In Touch211 in Ontario News In Touch

Good Things Grow-oh-oh... in Ontario!Issue 2. Volume 1. July 2010

1

Warden Henry Hogg from the County of Lennox & Addington helps launch 211 to the community

continued on page 2

211 is a good thing and it continues to grow its way to serving all Ontarians by 2011. In June, 211 telephone services were launched in Perth and Huron Counties and in the Eastern Ontario in City of Kingston, Lennox & Addington and Frontenac Counties.

Revenue Minister John Wilkinson, and MPP for Perth-Wellington, helped launch 211 in Stratford. “I commend the United Way for their great work in setting up the new 211 service in our community. The 211 initiative will be a much needed life-line for people seeking social, health and government assistance.”

Joining the 211 launch in Kingston was Environment Minister John Gerretsen, and MPP, Kingston and The Islands, who said that

INSIDEWelcome to ‘In Touch’, the newsletter from Ontario 211 Services Corporation. We look forward to sharing with you the work of our dedicated 211 Service Providers. Page 2• Good Things Grow-oh-oh...in Ontario!• When 211 calls, United Ways in Ontario Respond

Page 3• Living with Stress - A Day in the Life of an

Information and Referral Specialist• Ontario 211 Services Corporation Elects New

Members and President

Page 4 • Deaf Access and The Canadian Hearing Society

Introduce 211 Services to Simcoe Region• Upcoming 211 LaunchesPage 5• 211 and the Ontario Volunteer Centre Network win

Ontario Trillium Foundation Grant

Page 6• In Thunder Bay, Accreditation is a Weighty Matter• 211 Staff at 2010 AIRS Educational Conference

Page 7• Team from Nova Scotia Visit 211 Detroit and 211

Windsor-Essex• 211 is Better Than Google! - Andrew Holeton

“Our government has committed more than $13 million over four years toward expanding 211 services province-wide by 2011. The 211 phone service will quickly become an important hub within our community - connecting residents to a wealth of information or the right agencies and best resources to meet their needs.”

These launches would not have been possible without the hard work and support of the United Ways. Both the United Way Perth-Huron and the United Way serving Kingston, Frontenac, Lennox & Addington are working hard to support and promote 211 to their communities. The data support, funding, outreach and media relations work of United Ways make 211 possible.

Sending greetings Carol Mitchell, MPP, Huron-Bruce, said “The single window of access to local non-emergency services provided by 211 will be an invaluable

resource to my constituents. Congratulations to the United Way Perth-Huron on the launch of 211 in Perth and Huron Counties.”

In addition, the Ontario Trillium Foundation (OTF), an agency of the Government of Ontario, helped make 211 possible in Perth and Huron Counties. Funding from the OTF was used towards the building of a comprehensive database of the hundreds of human and community services in Perth and Huron Counties. The database is used by 211 staff to make referrals and is also available to the public at www.211ontario.ca. See page 4 for upcoming 211 service launch dates.

Good things grow...continued

Revenue Minister John Wilkinson, and MPP Perth Wellington, joined the United Way Perth-Huron and 211 team to launch 211

2

In May, Bill Morris, Executive Director, and John Myers, President, Ontario 211 Services Corporation, attended the United Ways of Ontario conference in Mississauga. Bill and John presented the report “A Call to Ontario United Ways: Establishing Collective Support for Ontario 211” to the 35 United Ways attending. United Ways throughout Ontario have been the primary originators of local 211 service. As 211 reaches out to all Ontarians, a province-wide approach to financial support grows in importance. The report provided several options for funding the United Way share.

The United Ways formed a small Task Force to refine the proposed funding model and will report back at next year’s conference. For more information please contact Bill Morris, Executive Director at (416) 777-0211, ext. 221.

John A. Myers, President, and Bill Morris, Executive Director, Ontario 211 Services Corporation, at United Ways of Ontario conference

When 211 calls, United Ways in Ontario Respond

3

Living with Stress - A Day in the Life of a 211 Information and Referral Specialist

Every day our Information and Referral Specialists speak with as many as 110 or more people. While most callers are calm and hopeful, others are desperate, or angry

at the world. Not surprisingly, as the years pass, difficult calls can sometimes result in compassion and empathy fatigue in those who answer them. Compassion fatigue is a natural effect and can occur in human service workers who, on a bad day, may start to feel indifferent (or defensive) toward those they are assisting for a variety of reasons.

Recently, Findhelp Information Services (Central Region) brought in the Centre for Mindful Therapies to introduce new techniques on how to recognize and diffuse their emotions after a “rough call” and how to bounce back to help the next caller. The objectives of the session were to provide tools to enhance concentration, clarity and creative

Ontario 211 Services Corporation Elects New Members and President

At its annual meeting in June 2010, the O211SC Board gathered together to bid farewell to John A. Myers, who served as President since O211SC was founded in 2007. John remarked “I am proud of our accomplishments and how well situated Ontario 211 is to face the future. I leave knowing that the Ontario 211 system is in good shape and in good hands. Thank you all for your hard work and the opportunity to strengthen our communities.”

