June 13, 2011, ALAMEDA COUNTY: Today, 2-1-1 Alameda County handled its 100,000^th call within a 12-month period. Since 2-1-1 was launched in Alameda County four years ago in July 2007, Eden I&R has received and handled over 309,400 calls and provided over 540,000 referrals to local programs and services.

Eden I&R’s Executive Director, Barbara Bernstein, knew this day would come. Back in 2003 when she submitted Eden I&R’s application to the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) to become the provider for the 2-1-1 service in Alameda County, she projected that about 1 in 10 people would eventually call 2-1-1 in a given year. “The need in the community was there. With multiple outreach strategies and a 24/7 operation, it was only a matter of time when we would reach 100,000 calls in a year. Based upon the past few years’ increase in call volume, 2-1-1 will be handling over 100,000 calls each year,” said Ms. Bernstein.

When callers dial the three-digit phone number, 2-1-1, in Alameda County, they are connected with a live Phone Line Resource Specialist who has access to up-to-date, comprehensive databases of over 2,800 local health and human service programs, as well as over 74,300 housing units. The 100,000^th 2-1-1 caller was a female from Hayward seeking back rent assistance. She called to find out whether the Homelessness Prevention and Rapid Rehousing Program’s (HPRP) Mid-County Resource Center was accepting applications.

Although callers’ needs continue to range from emergency shelter to low cost legal aid to utility payment assistance, most callers have multiple needs. Examples include:

• A victim of domestic violence needs emergency shelter, legal aid, health care, and assistance in finding low cost permanent housing in an unfamiliar neighborhood away from her abuser.
• A single parent needs assistance with a teenage son who is experiencing substance abuse issues at the same time as her elderly parent is developing severe symptoms of Alzheimer’s.
• Teachers or medical providers have students and patients whose families are in need of lower cost housing due to recent foreclosures, as well as food and/or consumer credit counseling.

Resources for all the above needs, and more, are available in the community and can be accessed through 2-1-1. If you or someone you know is in need of current, comprehensive health, housing or human service assistance, call 2-1-1. This is a free, 24/7 service available to callers in multiple languages.

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Eden I&R, Inc. (Information and Referral) is a 510(c)(3) nonprofit agency designated by the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) as the provider for the 2-1-1 service in Alameda County. The agency is a 2-1-1 Bay Area partner with United Way of the Bay Area, Contra Costa Crisis Center, and United Way Silicon Valley. Eden I&R’s other services include Roving Housing Resource Programs, the AIDS Housing and Information Project, Human Services Database, Housing Database, The Big Blue Book: Directory of Human Services for Alameda County, After-hours Emergency Phone Services, and Disaster Recovery Services. To learn more about Eden I&R’s services, go to 211alamedacounty.org or contact Barbara Bernstein, Eden I&R’s Executive Director, at 510-537-2710, ext. 8.

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June 14th, 2011 | Category: Alameda County, Public Health | Leave a comment

On Saturday June 11^th the 100 Black Men of the Bay Area is hosting a Community Empowerment event as part of their national conference which will be held in San Francisco.     The Community Empowerment event is their way of giving back to the region that is hosting the conference and this year the event is being held at McClymonds High School on Myrtle Street in Oakland.

The event will be held from 10-4PM.  PG&E will be having robotics demos and STEM lessons, there will be finance workshops by Wells Fargo, Jambo Juice will be giving out smoothies, and celebrities will be hosting story time for the youth. See flier below for more details.

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June 10th, 2011 | Tags: community, diversity, Preparedness | Category: Alameda County | Leave a comment

Oakland, CA – May 25, 2011:  Everyone is invited on Thursday, May 26, 2011 (between 10am–3pm) to the Get Ready! Public Emergency Preparedness Fair held at the Oakland Coliseum (7000 Coliseum Way, Oakland; BART accessible, Coliseum Station). The fair will include raffles, gifts, trainings, vendors and demonstrations! There will also be information on volunteer opportunities as well as FREE Whooping Cough Vaccinations while supplies last.  

