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2008

2-1-1 Texas Community Needs and Trends Report

South Central Texas

Connecting People and Services

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Executive Summary 2-1-1 Texas, a program of United Way Capital Area (UWCA), provides free statewide, 24-hour access to disaster information and more than 4,000 health and human services through its multilingual telephone helpline 2-1-1 and website (www.211centraltexas.org). 2-1-1 Texas compiles call data for a 10-county Central Texas region to support community planning and ensure access to services for all Central Texans. The 2-1-1 Texas helpline supports United Way Capital Area’s mission to help all Central Texans in need and change community conditions, so everyone has the opportunity to succeed. Using demographic and caller information from more than 199,000 calls answered in 2008, the 2-1-1 Texas, UWCA Community Needs and Trends report provides insight into the changing needs of our community, and demands on services. Our report also reviews the performance of our helpline, while taking into consideration the relevant impact to our community and operations of;

o the national economic downturn, and o Hurricane Ike

2-1-1 Texas has answered more than 840,000 calls since its inception in 2002 and expects to answer its one millionth call in 2009.

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Performance Indicators

Calls to 2-1-1 Texas by Year As part of a statewide 2-1-1 Texas network, we answered more than 199,000 calls from our 10- county region in Central Texas. Our region represents 6% of the state’s population; in 2008 our center answered 7% of the state’s total call volume.

41,60349,211

63,09074,012

101,234

164,934

196,076 199,048

0

20000

40000

60000

80000

100000

120000

140000

160000

180000

200000

2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008

Calls by Year

Service Levels and Disaster Response 2-1-1 Texas’ service level goal is to answer 80% of calls within 60 seconds. Hurricane Ike struck the Texas coastline in September 2008, impacting our service levels.

Service Levels 2008

0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

70%

80%

90%

Ike - Sept

JAN FEB MAR APR MAY JUN JUL AUG SEP OCT Nov Dec

Locally, 2-1-1 Texas answered more than 45,000 calls, and statewide more than 200,000, from Hurricane Ike evacuees. (Disaster calls are reported separately from year-end information and referrals calls.)

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Calls to 2-1-1 Regarding Basic Needs Calls for basic needs increased 40% while overall calls increased 20% in the second half of 2008, reflecting the national economic downturn in the second half of 2008.

12,940

90,842

18,373

108,206

0

20,000

40,000

60,000

80,000

100,000

120,000

140,000

Jan - June 2008 July - Dec 2008

Total CallsBasic Need Calls

Calls by Area 2-1-1 Texas serves the 10-county region show below.

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Call Count by County Calls from Bastrop, Hays, Williamson, and Travis increased in 2008 over 2007.

020

00

4000

6000

8000

1000

012

000

1400

016

000

2006 2007 2008

93,128 Travis county

calls in 2008

2006 2718 510 1082 1462 454 4704 412 554 14098

2007 2218 707 1449 1310 853 4388 835 639 12049

2008 2990 231 1006 1205 374 4953 359 451 14087

Bastrop Blanco Burnet Caldwell Fayette Hays Lee Llano Williamson

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Trends in Demand for Basic Needs Assistance

Demand for basic needs1 in Central Texas rose in 2008. Reflecting the national economic crisis, 2-1-1 Texas responded to a 19% increase in demand for basic needs services from 2007.

18,56620,472

22,230 22,515

29,699

26,237

31,313

0

5000

10000

15000

20000

25000

30000

35000

2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008

Basic Needs Calls By Year

2-1-1 Texas saw significant increases in demand for assistance with:

• Food (34%)

Basic Needs Calls Callers 2008

% Change

Utility Assistance 8,880 19% Housing Payment Assistance 6,850 14% Food 6,445 34% Emergency Shelter 2,379 9% Material Resources/Furniture 982 15% Transportation 956 20% Housing Counseling/Search/Info 477 25%

Home Improvement 214 16%

• Utility Bills (19%) • Housing Costs (14%)

1 BASIC NEEDS Programs that furnish survival level resources including food, housing, material goods, transportation and temporary financial assistance for individuals with low or fixed incomes, people who are homeless, older adults and/or people with disabilities who are otherwise unable to adequately provide for themselves and their families.

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Trends in Call Needs and Referrals

Top Call Needs

The chart below shows the increases in housing, utilities and food related calls from 2007 to 2008 in the Central Texas community, the top call needs in 2008.

7,413

8,880

6,011

Housing Payment Assistance

6,850

4,815

Food6,445

2,184

Emergency Shelter 2,379

380477

0

1,000

2,000

3,000

4,000

5,000

6,000

7,000

8,000

9,000

Utility Housing Food Emergency Housing

Basic Needs 2007-08

Assistance Payment Shelter Counseling

Calls 2007Calls 2008

In addition to food and housing help, 2-1-1 Texas identified the following top needs, and increases in those needs, from 2007-2008:

• Dental care (12%) • Adult health insurance

(23%) • Legal assistance (17%); • Income Maintenance

(107%)2

Top Call Needs Callers 2008

% Change 2008

Utility Assistance 8,880 16%Housing Payment Assistance 6,850 12%Food 6,445 25%Income Maintenance 5,473 107%Dental Care 2,193 12%Emergency Shelter 2,379 9%Adult Health Insurance 1,758 23%Legal Assistance 1,570 17%Transportation 956 17%

2 Income Maintenance includes food stamps, health insurance, Medicaid, child care subsidies, and disability benefits. Emergency food stamp benefits were offered to victims of Hurricane Ike in September of 2008.

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Need Categories The chart below compiles call referral data into broad categories of needs for Central Texas.3

0

5000

10000

15000

20000

25000

30000

35000

BasicNeeds

Health IncomeSec.