Kent Gillespie, from Peel Region, was elected President, while John Kwekkeboom from Welland continues on as Vice President, and joining him as Vice President is Jim Alexander from Kanata. Winnie Chant, from Leamington, was re-elected. Two new members joined the Board. Mike Belliveau, from Thunder Bay, and Evelyn Brown, from Bracebridge, bring with them first hand experience in developing 211 service in their regions. They join Jocelyn St. Jean, Orleans, Mary Wilson Trider, Toronto, and Waqar Zaidi, Oakville.

thinking in order to improve each person’s overall effectiveness and satisfaction in the workplace (and in other situations).

The “Learning Your Own Resiliency” workshop recognized that I&R professionals are caring and compassionate people. Persons who work in “high touch” professions are more vulnerable than most. Staff received resiliency training which encompassed how to identify their own emotional triggers, analyze their reaction style and self-protective communication reactions (emotional reasoning versus reflective, rational thought processes) and gave them tips on how to remain in control of their responses by understanding and using their individual styles.

Afterward, an I&R staff member, Rumana Khalifa, said the workshop “provided me a with a boost and inspiration in my work. The next morning I arrived at work to face my challenging job and saw the positively charged staff. Thanks for the life skills learned…the exercise has certainly given me food for thought.”

3

Deaf Access and The Canadian Hearing Society introduce 211 Services to Simcoe County

Tim Maloney, Regional Director, Canadian Hearing Society; Alison Pickard, CEO, United Way Greater Simcoe County; Louise Gagne, Executive Director, Deaf Access Simcoe Muskoka and Pam Hillier, Executive Director, Community Connection/211 Central East launch service to deaf community

4

Upcoming 211 Launches

Deaf Access Simcoe Muskoka and The Canadian Hearing Society launched a new partnership with 211 in the Simcoe region. Through 211’s TTY line and online live chat, deaf, deafened and hard of hearing people in Simcoe and the surrounding areas will find it easier to connect with services and support for challenges, such as housing, income, financial assistance, employment and health issues.

“About 23 per cent of the population has some kind of hearing loss. In Simcoe that would mean 98,000 people are Deaf and hard of hearing,” said Louise Gagne, Executive

Director, Deaf Access Simcoe Muskoka. “We are excited about joining with 211 and the Canadian Hearing Society to launch these specialized 211 services to this invisible and often marginalized community.”

211’s TTY line in Simcoe is (1-888-435-6086) and online chat is available at www.northsimcoemuskoka.info 24 hours a day, seven days a week, every day of the year. By using 211, callers can get information on the options available to them for their particular situation. 211’s Information and Referral Specialists can explain how to access services, eligibility requirements, hours, location and more about social, community and government programs serving the community.

“Online chat is another avenue to independence. Younger deaf and deafened consumers are already comfortable with this service which offers them privacy, compared to other communication relay services,” said Pam Hillier, Executive Director, 211 Central East Region. “By promoting 211 to these consumers, we hope communication and independence opportunities will increase as the deaf and hard of hearing community navigate the expertise and resources available to all Ontarians.”

Algoma - September 20, 2010Oxford - September 22, 2010Durham Region - September 30, 2010Rainy River - October 18, 2010211 services are coming to more than 20

communities in 2010. Visit our website www.211ontario.ca for the 211 launch updates.

211 services are currently available to 55 per cent of Ontario in Perth, Huron, Kingston, Lennox, Addington, Frontenac, Ottawa, Niagara, Toronto, Windsor-Essex, Halton, Peel, Thunder Bay, Sault Ste. Marie, Simcoe, Bruce, Grey, Muskoka, Haliburton, Kawartha Lakes, Peterborough and Northumberland.

211 and the Ontario Volunteer Centre Network win Ontario Trillium Foundation Grant

2-1-1 is a free, confidential information and referral service that makes finding community services and social resources in Ontario simple. 211 can be accessed through the three-digit phone number, 2-1-1, and the Internet at www.211ontario.ca. 211’s phone and internet is accessible 24/7 and can serve people in more than 150 languages. The Province of Ontario, Government of Canada, United Way of Canada-Centraide, United Ways of Ontario, Ontario Trillium Foundation, Citizenship and Immigration Canada and several municipalities support 211 in Ontario.

Ontario 211 Services Corporation543 Richmond Street West, Suite 220, Box 114Toronto, Ontario. M5V 3R7Phone: 416-777-0211www.211ontario.ca

In Touch NewsletterEditor: Destiny BedwellEmail: dbedwell@211ontario.caPhone: 416-777-0211, ext. 225

5

The Ontario Trillium Foundation has provided funding of $75,000 to a collaborative of 211 Service Providers and Volunteer Centres to determine how collaboration between the two kinds of service can bring further value to Ontario residents and their communities. It is 12 month discovery project with a focus on

‘whether to’, ‘if so, how’, ‘what do you think’, ‘what would work best’ and to work out the details of this in protocols and models. Implementation would happen in a second phase if there is a decision to move forward.

