About First Call For Help
Our Mission:
First Call for Help of Itasca County is a private, nonprofit community organization whose mission is to provide free, confidential and nonjudgmental crisis intervention, active listening, and information and referral services 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, to the residents and agencies of North Central Minnesota.
First Call for Help in Itasca County began as Nightengale (a talk line) in 1974. In 1976 the need for information and referral led the change to I & R in the area. First Call for Help, a private, non-profit 501(c)3, celebrated it's 30th anniversary in 2004. First Call is funded through the United Way of 1000 Lakes, the United Way of NE Minnesota, the United Way of the Bemidji Area, the Blandin Foundation, Kootasca Energy Assistance, Itasca County Health & Human Services, several other Purchase of Service contracts, and private grants and donations.
In 1998, we became the First Call/I & R regional hub for north central Minnesota. The counties in our region (Aitkin, Beltrami, Cass, Clearwater, Itasca, Koochiching and Lake of the Woods) cover 15,047 square miles and have a population of 151,589. First Call has 5 full-time staff: 1 Executive Director, 1 Administrative Assistant, 1 I&R Specialist/ Data Maintenance Coordinator/Technical Support Coordinator, 1 I&R Specialist/Data Maintenance Coordinator/Volunteer Coordinator, and 1 I&R Specialist/Front Desk Coordinator. Two of these positions are supported by and provide coverage for the front desk of the collaborative Itasca Resource Center (consisting of First Call/2-1-1, Itasca County Health & Human Services, Kootasca Community Action, Early Childhood Education of District #318, and the Minnesota Workforce Center). First Call/2-1-1 North Central is still the only hub center in the state which provides 24 hour a day coverage, 365 days a year by utilizing a force of dedicated volunteers in their own homes. In 2005, our region received over 21,925 calls.
When First Call became a regional hub, the statewide telephone system, 2-1-1, was activated. This number designation has been made nation- wide and is strictly for Information and Referral. All of the "hubs" in the state of Minnesota are working together as a group to make 2-1-1 the simple access to information 24/7. When you need information, just dial 2-1-1 and you will reach the I&R agency covering your area. Our staff and volunteer team can connect you to over 40,000 community services statewide. We will help with your questions about family counseling, government, child care, home care services and much more. All calls to First Call/2-1-1 remain confidential and the services are available at no cost to callers. Our services are free, confidential and non-judgmental and our agency is endorsed by the national organization AIRS (Alliance of Information and Referral Systems).
To contact us:
First Call/2-1-1Jean Esler, Executive Director
1211 SE 2nd Avenue Grand Rapids, MN 55744
Phone: 2-1-1, (218) 326-8565 or (800) 442-8565 (in 218 area code)
TTY (for hearing impaired callers)
Fax: (218) 327-5547
E-mail: jeane@kootasca.org
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