Org/Com Legal IndividualAnd

FamilyLife

MentalHealth

Education

Call Categories Trends 2006-08

2008

2007

2006

Referral Calls Referral calls comprise 62% of our calls. The demand for basic needs, healthcare, and income security comprise the largest percentages of our calls, with the exception of specific agency requests.

Specific Agency Information Calls Approximately 38% of callers in 2008 used our service to ask for a program by name, as show below.

Need Categories

2008

Basic Needs30%

Specific AgencyInformation

38%

Health11%

CriminalJustice/Legal

4%

Organizational/Community Services

4%

Income Security7%

Education1%

Mental Health2%

Individual AndFamily Life

3%

3 Please see glossary at the end of the report for category definitions.

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Outreach Indicators

How Did You Hear About 2-1-1 Texas? Approximately 50% of callers to 2-1-1 Texas have used our service before.

Many callers hear about 2-1-1 Texas through local community initiatives, which utilize 2-1-1 Texas as the point of contact for information about:

• free or low cost immunizations • tax preparation assistance • food for families during the summer months

How Did You Hear About 2-1-1 ?

Called Before53%

Other6%TV / Radio

1%2-1-1 Card4%

Friend or Family9%

HHSC5%

Agency22%

Website Activity

More than 57,000 individuals searched the 211centraltexas.com online database for services in 2008.

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Trends in Older Adult Needs Top Call Needs 2008 Top call needs for older adults in 2008 include basic needs, health care, utility and housing assistance.

Top Older Adult Needs In 2008 Flu Shots 88 Utility Assistance 377 Food 212 Dental Care 185 Transportation 222 Subsidized Housing 131 Housing Payment Assistance and Senior Housing Information 241 Home Repair 72 Adult State Health Insurance 78

*Callers to 2-1-1 Texas, UWCA ages 60+

Call Trends 2008 Calls from older adults increased 12% in the second half of 2008, with the largest increases seen in utility, food and housing assistance, as shown below.

259

135

106

48

111 111

0

50

100

150

200

250

300

Utilities Food HousingPayment

HomeRepair

DentalCare

In HomeAttendants

Older Adults Needs 2008 Increases

Jan - JuneJul - Dec

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Appendix A: Needs Distribution Across Travis County

High Demand ZIP Codes

78753 453 78741 396 78723 371 78745 343 78744 325 78758 313 78702 274 78704 213 78752 184 78721 173

Emergency Food Assistance

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Appendix B: Needs Distribution Across Travis County

High Demand ZIP Codes

78753 657 78744 538 78758 500 78741 482 78723 447 78745 422 78702 421 78664 362 78724 344 78660 331

Utility Bill Assistance

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Appendix C: Needs Distribution Across Travis County

High Demand ZIP Codes 78753 547 78744 545 78745 550 78741 497 78758 492 78723 491 78702 447 78704 326 78660 299 78724 223

Health Care Assistance

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Appendix D: Needs Distribution Across Travis County

Housing Payment Assistance

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Appendix E: Tax Preparation Assistance Across Central Texas

Tax Preparation Assistance

In partnership with Foundation Communities, 2-1-1 Texas, UWCA Texas, UWCA is the point of contact for free tax preparation assistance each tax-filing season. In 2008, we answered more than 14,000 calls for tax preparation assistance, a 13% increase from 2007.

Calls to 2-1-1 Texas Returns Prepared Total Refunds

2004-5 5,723 7,227 $9 Million

2005-6 6,213 10,250 $13 Million

2006-7 12,817 13,550 $17 Million

2007-8 14,500 17,000 $21 Million

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Glossary4 Basic Needs Programs that furnish survival level resources including food, housing, material goods, transportation and temporary financial assistance for individuals with low or fixed incomes, people who are homeless, older adults and/or people with disabilities who are otherwise unable to adequately provide for themselves and their families. Consumer Services Programs that provide for the education and protection of individuals who purchase, use, maintain and dispose of products and services. Criminal Justice and Legal Services Programs that promote and preserve the conditions that enable community residents to live in a safe and peaceful environment through the enforcement of laws that protect life and property and the administration of justice according to the principles of law and equity. Education Programs that provide opportunities for people to acquire the knowledge, skills, desirable qualities of behavior and character, wisdom and general competence that will enable them to fully participate in and enjoy the social, political, economic and intellectual life of the community. Environmental Quality Programs that preserve, protect and, where possible, improve both the natural and built aspects of the physical environment and/or which develop and implement measures for accident prevention and intervention in the case of emergencies in order to promote public health and safety and enable people to live in ecological balance and harmony with their surroundings. Health Care Programs whose primary purpose is to help individuals and families achieve and maintain physical well-being through the study, prevention, screening, evaluation and treatment of people who have illnesses, injuries, disabilities or substance abuse problems; and the provision of family planning, maternity and other services that relate to human reproduction and sexual health.

4 From 211 AIRS/211 LA County Taxonomy of Human Services

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Income Support and Employment Programs that help to meet the economic needs of the community by helping residents prepare for, find and sustain gainful employment; providing public assistance and support for those who are eligible; and ensuring that retirees, older adults, people with disabilities and other eligible individuals receive the social insurance benefits to which they are entitled. Individual and Family Life Programs that promote the personal, social and spiritual development of people in the community by providing services that replace or supplement the care and support that is generally available through the family unit, and by offering social, religious/spiritual and leisure-time activities that are personally satisfying and lead to optimal social functioning. Mental Health Care and Counseling Programs that provide preventive, diagnostic and treatment services in a variety of community and hospital-based settings to help people achieve, maintain and enhance a state of emotional well-being, personal empowerment and the skills to cope with everyday demands without excessive stress. Organizational / Community / International Services Programs that provide any of a broad spectrum of services for an entire community or which provide services that have state, regional, national or international scope.