Membership FormDear Friends of the Humboldt Community Switchboard,

We are proposing a simple and inexpensive way to assure the continued availability of an essential community resource, comprehensive information and referral for human services and other resources families and individuals may need: A YEARLY MEMBERSHIP IN THE HUMBOLDT COMMUNITY SWITCHBOARD! So that no one should carry an undue burden in this time of fiscal scarcity, we present to you, on the attached page, a set of MEMBERSHIP OPTIONS scaled to your organizational size and user needs. We look forward to you becoming a part of the HCS Family. These Memberships will automatically entitle you to all the TOOLS described below. We are committed to paying close attention to your feedback as you, our MEMBERS, work with the TOOLS we offer.

It has always been the hope and belief of our Board of Directors and Staff that those who use HCS tools and services - health and human services providers for their consumers, schools for their students and their families, doctors for their patients, union and employers for their members and employees, churches for their parishioners, families for relatives, neighbors for neighbors, peer helpers for their peers, family resource centers for their communities, - would help sustain this valuable community resource.

We are pleased to inform you about the full range of HCS information and referral tools developed over the past years and now all operational:
  • COMMUNITY RESOURCE DATABASE, containing over 1500 entries of human services and other resources families and individuals may need. The development, maintenance and expansion of the database are labor intensive and instrumental to maintenance of all the other tools.

  • HELPLINE, staffed from 9-5, Mondays through Fridays, and complemented by a 24/7 message machine for non-staffed hours. Helpline personnel respond to caller's requests with highly personalized searches for information and referrals to the most appropriate service providers. Links to such providers are made for and with the caller, as appropriate. Such a service is called a SUPPORTED REFERRAL. Follow-up calls are often made to assess whether caller's needs were met.

    • The Helpline acts as a clearinghouse and point of contact for Public Information Campaigns related to identified community problems. A current example is the Speed Prevention and Awareness Network. Helpline personnel inform callers about relevant community resources in addressing this widespread issue.

    • Helpline staff also works with the NET in accepting its FLEXFUND requests from the community. The Net is funded through the Social Services Branch of the Health and Human Services Department. A volunteer committee reviews the requests, recommends alternative sources of funding when appropriate, and approves requests within structured guidelines.
  
  • RESOURCE DATABASE ON CD,containing the complete DATABASE and can be downloaded into your computer. Special features allow the user to create resource lists, create mailing lists and print labels. This CD can either be updated by our staff at regular intervals, or can be customized by you. The expectation is that everyone who uses the CD can make it fit their particular interests and working patterns.

  • INTERACTIVE WEBSITE, available to anyone with Internet access. The Website will allow anyone with such access to search for the information they require. User friendliness is our overarching goal. The Website includes a component designed especially for families with young children and their service providers and features a monthly interactive CHAT with a PEDIATRICIAN, responding to parent questions. Other features include a COMMUNITY CALENDAR OF EVENTS, bulletin boards, and links to other useful sites. The Children and Families database and chat room are available in Spanish as well as English. The WEBSITE has tremendous potential for growing into a lively community communications network.

  • A PRINTED DIRECTORY, specifically designed for SCHOOLS, but easily adaptable to other user groups, contains 200 of the most commonly asked for resources serving children, youth and families in Humboldt County.

WHY YOUR MEMBERSHIP IN THE HCS MAKES SENSE
We hope that you can see the wisdom of putting this relatively inexpensive, yet essential COMMUNITY RESOURCE on a stable financial footing. Without your support this service may suffer and all these wonderful resource tools never be fully utilized. With your support the HCS Board of Directors and Staff can continue providing Humboldt County communities and residents with the best INFORMATION AND REFERRAL SERVICES possible.

Very Sincerely Yours,

The Board of Directors and Staff of the Humboldt Community SwitchboardMembership Form