Mission and History

Organizational History and Background

Info Line was incorporated as a private non-profit organization in Akron, Ohio in 1975. Info Line was founded to help people in need of health and social services find and access the most appropriate providers of those services. This program, now known as 2-1-1 Information and Referral, responds to approximately 65,000 requests for assistance by phone from Summit County residents each year who reach us by simply dialing 2-1-1. In addition, in 2015, Info Line had 105,000 visits to our online searchable resource database. Info Line’s mission is to improve the quality of life for all people who live and work in Summit County by enhancing their access to and use of our community’s human service delivery system.

Across its 41-year history, Info Line has continually assessed the needs of the community. Through strategic planning with its Board and community leaders, Info Line has developed additional programming in line with its mission. In 1979, Info Line started the Lifeline program to respond to the needs of low-income and frail elderly individuals needing help during medical and environmental emergencies so that they could remain in their own homes.  In 1986, Info Line created MedAssist to help low-income, uninsured individuals obtain free or low-cost prescription medications. In the early 1990s, Child Care Connection was started to assist parents seeking child care in a six-county area and to provide professional training and technical assistance to early care and education personnel caring for our community’s children. In the past ten years, Info Line has become very involved in efforts to coordinate services for the homeless and runs several programs that help prevent and reduce homelessness.

Info Line currently provides the following services:

211 Information and Referral connects people in need with available health and human services. Over 80% of families and individuals that contact the 211 program need help with basic needs such as food, shelter, clothing, health care and utilities. Info Line refers these families and individuals to over 1,150 non-profit and government organizations and maintains detailed information on all the services provided by each agency.

Housing Services includes management of the Homeless Management Information System for 28 Summit County homeless service providers, centralized intake for several programs that provide shelter or financial assistance for homeless individuals and Veterans, and Housing Locator, a web-based program through which landlords list their properties and clients can search for units that meet their needs and income level.

Lifeline offers an emergency response monitoring service for frail elderly individuals and others with serious or life-threatening health conditions. This allows them to remain in their own homes rather than straining the Medicaid program to pay for stays in long-term care facilities.

MedAssist helps uninsured, low-income Summit County residents to access free and low-cost prescription medications, obtain a regular source of affordable primary care, and enroll in Medicaid, Medicare or private insurance through the Affordable Care Act.

Annual Reports:

• 2016 Annual Report
• 2015 Annual Report