History of Vermont 2-1-1

1970 - January

Hotline for Help, Inc established as a volunteer hotline and community I & R service for Windham County residents.

1996

The Champlain Initiative was launched and a need for connecting people to services came out of a community vision process.

1997 - August

Hotline for Help merges with United Way of Windham County to maximize resources of both organizations to meet community needs.  United Way’s HELPLINE Program establishes comprehensive database of health and human services for people in Windham County.

1998 - January

Larry Kraft of Springfield Hospital was hired to work with local partners to see explore the possibility of creating a Chittenden County I &R center.  Some to the partners at the discussion were AAA (Area Agency on Aging), Fletcher Allen Health Care and Vermont Legal Aid.

1998 - April

The HELPLINE Director earned the National I & R Certification through the Alliance of Information and Referral (AIRS).

1999 - August

Representatives from United Ways of Vermont , Vermont Agency of Human Services, Area Agencies on Aging , Vermont Department of Libraries, E-911 , and other service providers, begin planning for the development of 2-1-1 service for Vermont. 

2001 - August

GET INFO Champlain Valley established at United Way of Chittenden County as a community I & R service for Chittenden County residents.

2002 - July

United Way of Chittenden County and United Way of Windham County merge their GET INFO and HELPLINE telephone I&R programs and regional databases to form the foundation of a statewide database and statewide information & referral service.

2002 – 2004

Fletcher Allen Community Health Foundation , Fanny Allen Foundation, Vermont Agency of Human Services, Vermont Community Foundation , Champlain Initiative , and the United Ways of Vermont all contributed to the early funding efforts to support the vision of a statewide I & R in Vermont.

2002 – November

The www.vermont211.org website is launched and includes a searchable database of services.

2004 – November 19

Vermont Public Service Board approves United Ways of Vermont as the designated service manager of 2-1-1 in Vermont.

2005 – February 11

United Ways of Vermont officially launches 2-1-1 in Vermont.  2-1-1 is available as a local call from anywhere in Vermont

2005 – July 14

Governor Jim Douglas announces a public –private partnership between the Vermont Agency of Human Services and United Ways of Vermont and major funding for Vermont 2-1-1.

2005 – July

United Ways of Vermont secures funding for Vermont 2-1-1 from each of the 10 regional United Ways in Vermont.

2005 – November

First Director of Vermont 2-1-1 was hired.  Staff was expanded to include 1.5 additional I&R Call Specialists.

2006 – January

Year end reports for 2005 show call volume doubled from 2004 (from about 2,500 to 5,000).

2006 – February

Hours of Operation were expanded to include early evening hours Monday – Thursday 8:00am – 8:00pm, Friday 8:00am – 4:30pm.

2006 – April

First Regional Resource Specialist hired to serve the Northeast Kingdom.

2006 – November

Five staff now earning their AIRS Certification - CIRS (Certified I & R Specialist).  One staff has earned CRS (Certified Resource Specialist) Certification.

2006 - December

Year end reports for 2006 show a 68% increase in call volume close, from 5,000 in 2005 to 8,346 in 2006.

2006 - December

Vermont 2-1-1 expands service hours to 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.  Partnership with Maine 2-1-1 Call Center makes this service possible.

2007 – November

Three additional staff members earn Certified Resource Specialist (CRS) certification through AIRS .

2007 – December

A year end report for 2007 show call volume continues to grow from 8,346 in 2006 to 16,532 in 2007.

2008 – February

Vermont 2-1-1 files an application for National AIRS Accreditation.

2008 - June

Vermont 2-1-1 becomes a core partner in Governor James Douglas' Food and Fuel Partnership.  The 2-1-1 number is designated as the entry point to the resources available to Vermonters who are worried about the high cost of food and fuel, especially as winter approaces.

2008 - October

An additional call staff member earns the Certified Information and Referral Specialist (CIRS) certification through AIRS .

2008 - December

Year end report for 2008 shows call volume continues to grow from 16,532 in 2007 to 25,095 in 2008.

2009 - January

Vermont 2-1-1 submits Phase I of National AIRS Accreditation process.

2009 - February

For Vermont 2-1-1's 4th anniversary, staff and volunteers gathered at the Vermont Statehouse to hear a declaration of February 11th as “2-1-1 Day” in Vermont.  Governor James Douglas signed the proclamation, followed by a cake cutting ceremony.

2009 - April

Vermont 2-1-1 assists the Vermont Department of Health with H1N1 (Swine Flu) general public inquiry calls.

2009 - June

Vermont 2-1-1 releases the first quarterly  "Gaps in Services Report " to the community.

2009 - August

Vermont 2-1-1 begins answering the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline for Vermont.

2009 - August

A statewide implementation of software will allow Vermont 2-1-1 and core partners of the Aging and Disability Resource Connection (ADRC) will allow to track calls and resources.  

2009 - November

Reported calls to Vermont 2-1-1 this month totaled 4,593, a 98% increase from November 2008 to November 2009.

2010 - February

Vermont 2-1-1 is awarded a Certificate of Accreditation from the Alliance of Information and Referral Systems (AIRS). This AIRS Accreditation acknowledges that the agency demonstrated competencies in applying the AIRS Standards of Professional Information and Referral.

2010 - June

The first Housing Information and Referral Specialist is hired in partnership with Vermont DCF Economic Services Division.

2010 - November

An additional call staff member earns the Certified Information and Referral Specialist (CIRS) certification through AIRS .