CARD – Collaborating Agencies Responding to Disasters – will be holding onsite preparedness trainings on their SKIP (Safety Kept In Place) Kits. SKIP Kits are made from inexpensive, everyday objects that can serve as powerful preparedness tools in the event of a disaster. The first 1,000 people to complete the short training will receive a FREE SKIP Kit. CARD trainings will be given in English, Spanish and ASL (American Sign Language).

“Everyone is invited to CARD’s area.  We’ll have giveaways such as Potty Posters, wallet cards, and candy. Our trainings will show people how creative they can be AND that they are more prepared than they think. This is the fun part of preparedness!” says Âna-Marie Jones, Executive Director, CARD.

This event is organized by the Alameda County Public Health Department (ACPHD).  For more information on the Public Emergency Preparedness Fair, please contact Zerlyn Ladua at 510-208-5962or Zerlyn.ladua@acgov.org or visit www.ACPHD.org.

Other Get Ready! Preparedness Fair participants include the American Red Cross and the ACPHD iWHACK Germs program.

For info on CARD’s trainings and alternatives to traditional emergency preparedness, please contact Âna-Marie Jones at 510-451-3140 or AMJ@CARDcanhelp.org. More info and giveaways will be offered on:

www.Facebook.com/CARDcanhelp ~ http://CARDcanhelp.org/Blog ~ www.Twitter.com/CARDcanhelp

CARD was created after the 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake by local nonprofits to address the preparedness and response needs of agencies serving vulnerable consumers.  CARD has created an alternative curriculum and a fear-free approach to fit the cultures, structures and budgets of the nonprofit sector.

CARD’s work to prepare nonprofits and vulnerable communities is made possible by: Alameda County Public Health Department, Alameda County OES, United Way of the Bay Area, Walter and Elise Haas Fund, Pacific Gas and Electric Company, City of Oakland, San Francisco Foundation, and many individual nonprofit agencies.

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May 26th, 2011 | Tags: CARD, communication, community, Couch Potato Preparedness, emergency preparedness, go kit, go-kits, Planning, Preparedness, Public Health | Category: Alameda County, CARD Tools, Public Health, Useful Tools | Leave a comment

Learn FAST, FUN, EASY emergency preparedness skills & meet disaster response agencies and vendors! Click HERE for more info.

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May 25th, 2011 | Tags: communication, Couch Potato Preparedness, Public Health, Safety | Category: Alameda County, CARD Tools, Public Health, Uncategorized | Leave a comment

If you’ve been reading our posts, you know that we are asking all nonprofit agencies in Alameda County to flex their social media muscles by posting a simple status update on Tuesday, May 24th, between 8am – 1pm. This is part of the disaster exercise sponsored by the Alameda County Public Health Department. We ask for everyone to include the hashtags #OpIndy (for Operation Independence) and #ACPHD (for Alameda County Public Health Department – the exercises coordinator and outreach sponsors) and the link to CARD is @CARDcanhelp. Essentially, the hashtag – the # symbol followed by a word or phrase — is like a giant flag waving on behalf of a specific topic or category. By clicking on #OpIndy, we’ll be able to see how many Twitter or Facebook users posted or retweeted the message you sent with the #OpIndy flag in it. Without the # symbol, OpIndy would get lost in the all the words. Try it for yourself: Go to Twitter and search for #humor or #joke and you’ll see that hashtags are an awesome way to tag and label your messages. Nonprofits are free to call CARD for support on how to use social media for fast, fun, and easy emergency/disaster preparedness. If you are part of a nonprofit in Alameda County, please post this message anytime on Tuesday, May 24th, between 8am-1pm. You can feel free to change the message, but please leave the hashtags!

Thanks for doing your part!

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May 24th, 2011 | Category: Alameda County, Good Advice, Public Health, Tweet | Leave a comment

If you’ve been reading our posts, you know that we are asking all nonprofit agencies in Alameda County to flex their social media muscles by posting a simple status update on Tuesday, May 24th, between 8am – 1pm. This is part of the disaster exercise sponsored by the Alameda County Public Health Department. We ask for everyone to include the hashtags #OpIndy (for Operation Independence) and #ACPHD (for Alameda County Public Health Department–the exercise’s coordinator and outreach sponsor) and the link to CARD is @CARDcanhelp.