News & Updates                   

Tapestry Software Suite      

Breakthrough Communities

2-1-1 is an easy-to-remember phone number that helps people access a variety of social services provided by a range of nonprofit and government agencies.  When a person calls 2-1-1, specially trained information and referral personnel analyze what services are needed and provide the corresponding resource information.

VisionLink is proud to support the efforts of many of the 2-1-1 call centers. Using the CommunityOS system, 2-1-1’s nationwide provide quick, flexible and reliable service to those in need of critical community services.

Today, 2-1-1 service is available to 80% of the U.S. population with 240 active 2-1-1 call centers in 46 states. However, because of the expanding reach and increasing visibility of 2-1-1, many of the call centers lack the resources needed to build an adequate telecommunications infrastructure, provide appropriate staff levels and training, establish or maintain 24-hour-a-day service, ensure complete and accurate informational databases and reach rural populations. 

Working with United Way Worldwide (formerly the United Way of America), VisionLink is committed to the passage of The Calling for 2-1-1 Act currently pending in the U.S. Congress. The bill would provide financial support to maintain and improve 2-1-1’s, nationwide.

Currently, 245 Representatives and 61 Senators are cosponsoring the bill. 
While these numbers show significant support for the bill, your help is needed to ensure the House of Representatives and Senate view passage of the bill as a priority this year.

Calling for 2-1-1 Act of 2009
This bill directs the Secretary of Health and Human Services to award a grant to each state to carry out a program for making available throughout that state the 2-1-1 telephone service for information and referral on human services. Requires a participating state to ensure that at least 50% of the resources of the program funded by the grant will be derived from other sources. Requires a state seeking a grant to carry out its activities through a lead entity to be known as a 2-1-1 Collaborative.

Requires grant amounts to be used solely to make available to a state 2-1-1 telephone service for community information and referral on human services to all citizens of that state with phone access, including telephone connections between families and individuals seeking services and the service providers.

Requires grant recipients to: (1) abide by the Key Standards for 2-1-1 Centers; and (2) collaborate with human service organizations to provide an exhaustive database of services with which to provide information or referral to individuals utilizing the 2-1-1 service.

Write Your Representative

Thank you for your support of this critical legislative issue.