December 2010 Community Report

December 2010 Community Report

Toll Free: 866.561.2500 www.centralmichigan211.org 2010 15000 10000 5000 0 Yearly Call Volume 2007 2006 2005 2004 2003 2008 2009 For many people, especially those who are unfamiliar with the health and human services process, half of the effort in resolving a problem is locating the appropriate resources for help. Central Michigan 2-1-1 is there to assist individuals and families in finding help when they need it most. One call gives access to resources throughout the community.

Beyond the numbers: Advocacy at work Unfortunately, not all callers have needs that can be met by simple referrals. When a 2-1-1 call specialist goes beyond the call and seeks out resources outside of the database, it s called advocacy. This section details a few calls from the past month that required advocacy on the part of the call specialist. Hillsdale: Louis had recently received notice from his utility company that he had been removed from the Winter Protection Plan (WPP) due to a late payment. The WPP lowers monthly payments for eligible clients and protects them from shut-off during the cold weather months. Clients who default on their WPP are often required to produce substantial payments immediately and Louis was in danger of shut-off even though he had proof that his payment had been made on time. Louis call specialist helped him apply for advocacy through the Michigan Public Service Commission (MPSC.) Later that week, Louis called to report that the MPSC had convinced the utility company to reinstate his WPP and remove him from shut-off status. Jackson: Susan had received a stove from St. Vincent DePaul 30 days before she called 2-1-1. Unfortunately, the stove had stopped working and, because Jackson county has no official appliance resources besides St. Vincent DePaul, she was unable to locate resources for a replacement. Susan was upset because she had several family members coming for Christmas and could no longer cook a meal for them. Knowing that she had no recourse with official referrals, her call specialist helped Susan post a request for a stove on Freecycle, an email listserv that matches people in need with others who have donations to meet that need. One week later, Susan received a contact from another Freecycle member who had a working stove to donate and she was able to obtain the appliance in time for her big holiday dinner. Lansing: On December 23, Samuel, a church pastor in Lansing, called to say that one of his members wanted to provide a home cooked Christmas meal for a local family in need. Knowing that time was short, Samuel made it clear that he did not expect 2-1-1 to produce results. Taking his doubt as a challenge and knowing that over 400 requests for Christmas assistance in Lansing had gone unfulfilled, his call specialist spent the next thirty minutes going through the unmet needs for Christmas Baskets in that area. When callers are unable to obtain a referral for their requested service, 2-1-1 records the need as unmet and, if the callers are willing, records their name and contact information in case new resources become available. Calling each person on the list and asking if they d found the help they were seeking, the call specialist quickly located a family that was still in need and helped them coordinate the dinner with Samuel.

Some may notice that the Unmet Need percentages for certain counties were elevated in December. Call Distribution by County Total Call Volume, December 2010 5,766 Specifically, Clinton, Eaton and Ingham counties saw an increase in the total number of unmet needs between November and December of 18%. Ingham county, responsible for most of this increase, went from 6% unmet in November to 22% in December. Ingham, 2227 Eaton, 416 Lenawee, 324 Hillsdale, 86 Jackson, 1847 The majority of these unmet needs were for requests related to holiday assistance. The Salvation Army, which was the primary agency in the capital area providing holiday adoption and Christmas basket assistance, ended its program the day before Thanksgiving. Therefore, any caller requesting such assistance after that date was unable to obtain it. Clinton, 290 Livingston, 229 Other County, 347 2-1-1 strengthens the community by uniting those who need help with those who can give it. Also, in times of crisis, 2-1-1 responds immediately by directing callers to vital services in their area. Because of the dependability of 2-1-1, people can find assistance whether their needs arise next week or next year.

