Finance Highlights 2007 1016 - Laserfiche WebLink

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Eden I&R/211 4 assisting with overload especially during unforeseen situations such as a disaster (earthquake, fire, flood, terrorist attack, toxic spill, etc.). - Mutual Communication and Outreach: Joint public information and marketing strategies (and materials) are being developed that will emphasize and recognize the Bay Area-wide 2-l -1 system (and its local components). This marketing effort will also help clarify the difference between 2-1-1 and other N-1-1 numbers to avoid public confusion. Coordinated outreach will also ensure that 2-1-1 information is consistent, accurate, and effective. - Disaster Response Preparation: Since 2-1-1 is a public communication tool that is critically needed when disaster strikes, mutual aide agreements are being crafted that will enhance the capacity of Bay Area 2-1-1 centers. These agreements involve making sure that the regional service continues via back-up at alternative sites if necessary, as well as the ability for expanded services immediately following a disaster. - Public Policy: There is mutual agreement at the local, statewide and national level that support by public officials is critical to the ongoing success 2-1-1. Therefore, 2-1-1 service providers at the local, regional and statewide level have been meeting to promote a coordinated campaign to support "The Calling for 2-1-1 Act" as well as upcoming statewide legislation that would help fund 2-1-1 in the future. Funding Successes and Challenges: The most important lesson learned throughout the past seven years, while attempting to fund 2-1-1 equitably, is how exceedingly difficult it is to coordinate the funding of a countywide service among 14 cities and the county. Even though a fair and equitable leveraged funding plan was approved by the City Managers and Mayors two years ago, Eden I&R was still unable to implement the public sector funding plan during FY07 since it is dependent upon ALL of the cities participating at their per capita share amount (NOTE: 10 out of the 14 cities, and several county departments last fiscal year did set aside FY07 funding for 2-1-1 but the funds were not released). Fiscal Year 2008 looks much more promising since the largest city, Oakland, has recently committed to its full per capita share of funding, and the cow~ty has committed to multi-year 2-1-1 funding as well. The private sector continues to be extremely supportive of 2-1-1. In fact, it was the private sector that has allowed Eden I&R to launch 2-] -1 in "Test Mode" during FY07. For this, and many other reasons, Eden I&R is extremely grateful to the following funders for their past, and hopefully future support: The United Way of the Bay Area; Walter & Elise Haas Fund; Pacific Gas & Electric; Kaiser Permanente; The San Francisco Foundation; AT&T; Community Technology Foundation; First 5/Every Child Counts; KB Home; Safeway; and Eden Township Healthcare District. Next Steps: Eden I&R is committed to fully implementing 2-1-1 services for all of Alameda County's residents and employees during the first half of Fiscal Year 2008. The Executive Director will continue to meet with the City Manager's Association and the County's representatives to get the participation necessary to fully fund 2-1-1. Once this is achieved, additional phone line staff will be hired and trained, and a regional marketing effort will be launched to comprehensively explain and promote 2-1-1 services throughout the Bay Area. When fully operational 2-1-1 could be used as a Single Point of Entry for such programs as: - Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC)