STORIES THAT MATTER

“Grandpa Young”

Linda Lattiemore

I received a call from a distraught 82-year-old man who I will refer to as “Grandpa Young.” He appeared a little disoriented in describing the nature of his problem. Grandpa Young went on to explain to me that the electricity had been shut off and he felt vulnerable and scared. He stated that he owed something like $82 on his bill but did not go into any details as to why he didn’t pay his bill.

I asked him if there were any family members he could call on to get assistance with his bill and he stated that there was not. He was all alone. I asked Mr. Young if he had any medical conditions that he was currently being treated for by a physician, and he stated that he did. I went on to explain to him about the medical certification option provided by A.E.P.

Mr. Young seemed very relieved knowing that his service could be turned back on after following the instructions I provided to him. He was a little confused about his doctor’s name at first, but eventually recalled his doctor’s name. I did a Google search to get the number of the doctors office and provided this information to him. I also provided him with the phone number for A.E.P. I instructed him to first contact his doctor’s office and get their fax number, then he would call A.E.P. and tell them that he would like to apply for the medical certification and provide them with his doctor’s fax number. He appeared more confident, and eager to accomplish the task. I instructed him to call me back once he completed the task.

Mr. Young called me back about an hour later and stated that the electricity had been turned back on. He was so elated and so was I. He did not stop thanking me for helping him.

Assistance for your constituents is a phone call away. 211 can help with utilities and much more.

LSS 211 Central Ohio schedules food pantry appointments for over 100 pantries located throughout the city of Columbus. Each year, a number of these pantries offer holiday baskets for Thanksgiving and/or Christmas. We schedule the holiday baskets as part of our normal food pantry scheduling process. LSS 211 Central Ohio also schedules holiday baskets for the pantries run by the LSS Food Pantry servicing Franklin, Athens, Meigs, Gallia, Guernsey, Morgan, and Noble counties.

Holiday Baskets

With fourteen 211 centers across Ohio, there are many holiday food distribution programs and holiday assistance. Our 211 Resource Navigation Specialists can assist Ohio residents in finding the resources they need over the holidays.

The Ohio 211 Annual Conference

The Ohio 211 Annual Conference, Answering the Call to Serve Ohio, was held in Columbus on November 7, 2024, bringing together Information & Referral Service (I & R) organizations from across the state.. Our partners worked with us to offer a diverse set of presentations, trainings and sessions (including a guest panel). They included Byers, Minton & Associates, Department of Children and Youth, Area Agency on Aging, 988, the Ohio Suicide Prevention Foundation (QPR Training), Ohio EMA, the Health Policy Institute of Ohio, and No Wrong Door.

Bill Byers Keynote Speaker Byers, Minton & Associates

Jeff Van Deusen

Assistant Director

Ohio Dept of Children and Youth

Austin Lucas Program Director Ohio Suicide Prevention Foundation

Several local collaborations with Ohio 211 organizations were a focus of the conference's panel. Guest panelists included (from left):

Maria Spencer, Director of Early Care and Education Services, Early Childhood Resource Center

Alison O'Donnell, 988/SPS Director, North Central Mental Health, Columbus

Duana Patton, CEO, Ohio District 5 Area Agency on Aging

Tanya Kahl, VP Community Impact, United Way of Summit and Medina

Amber Wolfrom, an Adult Prevention Specialist, provided training at the conference on the "No Wrong Door" program.

The program helps older adults and families arrange community services and support needed to remain at home and avoid unnecessary hospital readmissions.

She educates groups about informed-care approaches and works to create measurable outcomes to prove prevention works.

The Ohio 211 County Service Map

Our map provides an overview of the county coverage in Ohio. 211 is a free, 24/7/365 service provided by fourteen organizations across Ohio.

Click here to see the full-sized map with links to the organizations that service each county.

SHARE THE TAKEAWAY NEWSLETTER WITH YOUR COLLEAGUES

You can share the link with other legislative offices to make sure they have access to our newsletter. The link is: https://lp.constantcontactpages.com/sl/C9bMew2/Ohio211

Ohio 211 Providers

Area Agency on Aging 3

Ashtabula County Community Action Agency

Fairfield County 211

Mansfield/Richland County Public Library / First Call 211

Lutheran Social Services 211 Central Ohio

Help Network of Northeast Ohio

Helpline of Delaware & Morrow County

Lifeline, Inc.

Pathways of Central Ohio

United Way of Greater Cincinnati

United Way of Greater Cleveland

United Way of the Greater Dayton Area

United Way of Summit & Medina

United Way of Greater Toledo

In 2001, following the Federal Communications Commission authorization of 211 for the provision of information and referral, the Public Utilities Commission of Ohio (PUCO) gave Ohio AIRS (DBA Ohio 211) responsibility for overseeing the development and management of 211 in Ohio.

Ohio 211 Website

Call 211