Referral Source Where the caller heard about Central Michigan 2-1-1 Repeat Caller 2623 Family/Friend 1709 Non-profit Agency 676 Department of Human Services 170 Municipal Utility Company 108 Public Utility Company 59 Television 46 For-profit Business 38 Workplace 37 Printed Marketing Materials 34 Church 30 Medical/Mental Health Provider 27 Emergency Service Provider 26 Internet 20 Phone Book 16 Other State Governmental Agency 15 Other County Governmental Agency 14 Community Mental Health 13 County Health Department 10 Radio 10 School 10 Newspaper/Magazine 9 Michigan Works! 8 City/Township Governmental agency 7 Billboard 4

Web Contacts This section details contacts received by visitors to the Central Michigan 2-1-1 online database for the month of December. Searches are individual terms that visitors type into the 2-1-1 database. Visitors usually perform more than one search per visit. Total Searches for December: 10,235 (1,426 unique visitors) Top Ten Searches Food Pantries 94 Food Banks/Food Distribution Warehouses 92 Mortgage Foreclosure Prevention 51 Search Volume by County Jackson, 396 Hillsdale, 41 Lenawee, 75 Livingston, 46 Cooking Classes 48 Electric Bill Payment Assistance 38 Automotive Repair 36 Discounted Utility Services 32 Clothing Vouchers 30 Adult Parental Loss Support Groups 28 Eaton, 188 Clinton, 83 Ingham, 335 Automobiles 27

600 Search Volume by County per Month (1/1/2010 12/31/2010) 500 400 300 200 100 0 Jan Feb March April May June July August Sept Oct Nov Dec Clinton Eaton Ingham Jackson Hillsdale Lenawee Livingston Top Ten Agency Pages Viewed St. Vincent DePaul (Jackson) 44 Capital Area Community Services (Lansing) 33 Department of Human Services 33 St. Vincent DePaul (Lansing) 30 The Salvation Army (Jackson) 25 Michigan State Housing Development Authority 23 Volunteers of America (Lansing) 24 Central Michigan 2-1-1 offers an Email Blast service for Jackson, Hillsdale, Livingston, and Lenawee counties. Interested agencies and individuals can receive email updates on local events and programs by logging on to www.centralmichigan211.org and clicking Email Blasts. This service is free. In December, Central Michigan 2-1-1 sent a total of 56 Email Blasts. CEI Community Mental Health 17 Seventh Day Adventist Community Service Center (Lansing) 16 Wayne Street Church of Christ (Jackson) 16

Central Michigan 2-1-1 recently adopted a new phone system. This system asks callers if they would be willing to participate in a survey regarding the quality of their 2-1-1 experience. The system is fully automated and calls the client back approximately 2 minutes after their 2-1-1 call has ended. In December, 294 callers participated in the survey. Of those participants, 79.25% received referrals for services. Other results are listed below. How satisfied were you with the process of reaching a 2-1-1 Call Specialist today? 4.08% 1.36% 1.36% 14.62% 78.57% How satisfied were you with your 2-1-1 Call Specialist's ability to understand the reason for your call? 7.82% 4.76% 0.68% 1.36% 85.37% Very Satisfied Satisfied No opinion Dissatisfied Very Dissatisfied Do you feel that you were treated in a courteous and respectful manner? 2.05% Was your Call Specialist helpful and knowledgeable? 5.11% Would you feel comfortable calling 2-1-1 in the future? 4.43% 97.95% 94.89% 95.57% Yes No

Clinton County Call Volume Total Call Volume for December: 290 500 450 400 350 300 250 200 150 100 50 0 Dec Jan Feb March April May June July Aug Sept Oct Nov Dec December s Top Needs Electric Bill Payment Assistance 44 Food Pantries 26 Christmas Baskets 18 Holiday Gifts/Toys 17 Rent Payment Assistance 10 Directory Assistance 8 VITA Program Sites 6 Community Shelters 5 Gas Money 5 General Appliance Provision 5

Clinton County Detail December 2010 In December, 22% of needs in Clinton county were unmet. Below are the top five unmet needs with a brief explanation of their primary reason for being unmet. Top Five Unmet Needs Christmas Baskets 20 Registration Full/Past Deadline While the service was recently active, its availability was limited by either time or capacity. Holiday Gifts/Toys 17 Registration Full/Past Deadline While the service was recently active, its availability was limited by either time or capacity. Electric Bill Payment Assistance 6 No documentation For utility bills, this generally indicates that the caller is not yet in shut-off status. Being in threat of shut-off is the primary eligibility requirement for receiving help with utility bills. Gas Money 5 Service not available The requested service is not yet provided by any agency within the caller s service area. Holiday Adoption Programs 2 Registration Full/Past Deadline While the service was recently active, its availability was limited by either time or capacity.

