Help Starts Here!
Arkansas Launches Statewide
2-1-1 Information and Referral System
May 8, 2008
Arkansas Gov. Mike Beebe placed the first call with the new Arkansas 2-1-1 information and referral system today at a press conference to launch the system at the State Capitol.
Together with commissioners of the Arkansas Public Service Commission and United Way, the Governor announced that Arkansas has become only the 17th state to offer the system statewide. In addition, Arkansas is the first state to have more than 95 percent coverage and one of only a few states to offer wireless coverage as well as landline.
I’m so proud that Arkansas is among the few states to implement this system statewide,
Gov. Beebe said. It’s a simple concept really, to put people in need of help in touch with those who can help them, but it has the potential to touch all of us in some way, whether we need help or want to offer our help.
2-1-1 is a free, easy-to-remember number that connects residents with important community services and volunteer opportunities. Individuals and families seeking social services can call 2-1-1, a nationally recognizable number that makes a critical connection between callers and the appropriate community-based organizations and government agencies, and get the help they need.
Arkansas 2-1-1 will be managed by the United Ways of Arkansas Board of Directors and funded through local United Way contributions, foundation grants, and private donations. The Wal-Mart and Sam’s Club Foundation provided the seed money for the system through a grant of $600,000 ($300,000 over two years) which has been matched.
Wal-Mart and Sam's Club have a long-standing relationship with the United Way,
said Ray Bracy, senior vice president of Corporate Affairs for Wal-Mart Stores, Inc. We are pleased to support this important project, which will help provide many essential services to residents in our home state of Arkansas.
The annual operating budget for Arkansas 2-1-1 is estimated to be a little over $1 million for the first two years. Two call centers are being operated in Arkansas; one in Pine Bluff and one in Springdale through a partnership with the statewide Crisis Center. The executive director, Nathan Cook, and administrative staff will be headquartered in Pine Bluff. Cook was recruited to Arkansas from North Carolina where he developed one of the first 2-1-1 systems in the state, and the only system nationwide to have received national accreditation on its first try. The Arkansas 2-1-1 board is made up of eight CEOs of United Way and 13 volunteers selected from the collaborative group that designed Arkansas’s 2-1-1 system.
This system has been a major force in helping us to break down the barriers that exist between those who need help and those who have the ability to help,
Don Zimmerman, Executive Director of the Arkansas Municipal League and past Chairman of the Arkansas 2-1-1 Executive Committee, said. This number is a fast, easy and free way for those in need to take the first step in getting the help they need to put their lives back on track.
John Nazzaro, Chairman of the United Way Association, said Arkansas 2-1-1 fits with United Way’s mission to provide help and assistance to those in need, and we’re pleased to have the ability through our partnerships with local sponsors, to bring this important system to Arkansas. 2-1-1 has the ability to touch all of us - whether we find ourselves in a situation where we need help, or we would like to offer our help to others, 2-1-1 is there for us all. Our two call centers, in Pine Bluff and in Springdale, are prepared to respond 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
Public Service Commissioner Daryl Bassett said We took our time in implementing this system in Arkansas so that it was done correctly. We’re now ready to provide a great quality of service to the people who need it most. And, we think that Arkansas 2-1-1 will be a model for other states to use in implementing their own 2-1-1 system.
Services that Arkansans will be able to access through 2-1-1 include:
- Food pantries, Meals on Wheels, clothing closets, shelters, rent and utility assistance.
- Health insurance programs, medical-information lines, Medicaid and Medicare, ARKids
- First, maternal health, counseling and support-group services, drug-and-alcohol intervention and rehabilitation.
- Child care, after-school programs, Head Start, family-resource centers, mentoringand tutoring, recreational programs and protective services.
- Adult day care, respite care, home health care and transportation.
- Job training, transportation and education programs.
- Volunteer opportunities and donations.
For more information click on the link: http://www.4029tv.com/video/16818332/index.html