[Congressional Record Volume 157, Number 63 (Tuesday, May 10, 2011)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E847]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




            IMPORTANCE OF INFORMATION AND REFERRAL PROGRAMS

                                 ______
                                 

                             HON. LEE TERRY

                              of nebraska

                    in the house of representatives

                         Tuesday, May 10, 2011

  Mr. TERRY. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to pay tribute to the dedicated 
professionals working each day in the field of Information and Referral 
or I&R. These people perform the essential task of bringing people and 
services together, assistance that has proven to be more important than 
ever in these difficult economic times.
  In particular, I wish to acknowledge the important work of the 
Alliance of Information and Referral Systems or AIRS which has been 
serving for more than 30 years as the national organization which 
developed the professional standards that are a part of thousands of 
quality Information and Referral programs in this Nation.
  In 2010, Information and Referral professionals responded to more 
than 20 million calls across our Nation from people seeking assistance. 
This includes people that accessed services through the hundreds of 2-
1-1 organizations. AIRS in partnership with United Way Worldwide were 
the architects of the 2-1-1 system which has served to transform access 
to human services in America and Canada.
  The United States is currently served by Information and Referral 
professionals through 2-1-1 programs, aging I&R services, Aging and 
Disability Resource Centers, child care resource and referral services, 
military family centers, and other specialty Information and Referral 
services. In addition, the Aging Network consists of 56 State agencies 
on aging, 629 area agencies on aging, 244 Tribal organizations, and 2 
Native Hawaiian organizations. These entities also provide Information 
and Referral and are important to moving Information and Referral 
forward.
  The importance of the Information and Referral service is that it 
links consumers with the most appropriate service that they may need 
whether it be for housing, nutrition, job training, transportation 
services or long-term care options counseling. Information and Referral 
and 2-1-1s have proven to be especially invaluable in times of natural 
disasters in our Nation working in conjunction with first responders to 
provide help to persons in need.
  Information and Referral services have been recognized in Federal 
legislation for more than 35 years, including in the 1973 
reauthorization of the Older Americans Act and including the 
establishment of the National Eldercare Locator and the development of 
Aging and Disability Resource Centers.
  Comprehensive and specialized Information and Referral programs help 
people in every community and operate as a critical component of the 
health and human services delivery system. Information and Referral 
organizations have databases of programs and services, and disseminate 
information through a variety of channels to individuals, professionals 
and communities.
  Let me conclude by commending all those professionals who work in the 
Information and Referral field and with 2-1-1s. We are especially 
fortunate in my District and State to have one of the most effective of 
these professionals, my friend Jamie Moore who serves as Vice President 
of Volunteer & Community Services at the United Way of the Midlands.
  I urge my colleagues to become more familiar with the Information and 
Referral and 2-1-1 programs in their districts help their constituents 
learn about who to call for information about local resources.

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