March 26, 2009
Ohio's Summit County Launches CVM
Bringing people and services together
Akron, OH -- Connie Krauss, Director of Community and Economic Development for Summit County Executive Russ Pry today left the first official message on Community Voice Mail Summit (CVMS) today. The voice mail system is designed to help people communicate with potential employers, healthcare services, child care providers, landlords and family. Phoneless people are given their own local telephone number and voice mail box which takes messages. They can retrieve those messages 24/7 from any phone totally for free.
Today, at H.M. Life Opportunity Services, CVMS addressed homeless individuals, service providers and advocates at the first voice mail client sign-up. Providers and advocates were able to hear the first official CVMS message retrieved. Melissa Massey-Flinn Program Director at H.M. Life said, “The Staff and program participants of HM Life Opportunity Services are excited to be a part of this new program. We know first-hand how important a source of contact can be, especially for single parents. Without a phone number, it’s virtually impossible to find a job. For those who are working, its important that schools and childcare providers have a way to reach them should something happen involving their children. Connecting our clients with voicemail boxes also enables our agency to have better contact with them, which inevitably helps us to provide better services”.
Hosted by Info Line, Inc., Akron, Ohio, Community Voice Mail Summit (CVMS) will serve people in crisis and transition who need a safe reliable way to receive messages. To qualify for the service, applicants must be working with a participating agency and have a need to communicate. Eligibility will be determined by each participating agency managing an allocated block of numbers. To become a participating agency, Mike Gibbs, CVMS Coordinator, is currently collaborating with local non-profits to bring them up to speed with how Community Voice Mail operates and assists them with client enrollment. Mike Gibbs stated “this small cost effective tool will have an immediate impact on the community.” When CVM was originally launched in Seattle in 1991, agencies distributed voice mail numbers to 145 people that resulted in 70% finding jobs within 2 months. A grand opening launch event for our local Community Voice Mail Summit program will be held in June 2009.
Tara Strickland said “Without Community Voice Mail I wouldn’t have a telephone number at all. I am looking for new housing and need a way for potential landlords to get a hold of me! This service is very valuable and I am happy to be the first person in Summit County to benefit from it.”
Host agency, Info Line, Inc., is Summit County's 24-hour community information and referral service, answering 75,000 incoming calls annually to link people in need of services with the providers of such services. Since its incorporation as a nonprofit in 1975, its central purpose has been to provide access to human service delivery for people in need.
For more information about Community Voice Mail Summit (CVMS), visit www.CVMsummit.net or contact the CVMS Coordinator, Mike Gibbs, at 330-315-1349 or mgibbs@infolineinc.org.
Info Line • 703 South Main Street # 211 • Akron, Ohio 44311 • 330-376-6660 • 330-253-1137 • www.infolineinc.org