“The CommunityPoint app provides clients a streamlined way of accessing the database easily from their smart phone in real-time. The app also has an interesting way of generating revenue for our I&R.”
- Edward Perry, Resource Manager for 2-1-1 Tampa Bay Cares

2-1-1 Tampa Bay Cares™ (TBC) is the first 2-1-1 organization in the United States and Canada to provide the community with a mobile directory application as an additional method to accessing health and human services information via a website or a paper directory.  The new 211Connects iPhone® Application developed by Bowman Systems for 2-1-1 Tampa Bay Cares is available for download at the iTunes® App Store.

Edward Perry, Resource Manager for 2-1-1 TBC, said that making information available to caseworkers and community planners when they may not have access to a computer has become increasingly important.  “How people are accessing information is changing,” noted Perry.  “We must be able to reach people wherever they are.”

In fact, Morgan Stanley Internet Analyst Mary Meeker predicts that within the next five years, “more users will connect to the Internet over mobile devices than desktop PCs.”  The 2-1-1 TBC organization wants to stay ahead of this trend as it continues to work and expand its reach and impact.

211Connects lists more than 4,500 local health and human service programs serving Pinellas, Citrus and Hernando Counties in Florida.  Perry expressed that the new app is also a bargain at 99 cents per download versus the expenditure cost for hard copy of $25 – 50 per printed directory.

With the CP iPhone® App, resources from any I&R database product can be searched by name and results ordered by relevancy or distance from your current location. Resources can also be saved as favorites and shared with others using text messages or email.

When the user touches the address of an organization, a Google map appears displaying the location and directions.  The CP iPhone® App also takes advantage of iPhone® features, which improves the user’s experience when compared to using a mobile phone web browser.

211Connects will even auto dial the organization on an iPhone®, just by clicking the phone number.  “The best part is that the information is as real time as we can make it, compared to accessing a printed directory that becomes outdated very quickly,” added Perry.

The App is already popular with users.  “I’ve watched agencies checking the accuracy of their listings using the app, reported Perry and people are bringing their iPhones® to meetings to show others how simple it is to access the resource database.  When agencies are excited about the resource database usage increase, listings are updated and clients benefit.

To continue to grow the number of users, Perry stated his organization is already looking to the future and taking the successful concept to other devices.  “We are going to explore putting a version of the app at kiosks and would like to develop an app specifically designed for mobile data collection,” said Perry.

2-1-1 TBC is also expanding its on-line presence and investing in the use of social media with pages on the network for Facebook, Linked In, Twitter and YouTube tutorials.  “Our www.211tampabay.org site is designed for volunteers, community partners and donors, and the www.211connects.org is client oriented focusing on the services available,” explained Perry.  “We also have an electronic newsletter.  Our goal is to make it easy to connect to us and access needed information quickly in a variety of formats.”

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