IMPACT 211 is a partner in times of community emergencies and natural disasters. As one of eight providers in the 211 Wisconsin network, IMPACT 211 provides connection to critical services and easy access to information that needs to be urgently communicated to residents of Southeastern Wisconsin.

The 211 system can be activated at the county, regional or statewide level through a fully-optimized system with remote management capability. This quickly ramps up capacity for call surges resulting from unforeseen circumstances. In the event that communication services are interrupted for our entire state, 211 Wisconsin has mutual aid agreements with 211 providers in other states to take calls on our behalf.

IMPACT 211’s involvement with emergency response began in the early 2000s when we collected damage reports for several large-scale extreme weather events in our region that included flooding, wind damage and other property losses. Cleanup and long-term recovery lasted weeks to months and IMPACT 211 was active for the duration. The most significant event was in July 2010 with massive flooding in Milwaukee County where nearly 11,000 damage reports were collected. The longest emergency response effort was related to COVID-19 which resulted in 51,000 calls between March 2020 and December 2023. IMPACT 211 provided general information and referral to testing and vaccine locations. Our involvement included participation on several COVID-19 focused committees, and we utilized a new technology, auto-text relay, to connect people with testing sites. 

In preparation for the Republican National Convention, IMPACT joined partners throughout Milwaukee County in planning to ensure that our community could meet the social service needs of visitors and residents impacted by the event, as well as coordinate our response to a natural or manmade disaster during the event. The effort spanned six months and convened nearly 30 subcommittees. 

VULNERABLE POPULATIONS WORKGROUP

IMPACT participated in the Vulnerable Populations Workgroup of the RNC Health and Medical Subcommittee. The work group stood up an RNC Reception Center for people in need of connection to resources due to homelessness, mental health issues, or human trafficking. The reception center provided 24/7 operations from the evening of July 13 through July 19 and was staffed by experienced professionals with the ability to assess and refer people to appropriate resources. IMPACT’s Coordinated Entry team supported the RNC Reception Center staff by increasing hours at nearby community-based assessment sites and being available to complete telephonic assessments and make connections to critical resources.

OUTCOMES

During the convention, IMPACT 211 provided 47 referrals to the RNC Reception Center and 48 referrals to St. Ben’s Overnight Shelter, a temporary emergency shelter that was made available during the event. Some clients received a referral to both resources. 

• 83 unique clients called 164 times
• 81 called from a Milwaukee County ZIP Code
• 60 were female
• 23 clients had not previously called IMPACT 211
• 10 calls came through the Milwaukee County Mental Health Crisis Line

Most of the 83 individuals referred to the RNC Reception Center and Overnight Shelter had multiple needs which resulted in additional referrals.

• Emergency Shelter 207
• Housing (subsidized rental, repair, grants/loans) 34
• Mental Health Crisis Assistance 21
• Domestic Violence Services 10
• Food (meal sites, food pantries) 10
• Other Referrals 33