Eaton County Call Volume Total Call Volume for December: 416 700 650 600 550 500 450 400 350 300 250 200 150 100 50 0 The red line on top indicates total call volume. The blue line beneath indicates total call volume excluding H1N1 and seasonal flu related calls. Dec Jan Feb March April May June July Aug Sept Oct Nov Dec December s Top Needs Electric Bill Payment Assistance 49 Holiday Gifts/Toys 43 Christmas Baskets 26 Food Pantries 26 Rent Payment Assistance 25 Community Shelters 12 General Dentistry 11 Rental Deposit Assistance 11 General Legal Aid 10 Directory Assistance 9

Eaton County Detail December 2010 In December, 21% of needs in Eaton county were unmet. Below are the top five unmet needs with a brief explanation of their primary reason for being unmet. Top Five Unmet Needs Holiday Gifts/Toys 24 Registration Full/Past Deadline While the service was recently active, its availability was limited by either time or capacity. Christmas Baskets 22 Registration Full/Past Deadline While the service was recently active, its availability was limited by either time or capacity. Electric Bill Payment Assistance 11 No documentation For utility bills, this generally indicates that the caller is not yet in shut-off status. Being in threat of shut-off is the primary eligibility requirement for receiving help with utility bills. Rent Payment Assistance 6 Automotive Repair 2 No documentation As related to requests for rent assistance, this unmet need reason means that the caller has not yet received a court-ordered eviction notice. Notices to Quit or 7-day notices are not generally sufficient to qualify for rent payment. Client ineligible/target population requirement The only agency offering automotive repair in Eaton county is the Department of Human Services. Because that agency requires the client to be both employed and with minor children in the home, many elderly or disabled residents in need of this service are ineligible for assistance.

Hillsdale County Call Volume Total Call Volume for December: 86 160 140 December s Top Needs Electric Bill Payment Assistance 6 Food Pantries 5 120 100 80 60 40 Holiday Gifts/Toys 5 Community Shelters 4 Rent Payment Assistance 4 Automotive Repair 3 Directory Assistance 3 Gas Money 3 20 Gas Bill Payment Assistance 3 0 Dec Jan Feb MarchApril May June July Aug Sept Oct Nov Dec General Legal Aid 3

Hillsdale County Detail December 2010 In December, 37% of needs in Hillsdale county were unmet. Below are the top five unmet needs with a brief explanation of their primary reason for being unmet. Top Five Unmet Needs Holiday Gifts/Toys 4 Registration Full/Past Deadline While the service was recently active, its availability was limited by either time or capacity. Service not available Hillsdale county has no community shelter. Callers seeking emergency shelter are often directed to neighboring counties. Community Shelters 3 Unfortunately, Hillsdale county also does not have programs to assist with bus fare or gas money, meaning that many clients without personal transportation are unable to reach those services. Gas Money 3 Homeless Motel Vouchers 3 Rent Payment Assistance 3 Service not available The requested service is not yet provided by any agency within the caller s service area. Service not available The requested service is not yet provided by any agency within the caller s service area. Combined with a lack of community shelters, the absence of an ongoing motel voucher program means that people in need of emergency housing in Hillsdale county often go unassisted. No documentation As related to requests for rent assistance, this unmet need reason means that the caller has not yet received a court-ordered eviction notice. Notices to Quit or 7-day notices are not generally sufficient to qualify for rent payment.

Ingham County Call Volume Total Call Volume for December: 2227 4500 4250 4000 3750 3500 3250 3000 2750 2500 2250 2000 1750 1500 1250 1000 750 500 250 0 The red line on top indicates total call volume. The blue line beneath indicates total call volume excluding H1N1 and seasonal flu related calls. Dec Jan Feb March April May June July Aug Sept Oct Nov Dec December s Top Needs Electric Bill Payment Assistance 254 Food Pantries 177 Holiday Gifts/Toys 174 Christmas Baskets 140 Rent Payment Assistance 109 Directory Assistance 88 Community Shelters 60 General Furniture Provision 53 Rental Deposit Assistance 32 General Dentistry 28

