| Name | Kate |
|---|---|
| Last Name | Sylvester |
| Home Address | 1920 Chestnut Street #437 Chattanooga, TN 37408 United States |
| Organization Name | United Way of Greater Chattanooga |
| Describe Your Role In The Organization | Kate Sylvester is Director of Community Investments and Partner Relations and oversees our grantmaking and grant writing |
| Organization Address | 630 Market Street Chattanooga, Tennessee 37402 United States |
| Website | https://www.uwchatt.org |
| Best Phone Number To Reach You | 4237523100 |
| Alternate Phone Number | |
| Email Address | katesylvester@uwchatt.org |
| Alternate Email Address | abbygarrison@uwchatt.org |
| Please Describe Your Project In Detail | United Way of Greater Chattanooga is requesting funds for a much-needed expansion in services for the 211 Information and Referral Service to add a dedicated housing-assistance line in response to COVID. In collaboration with the Chattanooga Regional Homeless Coalition (CRHC), United Way’s 211 center would become the entry point for any community member who is homeless, housing insecure, or whose housing is threatened to connect to the resources they need. One-in-four clients call 211 for a housing referral, whether that be for emergency shelter, rental assistance, or public housing. The housing-assistance line will be staffed by a bilingual navigator to increase access for our community to housing resources. The COVID-19 pandemic has greatly increased awareness of and need for the 211 Information and Referral System. When COVID-19 hit in March 2020, the 211 system had been undergoing improvements designed to increase capacity. 211 was called into service to be the centralized resource support for this region and integral to government services. 211 services were stretched beyond their existing resources to assist with the immediate and longer-term needs for COVID. Staff struggled with both capacity and operational ability to respond to callers. The wait time for many of these families and individuals had increased, creating frustration for those most needing help. Between March 2020 and December 2020, 80,950 calls were received and 35,548 were answered (44%). An urgent scale up due to COVID-19 required adding 8 new positions to the existing 4 full-time employees, including two full-time bilingual navigators. To increase capacity, we began a Food Only line, which decreased the call volume for the regular 211 calls and allows the Resource Specialists to focus more specifically, enhancing their ability to respond to callers swiftly. These capacity updates were implemented over time from April 2020-February 2021, resulting in impactful changes: **211 increased call answer rates from 43.9% to a consistent 80-90% **The Food Line reduced wait times from 7.39 minutes to 45 seconds **80% of calls for the Food Line come from within city limits In 2021, 211 answered 49,672 calls at an 81% answer rate. Specifically, 211 answered 12,940 calls (25%) for housing assistance and Chattanooga Regional Homeless Coalition’s help line estimated 15,000 calls. This high demand requires continued efficiencies of 211 operations and vigilant data analysis with a curated focus on housing stability needs. United Way’s 211 Information and Referral System provides a data-rich opportunity to best serve the City of Chattanooga. The collection of caller demographic information is extremely valuable in determining community needs and reveals gaps in resources and services. UWGC manages the Service Point shared database for the City of Chattanooga and entire service region, keeping over 5,000 resources up to date and aligned for more connected, shared data and reporting. In partnership with the Chattanooga Regional Homeless Coalition (CRHC), 211 Navigators and the Community Resource Coordinator work to provide resources for our most vulnerable populations, homeless prevention, data analysis for gaps in service. 211 and CRHC ensure that our community’s coordinated homeless response system has the knowledge it needs to interpret and use system performance measures to make improvements, which includes making sure access to assistance is offered equitably to all people experiencing homelessness. Similarly, to the need for a Food Only line, the 211 and Community Investments team at UWGC has identified the need for a Housing Only line to help coordinate services, resources, and data analysis. A 211 Navigator will answer calls from either a housing insecure or homeless community member and provide a quick assessment of direct needs to provide an accurate referral for any needed resource to enable stability. These resources will begin with a housing referral, but can span to food, utility assistance, childcare, etc. Currently, the CRHC takes in all housing and homelessness calls, which must then be redirected to the 211 Information & Referral line to connect the individual or household to the available resource. Daily, the CRHC receives about 60 calls, which has become too burdensome for one individual to connect the unmet needs. UWGC and CRHC are hoping to alleviate that burden by streamlining all calls through the data-backed, consistent, and operational 211 system. ARP funds would support a new Housing Only line at 211. |
