A Resourceful Gal

As the 2-1-1 Resource Associate I do a lot of investigating. We receive an enormous amount of feedback from our callers and our call specialists about the services and programs that we provide referrals to. We have repeat callers who offer up information about the last agency they contacted, and we follow up with 5% of our callers to see how their referrals worked out. Tried calling and the phone number is disconnected? Tell Maria. Heard the building burned down? Tell Maria. Program hours have changed? Tell Maria! Considering that we have more than 7,000 programs available, it’s a lot of information to keep a handle on. Our goal at 2-1-1 is to have 100% of our callers receive a valuable and useful referral on their very first phone call. This means that the accuracy of our information is paramount, and by extension so are my investigations into those discrepancies.

Another element of my work involves rounding up new resources for our database. Sure, we have more than 7,000 programs available now, but we always want to expand. You never know what type of request a caller might have – a recent one involving a renegade rooster comes to mind! We want to be prepared for any request that comes over that phone. In addition to contributing to and fostering the growth of our resources in all areas, I also hope to improve the variety of resources available for members of the military and their families.

The best part of my job is that I learn about new ways to help members of our community every day – and that local agencies come up with new ways to help every day! A former high school teacher recently emailed me to see if I knew of any way that she could get assistance with caring for her 93 year old father in law. It was nice to be able to write her back with a laundry list of phone numbers to call, knowing that she would get the help she needed.

Right now, at the beginning of tax season, we in 2-1-1 are working to educate our callers about the Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC), and let them know that they may qualify to have their taxes prepared for FREE at one of the many area Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) sites. We want our community to keep as much of its hard-earned money as possible! For more information about EITC, possibly having your taxes prepared for free, where to get help for your grandfather, or how to deal with a troublesome rooster, you can call us at 2-1-1, 24/7. We’re always here to help.