Ingham County Detail December 2010 In December, 22% of needs in Ingham county were unmet. Below are the top five unmet needs with a brief explanation of their primary reason for being unmet. Top Five Unmet Needs Holiday Gifts/Toys 170 Registration Full/Past Deadline While the service was recently active, its availability was limited by either time or capacity. Christmas Baskets 140 Registration Full/Past Deadline While the service was recently active, its availability was limited by either time or capacity. Electric Bill Payment Assistance 57 No documentation For utility bills, this generally indicates that the caller is not yet in shut-off status. Being in threat of shut-off is the primary eligibility requirement for receiving help with utility bills. Christmas Baskets 32 Registration Full/Past Deadline While the service was recently active, its availability was limited by either time or capacity. Rent Payment Assistance 32 No documentation As related to requests for rent assistance, this unmet need reason means that the caller has not yet received a court-ordered eviction notice. Notices to Quit or 7-day notices are not generally sufficient to qualify for rent payment.

Jackson County Call Volume Total Call Volume for December: 1847 2500 2000 December s Top Needs Electric Bill Payment Assistance 146 Holiday Gifts/Toys 133 Food Pantries 132 1500 Rent Payment Assistance 97 General Furniture Provision 61 1000 Christmas Baskets 57 Directory Assistance 54 500 Community Shelters 35 0 Dec Jan Feb March April May June July Aug Sept Oct Nov Dec General Dentistry 30 General Legal Aid 28

Jackson County Detail December 2010 In December, 11% of needs in Jackson county were unmet. Below are the top five unmet needs with a brief explanation of their primary reason for being unmet. Top Five Unmet Needs Christmas Baskets 21 Registration Full/Past Deadline While the service was recently active, its availability was limited by either time or capacity. Rent Payment Assistance 21 No documentation As related to requests for rent assistance, this unmet need reason means that the caller has not yet received a court-ordered eviction notice. Notices to Quit or 7-day notices are not generally sufficient to qualify for rent payment. Electric Bill Payment Assistance 16 No documentation For utility bills, this generally indicates that the caller is not yet in shut-off status. Being in threat of shut-off is the primary eligibility requirement for receiving help with utility bills. Bus Fare 11 Homeless Motel Vouchers 9 Service not available While gas money is available in Jackson county through St. Vincent DePaul, bus fare is not a provided service. This absence can cause severe difficulty in residents applying for benefits, seeking employment or obtaining health services. Service not available Emergency motel vouchers are generally not a provided service in the Central Michigan 2-1-1 service area. While the Jackson community shelters do an excellent job in providing emergency housing for the homeless, some residents in need are unable to use the shelters for medical or employment reasons.

Lenawee County Call Volume Total Call Volume for December: 324 450 December s Top Needs 400 Electric Bill Payment Assistance 33 350 300 250 Rent Payment Assistance 21 Food Pantries 16 Directory Assistance 15 Community Clinics 11 200 150 100 50 Gas Money 11 Holiday Gifts/Toys 9 Mortgage Foreclosure Prevention General Dentistry 7 Automotive Repair 6 9 0 Dec Jan Feb March April May June July Aug Sept Oct Nov Dec

Lenawee County Detail December 2010 In December, 20% of needs in Lenawee county were unmet. Below are the top five unmet needs with a brief explanation of their primary reason for being unmet. Top Five Unmet Needs Gas Money 11 No immediate resource available Currently, St. Mary of Good Counsel in Adrian is the only agency in Lenawee county offering gas vouchers. Due to funding shortages, they are often unable to provide this service. Rent Payment Assistance 10 No documentation As related to requests for rent assistance, this unmet need reason means that the caller has not yet received a court-ordered eviction notice. Notices to Quit or 7-day notices are not generally sufficient to qualify for rent payment. Holiday Gifts/Toys 9 Registration Full/Past Deadline While the service was recently active, its availability was limited by either time or capacity. Undesignated Temporary Financial Assistance 4 No immediate resource available This type of funding has no strings attached. Usually, it is used to provide services that are otherwise unavailable in the community. For instance, callers seeking help in paying for the GED equivalency exam will commonly be referred to this type of funding. In its absence, callers with atypical needs tend to fall through the cracks. Central Michigan 2-1-1 often assists agencies offering this service by screening potential applicants based on stated eligibility requirements. Electric Bill Payment Assistance 3 No documentation For utility bills, this generally indicates that the caller is not yet in shut-off status. Being in threat of shut-off is the primary eligibility requirement for receiving help with utility bills.

