VOICE OF THE TOWNSHIP
Please Help Get the Word Out
If your funds look to be tight this winter, you might feel that even if you have a benevolent spirit and a giving heart, there is very little you can do to assist your friends and neighbors that have fallen on hard times. This couldn’t be further from the truth. I have often remarked about the amazing resources available in this great community. Believe it or not, you can join the ranks of valuable community resources. By reading this week’s Voice of the Township and utilizing just two simple bits of information, you can help a friend in need and save the community valuable resources that can be passed on to someone else.
First, to find community resources you just need to remember three numbers: 2-1-1. The State of Indiana now has fully endorsed regional call centers, available twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week. Operating just like dialing 911 for emergencies, 211 is the comprehensive information and referral system for social services in the community. Its mission is to inform, guide, direct, and link people in need to the appropriate human service that alleviates or eliminates that need. The 211 Northeast Region is comprised of the ten northeast counties in Indiana.
Our 211 region maintains up-to-date and accurate information regarding social services in our ten county area. The staff is trained to interview each caller and then refer them to a suitable provider. A needs determination and an appropriate referral reduce the caller’s frustration and increase the likelihood of a successful problem resolution.
Those that have Internet access can reach 211 online at: www.firstcallinfo.org. The web site has an astonishing amount of information. Services can be viewed in private and a follow up call can be made directly to the agency. There are links to 18 other web sites that are major service providers, one of which is the Wayne Township Trustee’s web site www.waynetownship.org. If you would like to volunteer to help a local agency, information for this is there as well.
Second, to help us prevent wasting of local resources, become informed and help us spread the word. Disconnect – reconnect fees and deposits for utilities use a tremendous amount of local resources. These fees and deposits are resources that could be used to help pay for the service itself. I don’t think that it would be unreasonable to estimate that about twenty percent of local resources are lost when they are used for these unnecessary charges.
All too often citizens in need try up until the last minute to do all they can to help themselves, only to end up with a disconnection. Once disconnected, the fees and deposits come into play and the cost of assistance is increased substantially. If you haven’t paid a deposit in a while, you might be shocked. They can be in the hundreds of dollars these days. This is just the beginning. If there are children in the home, they might be removed until service is restored. Most often, all of this can be prevented, if someone in need would just seek help and give those that provide it the time they need.
So be a good neighbor, friend or community resource. Help us pass the word along and urge someone in need to get help before their problems multiply. If you save just one agency the cost of a deposit, it’s like making a several hundred dollar donation. If you would help just one friend keep their children safe and in their home over the Holiday Season, you would have a lifetime of satisfaction in your heart.
Now you see why I love my job so much! Thanks, I appreciate your faith in our ability to get the job done. Join the team. We need you to help get the word out.
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