Lisa Zittis Info Line of Middlesex County
	John King Information Atlantic

	Information and referral (I&R) is a service that helps people in need find the services that can best alleviate or eliminate that need.

	The main functions of an I&R agency are to:
	Develop and update files about community resources in the human service area.
	Provide information about these resources in an accurate, quick, and easily accessible manner.

	Make formal referrals to the appropriate service agencies.
	Participate in community education activities.
	Engage in advocacy for the development of new human services.

	Houses over 1400 programs on its database: updated annually
	Actively participates in community planning
	Receives 12,000 requests for information a year
	Operates a confidential helpline 1-888-908-4636
	Efforts are underway to develop an on-line directory offering free, public access

	Personalized service (not an automated voice system)
	Translation for non-English speaking callers
	Outreach to isolated and underserved populations
	Follow up performed with callers to determine usefulness of referrals

	Atlantic County Library reference staff
	Receives 10,000 phone calls a year
	Funded by State of New Jersey and Atlantic County governments
	Nearly 1,000 agency records in database
	Publishes human services directory
	Maintains website at www.aclink.org

	New York Public Library receives a grant from State of New York Department of Corrections to produce: “Connections: A guide for ex-inmates to information sources in New York City”

	Human Services Coalition, Information and Referral Service, in Ithica, NY, receives several letters from inmates in pre-release programs each year.
	They send them a "Community Services" guide, an adaptation of their Resource Directory

	Information Atlantic, Atlantic County, NJ, meets with mental health workers at Atlantic County justice facility to inform about services of Information Atlantic.
	Provides justice facility social workers with human services directory.

	Info Line of Middlesex County, NJ, provides social services outreach to parolees on-site at Parole DO 11 (Middlesex/Somerset Counties)
	Also provides officers with the referrals necessary to meet the conditions of parole.
	Coordinates with Edna Mahan Facility IPO to provide I&R to all new releases into Middlesex or Somerset Counties.

	To assist Edna Mahan Correctional Facility provide a smoother transition for inmates back into the community by:
	Meeting at the facility with women scheduled for release into Middlesex County
	Identifying resources that will be needed upon release
	Locating necessary resources and making initial contact with the appropriate referrals

	To assist inmate transition by:
	Meeting with the client upon release to offer the referrals to her and identify any additional needs
	Follow up as to the success of the referrals
	Providing support to the institution’s discharge planners

	In York County, PA, as part of their discharge plan, inmates are required to write to FIRST (Free Information and Referral System Teleline) for specific information they will need - housing, job search, AA/NA meetings, etc.
	FIRST sends the inmate a letter containing all the information they have requested.

	Don’t reinvent the wheel!
	Explore avenues of tapping into and interfacing with existent databases and/or websites.
	Collect I&R resource directories.
	Establish relationships with existing I&Rs. How?

	Send a representative to the Alliance of Information and Referral Services of New Jersey (AIRS-NJ) meetings!
	Visit the AIRS-NJ website for details! www.aclink.org/airs-nj
	Participate in AIRS-NJ planning process that's looking into statewide database collaboration.

	All the information you need is already out there… it’s at your fingertips (keyboard or phone)…. AND IT’S FREE!!

	Call us … Lisa Zittis      732-418-0200 John King    1-800-982-7587
	Questions/discussion?