Introducing 2-1-1 Counts, Mental Health Awareness Month, Fresh Connecticut Grown Food, College Savings Plan Day is 5/29

2-1-1 Connecticut | 2-1-1 Child Care | Child Development Infoline | Community Results Center

May

2016

COMMUNITY CONNECTION

IN THIS ISSUE: Introducing 2-1-1 Counts, Mental Health Awareness Month, Fresh Connecticut Grown Food, College Savings Plan Day is 5/29

Introducing 2-1-1 Counts

A Message from Richard Porth

President/CEO of United Way of Connecticut

2-1-1 Connecticut is pleased to announce the launch of the 2-1-1 Counts dashboard in Connecticut. Using a combination of US Census data and service request data collected from the 2-1-1 Connecticut contact center, the dashboard presents a visual representation of community-specific needs throughout the state. Government and civic leaders, service agencies, nonprofit partners, and 2-1-1 users alike can view data through the last year by town/ZIP code, county, congressional district, state house district, and state senate district.

In other states with 2-1-1 Counts, the data has been used to help write grants, create up-to-date reports, show evidence of community need, and inform decision-making.

If you would like to review the data for your town, county, or district, visit 211Counts.org and click on Connecticut. To help introduce users to the 2-1-1 counts tool, a webinar will be held on June 7th at 10:00am. If you are interested in participating in this training, please click this link to register.

Mental Health Awareness Month

May is Mental Health Awareness month. To build awareness, social media posts with the hashtag #mentalillnessfeelslike will be collected and displayed at mentalhealthamerica.net/feelslike. These posts will ask people to share what life with a mental illness feels like for them through words, pictures, and videos. This will allow people to speak out about their own experiences and connect with others that may have had similar experiences. Sharing and openness is key in helping break down negative attitudes and misconceptions about mental illnesses.

Mental Health America has prepared a toolkit with factsheets explaining diagnostic criteria for mental illnesses, first-hand accounts about how they feel, and a breakdown of common myths and misconceptions associated with mental illnesses. It also contains three worksheets that individuals can use to make a mental health plan to help them work through their symptoms.

In Connecticut, United Way 2-1-1 connects people to resources and assistance with mental health concerns. 2-1-1 has contact specialists available 24 hours a day/7 days a week to answer calls and serve as a point of entry for crisis intervention services.

For more information about mental health resources in Connecticut, you may browse 2-1-1's eLibrary category of Mental Health related papers which contain useful links to organizations offering support and information on mental health disorders.

To access Emergency Mobile Crisis Intervention Services or if you or your child are in crisis, call 2-1-1 and press option # 1.

Fresh Connecticut Grown Food

As the summer season gets closer, farmers' markets selling fresh, local produce are beginning to open around the state.

Many markets now participate in the Women and Infant Children (WIC) and Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Programs (SNAP), as well as the Senior Farmers' Market Nutrition Program. For a complete listing of local farmers' markets in the state, including location and program eligiblity details, please visit this link or dial 2-1-1 for more information.

For details on the WIC Farmers' Market Nutrition program, please click here. Further information on the Senior Farmers' Market Nutrition program, can be found here.

College Savings Plan Day is 5/29

In the current job market, many career paths require two or four-year degrees. But with the high cost of living, saving enough money to pay for a child's college tuition can be a significant challenge for Connecticut residents.

CHET (Connecticut Higher Education Trust) offers a 529 college savings plan to help Connecticut residents prepare for their children's college education. When used for qualifying education expenses, funds invested in CHET accounts can be withdrawn tax-free. There is also a state income tax deduction available for contributions to a CHET 529 college savings plan.

The CHET website has details about the investment options, advice about planning ahead for college, and a calculator to estimate future costs of higher education.

To learn more, call 1-888-799-CHET (2438) or visit www.aboutchet.com.

The mission of United Way of Connecticut is to help meet the needs of Connecticut and its residents by providing information, education and connection to services.