211 - What it is and will it ever come to Traverse City?

Our local senior advocates group, the Bay Area Senior Advocates, recently had a woman from Third Level speak about the 211 system. For those of you who have not heard of it, 211 is a phone number that you dial (like 911) that provides the caller with assistance on where to go in the community for a particular service or item. It centralizes the dispersement of information, rather than forcing community residents to enquire at numerous places for information.


211 has yet to come to Traverse City or most of northern Michigan due to a lack of funding. However, much of the rest of the state has it, and - despite some implementation problems - it seems to be working.


Phil Power, the president of the Center for Michigan recently posted a column on it entitled: 211: A Marvellous Non-Profit Innovation

I know from experience that our clients receive information from numerous sources, including the Senior Center, Area Agency on Aging, Commission on Aging, The Alliance for Independent Living, nursing homes, the Department of Human Services, the Social Security Administration, the courts, and family and friends. 211 sounds like it might be more efficient, but I have to say that our community agencies are doing a pretty good job without a formal system. They always seem to be informed of what the others are doing, which is wonderful for the elderly (and anyone in need) in northern Michigan.

Should the day come when 211 is available in Traverse City and other areas in northern Michigan, I hope that it works as well as our informal system, and I hope that a commitment is made to see it through any growing pains and make it something we can all rely upon.