Livingston County Call Volume Total Call Volume for December: 229 300 250 December s Top Requests Electric Bill Payment Assistance 25 Food Pantries 15 200 150 Rent Payment Assistance 15 Heating Fuel Bill Payment Assistance 10 Directory Assistance 8 Food Stamps 8 100 Subsidized Rental Housing 8 Rental Deposit Assistance 8 50 Community Shelters 7 0 Dec Jan Feb March April May June July Aug Sept Oct Nov Dec General Legal Aid 7

Livingston County Detail December 2010 In December, 15% of needs in Livingston county were unmet. Below are the top five unmet needs with a brief explanation of their primary reason for being unmet. Top Five Unmet Needs Homeless Motel Vouchers 4 Rent Payment Assistance 4 Electric Bill Payment Assistance 3 Rental Deposit Assistance 2 Residential Snow Shoveling 2 Service not available Emergency motel vouchers are generally not a provided service in the Central Michigan 2-1-1 service area. While the REACH shelter does an excellent job in providing emergency housing for the homeless, some residents in need are unable to use the shelter for medical or employment reasons. No documentation As related to requests for rent assistance, this unmet need reason means that the caller has not yet received a court-ordered eviction notice. Notices to Quit or 7-day notices are not generally sufficient to qualify for rent payment. Previously Assisted Except for Department of Human Services, most agencies will only assist a caller one time per year. It is common for callers in sustained financial crisis to quickly exhaust available resources. No documentation As related to requests for rent assistance, this unmet need reason means that the caller has not yet received a court-ordered eviction notice. Notices to Quit or 7-day notices are not generally sufficient to qualify for rent payment. No immediate resource available There are generally resources for elderly or disabled residents to help with snow removal during the winter months. However, these programs usually reach capacity in April or May. Therefore, residents who are newly disabled or who were unaware of the availability of these resources can often not obtain them.

Giving Help: Volunteerism and Donations Give Help Calls Volunteer Placement 34 Donation Pickups 11 Clothing Donation 9 Food Donation 5 Furniture Donation 4 Foster Family/Parent Recruitment Medical Supplies Donation 3 Appliance Donation 2 Bedding/Linen Donation 1 Computer Donation 1 Mattress Donation 1 3 Our monthly report may give the impression that we only take calls related to emergency basic needs. While these comprise a large percentage of our call volume, we also receive many calls from people looking to donate goods or services to the community. This section will illustrate Give Help calls on a monthly basis. Top Volunteering Cities Lansing 11 East Lansing 4 Jackson 3 Adrian 2 Brooklyn 2 Eaton Rapids 2 Okemos 2 Brighton 1 Charlotte 1 Vehicle Donation 1 Dimondale 1 Holt 1 Hudson 1 Deerfield 1

Local organizations benefit from being included in the 2-1-1 database not only because they get more referrals but because those referrals are made with foresight and purpose. 2-1-1 stays in close contact with these organizations to track the exact nature and availability of their resources, easing the burden caused by incorrectly referred clients. 2-1-1 also faithfully and accurately reports community needs to local and State government, helping to reveal hidden problems that might otherwise go unnoticed. 2-1-1 is committed to providing the highest level of community service. If you are unable to contact us by dialing 2-1-1 then please call us toll-free at: 866-561-2500. 2-1-1 is primarily supported through contributions from people like you! If you re interested in volunteering or supporting the program, dial 2-1-1! We are proud to share that we have recently partnered with Resource Genesee & Shiawassee United Way with the hope of providing 2-1-1 service to their counties in early 2011. Search our database online - visit www.centralmichigan211.org! A partnership of Capital Area United Way, Eaton County United Way, Hillsdale Human Service Network, Lenawee United Way, LifeWays, Livingston County United Way, Resource Genesee, Shiawassee United Way & United Way of Jackson County