Inclusion/Exclusion Policy

The following are guidelines for inclusion/exclusion in the FIRSTLINK 2-1-1 database.

INCLUSION POLICY

Agencies/Organizations presented for inclusion within the FIRSTLINK database must fulfill each of the 3 following requirements:

I. Agencies/Organizations must have nonprofit 501(c) tax exemption status or be a government entity and provide community services. Agencies/Organizations must provide social, educational, cultural, health, and human services. Nonprofits must provide verification of tax exempt status.

Agencies/Organizations that are unable to provide proof of tax exempt status must fulfill 1 of the following requirements:

  • Offer a community service to the general public, not restricted to their own membership, including self-help support groups, grass roots, web-based , collaborative partnerships, appointed foundations, civic groups and neighborhood organizations that have an identified contact point.
  • Provide a community service not currently available through other organizations.
  • Provide a health-related service such as hospitals, home health care, prevention and wellness and nursing facilities and that accept Medicaid and Medicare. Payment of an annual fee is required.

II. Agencies/Organizations must have provided a service for at least 6 months, unless otherwise approved by the President/CEO.

III. Agencies/Organizations must be located in Franklin County or Central Ohio and serve the greater Columbus community.

Agencies/Organizations located outside of Franklin County or Central Ohio must fulfill the following requirement:

  • Provide a community service not available in Franklin County for which Franklin County residents are eligible.

EXCLUSION POLICY

FIRSTLINK reserves the right to exclude and/or remove any agency/organization/group from the 2-1-1 database or any resource products that are sold or distributed. Agencies/Organizations that do not meet the above criteria will be excluded or removed from the database for any reason that FIRSTLINK deems is inconsistent with its inclusion objectives. FIRSTLINK reserves the right to remove an agency from the database when an organization fails to provide updated information as requested. Such decisions may be appealed to the President/CEO of FIRSTLINK if there is evidence of misapplication of the inclusion criteria or if there is new information that would satisfy the inclusion criteria.

DISCLAIMER

FIRSTLINK assumes no responsibility regarding the quality of services of agencies/organizations in the database and inclusion in the database does not imply endorsement.

DISCRIMINATION POLICY

Agencies/Organizations included within the 2-1-1 database might be required to provide a written policy that discrimination on the basis of race, religion, gender, sexual orientation, national origin, ancestry, disability or age is prohibited in service, volunteer utilization and employment.

8/13/02 FL Board - Executive Committee Approved Document

Web-based organizations are defined as on-line sites that provide an on-going community service to the general public through an internet-based medium and have demonstrated themselves to be a stable entity within the community. Neighborhood organizations are defined as those groups whose memberships are comprised of residents of a defined geographic area and whose primary mission is to improve the living conditions of all residents of the defined geographic area.