Inclusion & Exclusion

Criteria for Inclusion

Directory Inclusion

To be included in the Directory, an organization must meet the following criteria:

Cost of Services
The Organization’s services considered for inclusion must either be free of cost to recipients or have a low cost to recipients. A low cost will generally be sub-market rate, and may be made available through subsidy, a sliding-scale fee model, reimbursement from a third party (e.g. Medicaid-covered services), or other means.

Services deemed prohibitively expensive for low-income individuals and families, no matter those services’ conformity to other requirements below, are ineligible for inclusion.

Geographic Criteria
An organization must be located within or provide service to residents of Michigan.

Organization Type Criteria
Organizations appropriate for inclusion in the Directory include:

• Government bodies that provide a health or human service, at the following levels:
  • Local
  • State
  • Federal
  • Special district
• Private nonprofit organizations, such as:
  • 501(c)3 organizations that provide a direct service or information about a direct service
  • Religious institutions that offer a human service available to the general public
  • Professional associations that offer a free or low-cost service to the general public
  • Labor organizations providing human services to the general public
  • Clubs organized for education, recreation, enrichment, peer support or similar purposes, available to the general public
  • Support or self-help groups, with a regular schedule and consistent physical location(s) or virtual meetings;
  • Toll free hotlines or websites that offer information about health and human services or direct assistance
  • Hospitals and medical facilities offering a sliding fee scale or accepting Medicare and Medicaid
  • Advocacy groups
• Educational institutions
  • Intermediate school districts
  • Trade schools
  • Community colleges
  • Support services of schools or school districts, such as related to adult education or basic needs, available to the community
• For-profit businesses may be considered for inclusion only if either their inclusion is required under a specialized contract, or if they offer free or low-cost health or human services to the general public that are unique or otherwise unavailable from nonprofit or government providers.

Note on licensing: Where applicable, proof of current and valid licensure will be required for inclusion in the Directory.

Stability Criteria
Organizations appropriate for inclusion in the Directory must:

• Annually review information about their Organization and services and proactively inform Michigan 2-1-1 of changes;
• Have been in existence for at least one full year (365 days) or demonstrate substantial proof of viability to the satisfaction of the resource specialist(s) reviewing the application for inclusion

Other Factors
The following factors may also be considered when evaluating organizations for inclusion in the Directory:

• Degree of demand/need for the services offered in each community;
• Number of organizations currently included in the Directory that already offer a particular service

Website Inclusion

For a website to be included via link on the Michigan 211 website, either within or outside of the Directory, it must meet the following criteria:

Geographic Criteria
The website must pertain to Michigan residents no less than it pertains to residents of any other area; it must be focused on information or assistance either for Michigan residents, the residents of some part(s) of the state, US residents, etc.

Assistance Orientation Criteria
The website’s purpose must be to assist its users by providing useful information, or access to assistance.

Website Type Criteria
The website must meet the following criteria having to do with its attributes and features:

• If informational (e.g. articles, blogs), include citations/references to sources of evidence;
• Include no more than minimal presence of advertisement(s) for commercial services;
• Contain no more than a limited number of links to other websites (i.e. the website is not a directory of other sites).

Statements of Discretion and Responsibility

Application for inclusion in the Directory does not guarantee inclusion. Inclusion in the Directory should in no way be construed to constitute endorsement of an organization or its services, nor should exclusion constitute disapproval. Michigan 2-1-1 provides referrals, not endorsements, recommendations, or ratings of potential service providers.

Michigan 2-1-1 reserves the right to exercise autonomy in applying this policy. Exceptions to both the inclusion and exclusion guidelines above may be made at Michigan 2-1-1’s sole discretion (e.g. relating to an interagency agreement or partnership.)

Michigan 2-1-1 reserves the right to edit information to meet software and formatting needs, and to utilize the information in partner community resource directories, in publicly searchable online databases, and for community planning purposes.

Michigan 2-1-1 strives to maintain an unbiased balance when including resources related to political cause and issue-oriented action groups.

This policy serves as a foundational document for the Directory and may be slightly modified by each partner agency in order to reflect the needs of their local community.

Exclusion or removal of an organization from the Directory may be appealed in writing to Michigan 2-1-1, provided that evidence is presented to demonstrate that the action was unwarranted.

Exclusion/Removal Criteria

Inclusion in the Directory is a privilege, not a right. Approval for inclusion does not guarantee permanent inclusion. Michigan 2-1-1 reserves the right to exclude or remove an organization from the Directory at any time. Examples of reasons for exclusion or removal include:

• Organizations that do not meet the criteria outlined above;
• Prolonged periods of service unavailability or agency inactivity;
• Service non-delivery;
• Complaints to regulatory bodies regarding agency practices;
• Illegal activity, including fraud, discrimination, or misrepresentation;
• Lack of agency response to repeated attempts to acquire updated service information
• An organizational philosophy that is contrary to the mission of 2-1-1, such as one that promotes hate or violence;
• An organizational model whereby a free or low-cost service is offered in ancillary or minimal fashion, as an introduction to services that conflict with criteria defined within the Cost of Services clause above;
• Lack of demand for a service;
• Service considered for inclusion is not available to the general public (e.g. it is available only to members or established clients)