History of 2-1-1 Tampa Bay Cares, Inc.
2-1-1 Tampa Bay Cares, Inc. was founded in 1996 as Pinellas Cares, Inc., a charitable organization with a purpose of providing volunteer opportunities for the community. Helpline (now 2-1-1) began as a program of Family Resources in the mid-1970s. In 1999, following a strategic planning process, Family Resources refocused its core mission, Family Resources spun off three programs – Helpline, the Volunteer Action Center, and Community Voice Mail – to Pinellas Cares, Inc.
On June 4, 2001, the Helpline officially became 2-1-1, the number to dial "to find help and give help" in Pinellas County. At the same time Pinellas Cares changed its name to 2-1-1 Tampa Bay Cares, Inc., reflecting its dual focus on 2-1-1 and volunteering. It became the eighth 2-1-1 center in the United States and the second in Florida, providing crisis counseling as well as social services and volunteer referrals 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
To secure mission-centric programming and critically needed financial support, 2-1-1 TBC became a regional service in 2002 when it became the contractor for 2-1-1 service in Hernando County. This regional role further expanded in 2005 when United Way of Citrus County began contracting with 2-1-1 TBC to provide the service for Citrus County residents. 2-1-1 TBC also provides after hours 2-1-1 service in De Soto, Manatee, Pasco, and Sarasota counties. The 2-1-1 TBC call center also answers local calls to the national Suicide Prevention Lifeline.
Since it was established in 1996, the operating budget for 2-1-1 TBC has grown from $400,000 to over $1 million. A timeline of agency milestones includes:
| 2009 | 2-1-1 TBC receives full accreditation by the Alliance for Information and Referral Systems (AIRS). Only 96 of over 240 2-1-1 call centers in the US have successfully completed the full AIRS accreditation process. |
| 2008 | The 2-1-1 TBC call center provided 24/7/365 access to information on over 5,200 human services programs, answered 82,654 calls, and responded to an additional 14,938 messages for a total of 97,592 calls handled. |
| 2007 | 2-1-1 TBC improves its technology to include remote web access capability and partnerships with other 2-1-1 call centers to assure its telephone service is always available for the community. 2-1-1 TBC discontinues its Volunteer Action Center program though community services continue through the United Way of Tampa Bay. |
| 2006 | 2-1-1 TBC becomes the lead agency in developing a disaster response plan for Pinellas County social service agencies. The United Way of Tampa Bay facilitates meetings between 2-1-1 TBC and 2-1-1 Tampa Bay, which serves Hillsborough County, to develop a marketing plan to 2-1-1 services in the two primary Tampa Bay area counties. |
| 2005 | 2-1-1 TBC contracts with Citrus County and the United Way of Citrus County to provide 2-1-1 call response services for Citrus residents. Staff members volunteer to assist in New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina and help develop response plan in the aftermath. |
| 2004 | 2-1-1 TBC establishes protocols for disaster response in reaction to the 2004 hurricanes in Florida. |
| 2003 | 2-1-1 TBC begins the Tampa Bay Information Network providing services for the homeless. |
| 2002 | 2-1-1 TBC contracts with Hernando County to provide 2-1-1 call response services for Hernando residents. |
| 2001 | Pinellas Cares receives designation as the 2-1-1 for Pinellas County and becomes the eighth 2-1-1 center in the United States and the second in Florida. The organization’s name is changed to 2-1-1 Tampa Bay Cares, Inc. |
| 2000 | Helpline, Community Voice Mail, and the Volunteer Action Center become programs of Pinellas Cares, Inc. |
| 1999 | Helpline makes its community resource database available to the public on the Internet. |
| 1998 | Helpline, then a program of Family Resources, Inc., starts Community Voice Mail that provides voice mailboxes for homeless and low-income persons to use without charge. |
| 1996 | Pinellas Cares, Inc. is founded with a mission of providing hands-on, team-oriented service projects for community volunteers. |