Alliance of Information and Referral Systems AIRS

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Alliance of Information and Referral Systems
(AIRS)
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AIRS is

• the international voice of Information and
  Referral (IR).
• a professional membership association of more
  than 1,000 organizations, bringing people and
  services together.
• in partnership with the United Way of America,
  the architect of the 2-1-1 movement that has
  transformed access to human services.

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AIRS is

• the driving force in the development of clear
  and consistent professional Standards that
  benchmark every aspect of quality IR.
• the credentialing authority behind an
  accreditation program that measures an
  organizations ability to meet the AIRS
  Standards, and a certification program that
  evaluates the competence of IR practitioners.

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AIRS is

• a touchstone of training, support and technical
  assistance that culminates in an annual
  international IR conference.
• an integrated membership structure that
  supports more than 30 state and regional
  Affiliates.
• an acknowledged leader in human services working
  in partnerships with organizations such as the
  United Way of America and the National
  Association of State Units on Aging.

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Information and Referral bringing people and
services together

• IR organizations create and maintain resource
  databases of programs and services and make that
  information available to individuals and
  communities through a variety of communication
  channels (such as call centers and web sites).

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Information and Referral bringing people and
services together

• When individuals and families don't know where to
  turn, IR is there for them.
• IR is a keystone of the entire human services
  sector.
• IR is for everyone.

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2-1-1 transforming access to human services

• 2-1-1 is a simple, easy-to-remember three-digit
  telephone number that has revolutionized access
  to human services.
• 2-1-1 is a national partnership between AIRS and
  the United Way of America.
• 2-1-1 is efficient, fast, confidential and easy
  to use.

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2-1-1 transforming access to human services

• One call accesses resources across the community.
  
• No more wrong numbers, no more wasted time trying
  to find the right resources.
• 2-1-1 strengthens communities by uniting the
  people who want to give help with those who need
  help.

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2-1-1 transforming access to human services

• During 2006, 2-1-1 services became available to
  more than 160 million Americans over half of
  the entire population with around 200 active
  2-1-1 systems. Every few weeks, those numbers
  increase still further. In Canada, 2-1-1 covers
  over a quarter of the entire population.

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IR in times of disaster

• IR provides practical assistance in
• Pre-disaster planning.
• Disaster duration.
• Disaster aftermath.
• Disaster recovery.

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IR in times of disaster

• IR has proven itself in every disaster situation
  it has encountered.
• When the devastation of Hurricanes Katrina and
  Rita struck Louisiana, Mississippi and Texas the
  New York Times highlighted the rapidly deployed
  2-1-1 service as one of the few examples of a
  service that proved itself as functioning, caring
  and responsive.

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AIRS Products and Services the benefits of
membership

• AIRS Standards for Professional Information and
  Referral
• First published in 1973 and now in its 5th
  edition, the AIRS Standards underpin and bind
  together every aspect of IR and define the
  direction of all the products and services
  provided by AIRS. The Standards are the
  foundation of 2-1-1 service delivery and the
  prime benchmark of quality IR.

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AIRS Products and Services the benefits of
membership

• AIRS Accreditation Program
• Accreditation assesses the ability of IR
  providers to demonstrate full compliance with the
  AIRS Standards. Accreditation is a multi-phase
  process to verify that an organization meets the
  174 distinct components of the accreditation
  criteria. More than 70 organizations in the
  United States and Canada have successfully
  attained AIRS Accreditation.

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AIRS Products and Services the benefits of
membership

• AIRS Certification Program
• Professional credentials are awarded to
  individuals who successfully complete the
  appropriate AIRS Certification Program for IR
  practitioners. Certification is a measurement of
  demonstrated ability in the field of IR
  reflecting necessary knowledge, skills, attitudes
  and work-related behaviors.

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AIRS Products and Services the benefits of
membership

• AIRS Certification Program
• More than 600 individuals apply for certification
  every year. Recertification is required every two
  years and there are now more than 2,600 IR
  practitioners who are either Certified IR
  Specialists, Certified Resource Specialists or
  Certified IR Specialists Aging.

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AIRS Products and Services the benefits of
membership

• ABCs of IR
• This 400-page publication is the foundation for
  training new Information Referral Specialists
  and Resource Specialists, and also serves as a
  reference tool and refresher for more experienced
  staff.

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AIRS Products and Services the benefits of
membership

• AIRS IR Toolkit
• The online IR Toolkit provides access to
  field-tested tools, knowledge and resources to
  enhance the ability to achieve AIRS Standards.
  The AIRS IR Toolkit is the only resource that
  features best practices from AIRS Accredited
  agencies. Visit www.airsirtoolkit.org for more.

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AIRS Products and Services the benefits of
membership

• AIRS 2-1-1 Toolkit
• The online 2-1-1 Toolkit helps 2-1-1 planners
  create cost effective, high quality and
  investor-friendly business plans. This is the
  only 2-1-1 planning process developed and
  field-tested by 2-1-1 providers at both the state
  and local levels. Visit www.211toolkit.org for
  more.

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AIRS Products and Services the benefits of
membership

• AIRS/INFOLINE Taxonomy of Human Services
• The Taxonomy is a hierarchical classification
  system used for indexing human service databases,
  allowing resource information to be categorized
  in a systematic manner using consistent language.
  There are more than 8,000 fully-defined Taxonomy
  terms that cover every conceivable aspect of
  human services.

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AIRS Products and Services the benefits of
membership

• AIRS Annual IR Training and Education Conference
• On-going training, support and technical
  assistance is provided to members, highlighted by
  an annual international conference. Additional
  regional training is provided through the AIRS
  Affiliate structure.

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AIRS Affiliates reaching out and moving
forward 

• AIRS Affiliates are membership organizations
  representing IR providers within a state or
  larger region. 
• Affiliates help shape, inform and implement the
  mission of AIRS at the local level in order to
  support and build excellence in IR.
• AIRS currently has over 30 Affiliates.

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AIRS

• AIRS is a professional membership organization
  for IR service providers.  It is a nonprofit
  501(c)(3) incorporated in 1973 to improve access
  to human services for individuals, families and
  communities.
• For more information about AIRS, visit
  www.airs.org or write info_at_airs.org.