“We have found CallPoint and ServicePoint to be flexible enough to meet all our data needs.” 
- John Hayes,  Building Stable Lives and 2-1-1 Director for the United Way of Greater Chattanooga

Chattanooga 2-1-1 has long been recognized as a leading provider of 2-1-1 services in Tennessee.  Managed by the United Way of Greater Chattanooga, the 2-1-1 has been operational for 27 years, initially as First Call for Help and as 2-1-1 since 2003.

A few years ago, the organization determined that capturing client data and issuing electronic referrals to local service providers was the best approach to Information and Referral.  In 1999, United Way of Greater Chattanooga became one of the first ServicePoint implementations in an effort to more effectively make and track referrals and establish the basis for a system of coordinated care.

Bowman Systems’ CallPoint product was adopted in early 2007 as the tool to refine this vision.  Success has been measured over the years not by the number of people who phoned the hotline, but by how many of those people actually followed through on the referrals by meeting with the recommended “referred to” agencies.

“We learned so much from analyzing the data we captured,” indicated John Hayes, Building Stable Lives and 2-1-1 Director for the United Way of Greater Chattanooga.  “When we took a look at referrals and the net results, we found that many callers who skipped the referral called back days or weeks later with the same request. We often found that unfulfilled referrals were a direct result of the lack of proximity to services in a neighborhood.”

This initial discovery led to a wider analysis of neighborhood needs and the providers operating in each neighborhood.  “We often find that as needs change in a neighborhood, there are no providers close enough to effectively offer service,” explained Hayes.  “To rectify this situation we now take our need reports to local providers and ask them to alter their service offerings to fulfill community needs.”

Because of their success, Mr. Hayes and the United Way have long advocated for a statewide program.  In 2009, the Tennessee State Legislature approved funding to consolidate ten regional 2-1-1 projects.  The basis of the statewide system will be the Chattanooga 2-1-1 CallPoint database.  Approval of the statewide concept led to a bevy of activity.  For example, provider data from all of the locations has been incorporated into the CallPoint database, and staff training is underway across all call centers.

A consistent approach to call data capture will have great benefits for the state as data previously analyzed on a regional basis will now be available statewide.  Another key aspect of the transition is the ability to provide back up call assistance across regions when an emergency 
strikes or when call volume is greater than expected. In addition to the statewide roll out, the Chattanooga 2-1-1 is fully engaged in support of HPRP in cooperation with Chattanooga Regional Homeless Coalition.

Chattanooga 2-1-1 received grants from the local HPRP provider to implement a data capture and referral program in support of HPRP.  All HPRP providers were added to the provider database.  Incoming calls are now screened for HPRP related needs and referred to the HPRP providers when applicable.  As the referrals are worked, the data captured in the CallPoint assessment is available to the providers to seek HPRP funding approval.

Hayes said that the organization has been able to revise the CallPoint assessment form to include the majority of indicators that they want to track.  “For example, we have a contract from the Department of Labor to refer people for GED programs, career education and job training programs,” reported Hayes.  “We can ask people who are unemployed and haven’t received a GED whether they would like to go back and receive a degree.  Essentially with CallPoint, we are able to create our own assessment tools.  We have found CallPoint and ServicePoint to be flexible enough to meet all our data needs.”

With the ability to track the number of repeat callers, Hayes says he can then identify pockets of distress and geographical areas that are most in need of additional resources.  “We had a major neighborhood within the City of Chattanooga that had disproportionately fewer resources, so it may have looked like an equal need with another neighborhood of similar size, but the availability of the resources was actually very different.”

Both Hayes and HMIS System Administrator Victoria Freeman stressed that building stable lives is the ultimate goal.  And it starts with the first contact at the 2-1-1.  By making a positive impression and capturing meaningful information, the 2-1-1 representative sets the wheels in motion.

“A lot of our agencies have taken on more clients because ServicePoint and CallPoint allow them to reduce the coordination time required to get services to those in need,” said Freeman.  “Many people today are homeless for the first time in their lives.  They often have children and just don’t know what to do.  We want to help get them in housing and back to work as quickly as possible.”

Because of the success of the programs currently being managed and the tangible results that have been tracked, partnering agencies often ask questions that begin with, “Can we do this…?” which has led to innovative uses of the Bowman System products.  In fact, a new program is being designed to track youth programs in schools, which allows parents to call 2-1-1 to explain their needs and those of their children.

With CallPoint/ServicePoint, supporting many different programs is possible.  “It’s adaptable to handle a variety of situations and needs,” said Hayes.  “Instead of putting Band-Aids on the problem, we are now able to provide more holistic assistance that reduces the need for people to return and allows them to lead independent lives.”

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