Branding is part of the discussion. In many parts of the US, 211 is branded “to give and get help” – if this, or similar branding is to be used in Ontario (and Canada) the project will help in being clear about what it means.

For more information contact the lead organizations: • Information Niagara, Rosanna Thoms at rthoms@informationniagara.com or • Lead volunteer centre, Cathy Taylor at ctaylor@volunteerguelphwellington.on.ca

To be added to the distribution list for e-bulletins about the project please contact the project manager, Jonquil Eyre at jeyre@sympatico.ca.

211 and Ontario Volunteer Centre Network collaborating on vision

In Thunder Bay, Accreditation is a Weighty Matter

Thunder Bay’s 211 team finish site clean-up in preparation for the AIRS Accreditation team’s visit to Thunder Bay

6

211 leaders and information and referral staff from across Ontario met up at the 2010 AIRS Educational Conference in Rochester

211 staff at 2010 AIRS Educational Conference

The Lakehead Social Planning Council (LSPC), who operate 211’s Northern Region, recently achieved their accreditation with the Alliance of Information and Referral Systems (AIRS). Accreditation is a mandatory requirement for Ontario 211’s service providers, as it adds another layer to ensuring quality services for Ontario residents.

AIRS accreditation is a multi-phase process that assesses more than 200 distinct operational components and culminates in a detailed onsite review. Marie Klassen, Director of Services at LSPC, who oversees the operations of 211 Northern Region, commented, “accreditation is an exhaustive process and we jumped through hoops to assure that quality standards would be met. One of the packages we sent AIRS weighed 28 pounds. In the end, it was worth the heavy lifting. It is important that the public and our funders know that an outside evaluator has checked us out thoroughly and that we meet all standards.”

LSPC joins Findhelp Information Services (211 Central), Community Connections (211 Central East) and Information Niagara (211 Central South) as AIRS accredited service providers. More than 100 organizations in the United States and Canada have successfully achieved AIRS accreditation. Ontario 211’s four other service providers are in the middle of the accreditation process.

Congratulations to Marie Klassen and her team in Thunder Bay!

Team from Nova Scotia visit 211 Detroit and 211 Windsor-Essex

7

Nova Scotia’s Provincial and Municipal leaders learn more about 211 and 311

Officials from Nova Scotia visited 211 Detroit and 211 in Windsor-Essex recently to learn about 211 and 311 operations and how they support their communities.

The visitors learned about the two different services and how 211 and 311 can complement each other. They also met 211 subject matter experts, and learned about each services’ funding and governance models. 311 in Windsor and 211 for the South West Region of Ontario is operated by the City of Windsor. 211 Detroit is run by the United Way for Southeast Michigan.

From Nova Scotia, David MacKenzie, Community Relations Advisor in the Premier’s Office, Kevin Malloy, Deputy Minister of Service Nova Scotia and Municipal Relations, and Brad Anguish, Business Planning and Information Management of the Halifax Regional Municipality attended the tours and presentations.

Others from Nova Scotia in attendance:Chuck Hartlen, Senior VP Customer

Experience, Bell Aliant, United Way Board Member, Chair 2-1-1 Nova Scotia and 2-1-1 National Steering Committee member and Catherine Woodman, President & CEO, United Way Halifax Region.

Ontario’s community and social services are making 211 work for them and their clients.

“211 is better than Google! Better than the Blue Book, Grey, White or Yellow pages. 211 has long been a constant on my bookmark toolbar at work and at home for the eight years I’ve been in non-profit in Toronto. It’s well organized, comprehensive, accurate, up-to-date, and makes it easy to find useful information quickly. It’s an incredible asset to any worker who provides information and referrals,” said Andrew Holeten who was a Community Mental Health Worker/Employment Facilitator at Parkdale Activity Recreation Centre in Toronto for six years. Andrew Holeten is currently working at the Learning Enrichment Foundation in York Region.

“When making a referral you need it to be quick and easy. 211’s information is printable, mainly in a single page format. Handing that page to a person greatly increases the likelihood of the person actually going. It lends credibility to everything listed. It’s a great resource and stepping stone for people to become more empowered through access to information. First stop for information on non-profits in the GTA. 211 helps non-profits carry out their mission and helps people to help themselves.”

At the Parkdale agency, Andrew encouraged his clients to call 211 during drop-in hours, especially if self-referral was possible or the person was taking part in their own recovery and well being. According to Andrew, this encourages clients to be more independent and cope with emergencies.

211 is better than Google! -Andrew Holeton