Indiana 211 now integrated with FSSA to better connect Hoosiers with services

Thursday, July 9, 2020

INDIANAPOLIS – Governor Eric J. Holcomb announced Indiana’s statewide
community resource referral agency, Indiana 211, is now part of the Indiana
Family and Social Services Administration. The change, which was part of
Gov. Holcomb’s 2020 Next Level agenda and unanimously approved by the
Indiana General Assembly during its 2020 session, will make it easier for
Hoosiers to navigate the significant amount of state and community services
available to support their overall health and well-being.

“By connecting the resources of FSSA with the versatility of Indiana 211, we
can offer Hoosiers great government service,” Gov. Holcomb said. “We will
connect them with what they need, when they need it with this 24 hours a
day, seven days a week hotline.”

Indiana 211 is a free service that connects Hoosiers with assistance and
answers from thousands of health and human service resources – quickly,
easily and confidentially.

Indiana 211 and FSSA will be able to more efficiently aid Hoosiers in need
by providing a one-stop shop for community and state services. When they
dial 2-1-1, Hoosiers are connected to an experienced, responsive and
compassionate team of community navigators who are skilled at identifying
needs and providing referrals that best meet those needs.

“Along with Governor Holcomb and the Indiana General Assembly, Indiana’s
United Ways and the Indiana 211 Partnership have been great partners in
making this vision become a reality,” said Jennifer Sullivan, M.D., M.P.H.,
FSSA secretary. “It is the ultimate goal of all involved to support
Hoosiers’ overall health and well-being. They need a simple front door to
walk through to receive any service or program we offer without delay – and
if we don’t offer it, a way to be connected to it.”

Indiana 211 and FSSA already have a history of joint success, through
programs such as the
<www.in.gov/fssa/files/FINAL-OpenBeds-211-press-release.pdf>
partnership with OpenBeds, which was part of Gov. Holcomb’s 2018 Next Level
agenda and has to date has connected over 1,400 Hoosiers with drug treatment
and community services. The organizations have also partnered on operating
suicide prevention and Adult Protective Services hotlines, and will be
introducing new services related to helping Hoosiers recover from the
COVID-19 pandemic in the near future.

Source: Office of Governor Eric J. Holcomb