| Please explain how your project meets the requirements of the American Rescue Plan | The 211 Housing Only line aligns and meets the requirements of “Assistance to Households” in the American Rescue Plan eligible uses. 211 meets these requirements in two unique ways: (1) immediate, crisis-response for immediate needs due to COVID-19, and (2) long-term, consistent support to bridge the need gap as COVID-19 continues to burden households and populations facing a myriad of negative economic impacts. Within the Housing Only line services, 211 will provide a needs-assessment and complete a referral to organizations with the accurate resources for all housing and homelessness needs, including, but not limited to rental, mortgage, or utility assistance; counseling and legal aid to prevent eviction or homelessness; cash assistance; and emergency assistance for home repairs, weatherization, or other housing needs. In January 2022, 74% of 211 callers were low-income households or individuals, all eligible for federal benefits, who were experiencing negative economic impacts emphasized by the pandemic. In-take assessments ensure those who call the Housing Only line specify how their needs have been caused directly or indirectly from the effects of COVID-19 on their economic stability. |
| Where would your project take place? | The 211 Information & Referral service is housed through United Way of Greater Chattanooga and serves a 15-county region, which includes 10 southeast Tennessee counties. |
| How much will your project cost in total? | 225000 |
| Do you have any matching funding sources from other local governments, private entities, non-profits, or philanthropic entities for your project? | Yes |
| Please describe the source and list amounts of any other funding. | The annual operating budget for 211 in aggregate is $990,547. The Housing Only line would be an additional $75,000 in direct costs, which includes cost of additional software, database equipment, one full-time Housing Line 211 Navigator salary and benefits, and training and equipment. United Way would support additional indirect costs of 20% associated with this new Housing Line. The Housing Only line would be a new project within the multifaceted services of 211. The Housing Only line is not currently funded. |
| What portion of the project are you asking the city to fund? | 80% of Housing Line project costs, which would constitute 7% of the overall 211 annual operating budget [$75,000 / ($990,547 + $75,000)= 7%] |
| If funded, when would your project start? | July 1, 2022 |
| How long would your project take to complete? | 3 years |
| What milestones would you use to measure your project’s progress? | Key Metrics: Update the Service Directory annually to provide up-to-date, relevant community resources that will assist citizens in maintaining stability by updating 30% of the existing resource profiles annually Maintain % of calls answered at 80-90% Maintain average wait time of under 6 minutes Maintain % of abandoned/rejected calls under 7% Number of seniors/65+ individuals served |
| How would you ensure accountability and transparency throughout the project lifecycle? | A weekly dashboard from EPB Call Provider ensures accurate, timely, and validated answer rates, wait times, and abandoned/rejected calls. These statistics are provided to staff weekly for transparency. Additionally, UWGC maintains a public 211 live data site that tracks real-time calls and needs. This is a source of accountability and transparency for anyone to access – callers, UWGC employees, partners, donors, and the greater Chattanooga community. https://uwcha.211counts.org/ Additionally, 211 commits to ensuring a 100% referral rate (refer every individual who calls to address needs) and maintains a shared service platform with CRHC to receive direct referrals and confidentially share information/client data. |
| If successful, how would your project benefit the community? | This project would benefit the community through addressing a root cause of instability through housing access and connection to housing resources. 211 is the only Information & Referral call center serving the greater Chattanooga area. 211 has proven to be the reliable source of truth for connecting to the most reliable, effective, and consistent emergency resources. Even through the challenges of COVID-19, 211 did not back down. Instead, 211 was the key to stability for hundreds of neighbors and committed to continually innovate solutions to fill the need gaps arising throughout the pandemic. The Housing Only line is just that – the innovative solution to simplify the burden of connecting to the right resource at the right time for households and individuals facing housing instability. |
| How will you attract community buy-in for your project? | 211 has been the lifeline for every crisis in greater Chattanooga since Hurricane Katrina disaster plan in 2005. From local floods, fires, and tornadoes to the COVID-19 pandemic, to the facilitation of community support for the Woodmore bus tragedy, 211 is the dependable, trusted, and constant source of connection for every community member. 211’s record of support includes extreme crises, daily stability needs, and consistent need intake. UWGC will continue to work with both the City of Chattanooga and Hamilton County Government to encourage utilization of 211 for their citizens. 211 will partner and communicate with all housing and homelessness organizations in the city. Additionally, UWGC plans to emphasize 211 in our marketing and communication plans for our 100-year anniversary this year to reintroduce and innovate the ways 211 serves every neighbor. 211 is the cornerstone of help for greater Chattanooga, and the introduction of a Housing Only Line will only further solidify that when 1 our of every 4 callers gets the dedicated help they need. |
| Name | Abby Garrison, VP Community Investments United Way of Greater Chattanooga |
| Contact Information | abbygarrison@uwchatt.org |
| Name | Jessica Bastianelli, Director Community Programs United Way of Greater Chattanooga |
| Contact Information | jessicabastianelli@uwchatt.org |
| Name | Wendy Winters, Executive Director Homeless Coalition |
| Contact Information | wwinters@homelesscoalition.org |
| Is there anything else you would like us to know about your project? | |