with the United Way. According to the United Way’s website, Infoline has the state’s most comprehensive database of human services resources.

In 1998, the United Way approached the Office of Policy and Management and recommended that the state use an easy-to-remember number, 2-1-1, for Infoline. Governor Rowland strongly supported the proposal and, according to the Office of Fiscal Analysis budget write-up for FY 1998-99, recommended consolidating various Infoline services into the 2-1-1 system and proposed $ 900,000 in capital expenditures to upgrade the existing Infoline equipment. The legislature appropriated $ 650,000 for this purpose in anticipation of a March 1999 start date. According to the United Way, Connecticut became the first state in the country to use 2-1-1 statewide, and in July 2000 the Federal Communications Commission designated 2-1-1 as the number to call nationally for information about health and human services.

DSS CONTRACT WITH UNITED WAY

The 2003-04 contract includes both the Infoline/2-1-1 and HUSKY Infoline. Infoline/2-1-1 is a telephone call center that provides state residents with access to information and referrals to health and human services, crisis counseling, and intervention. Information and referral must be targeted to callers receiving public assistance, such as Temporary Family Assistance (TFA), and other “vulnerable” populations, such as the elderly. During the contract year, the program is expected to conduct a total of 75 outreach activity forums that include presentations on statewide health and human services available through the state’s provider network.

The contract includes a separate TFA services component that requires the program to provide specialized information and referral services to callers moving off the TFA program. It requires Infoline/2-1-1 to have administrative offices in five locations around the state and specifies the types of administrative functions that must be performed, such as staff training, and that bilingual staff must be available during all shifts.

The contract calls for Infoline/2-1-1 to collect service need and demographic information from each caller willing to be surveyed for evaluation purposes. And it must maintain certification status from the American Association of Suicidology and meet other quality assurance requirements.

The contractor must do both general program and TFA-specific reporting, as well as provide ad-hoc reports when DSS requests them.

We have attached a copy of the contract for your review.

RC: ts