Inclusion & Exclusion

Criteria for Inclusion

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

Agency Type
Agencies appropriate for inclusion in the Michigan 2-1-1 database include:

• Government bodies that provide a health or human service, including elected officials, at the following levels:
  • Local
  • State
  • Federal
  • Special district
• Private nonprofit organizations, such as:
  • 501(c)3 organizations which provide a direct service or information about a direct service
  • Religious institutions that offer a human service available to the general public
  • Professional associations which offer a free or low-cost service to the general public
  • Labor organizations providing human services to their members
  • Clubs organized for the purposes of recreation
  •  Supporter self-help groups
  • Toll free hotlines that offer information about health and human services or direct assistance
• Educational institutions
  • Intermediate school districts
  • Trade schools
  • Community colleges
  • Special service components of schools or school districts
• For-profit businesses that offer a human service to the general public may be considered for inclusion if they meet one or more of the following criteria:
  • The service offered is a unique service or one that is otherwise unavailable from the nonprofit community
  • The service is available for free, low-cost, or on a sliding fee scale based on income, and the organization must have a documented policy for the provision of the service on a sliding fee scale and provide it at the time of application
  • The organization will accept payment for the service by another agency, government entity, or from Medicare or Medicaid
  • The agency or service is required under a specialized contract

Note on licensing: Where applicable, proof of current and valid licensure will be required for inclusion in the Michigan 2-1-1 database.

Note on cost of service: While most government, nonprofit, and educational health and human services are offered to the public for free, at a low cost, or as payable by a third party (such as Medicare or Medicaid), if a service’s cost is considered to be generally prohibitive the service may not be included in the Michigan 2-1-1 database.

Stability Criteria
Agencies appropriate for inclusion in the Michigan 2-1-1 database must:

• Have at least one established service site that clients can physically visit should the service require it. This should not be construed to indicate the exclusion of Web- and telephone-based services that otherwise meet the inclusion requirements
• Employ at least one full-time staff person, either paid or volunteer, who is regularly available to communicate with 2-1-1 resource staff
• Have been in existence for at least one full year (365 days), or demonstrate substantial proof of viability to the satisfaction of the resource database managers

Other Factors
As needs vary, some communities may opt to prioritize the development of resource information based on the needs most urgent to their local population. The following factors may also be considered when evaluating organizations for inclusion in the Michigan 2-1-1 database:

• Degree of demand/need for the services offered in each community
• Number of agencies currently included in the database which already offer a particular service

Exclusion / Removal Criteria
 Approval for inclusion in the Michigan 2-1-1 database 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 statewide community resource database 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
• Lack of demand for a service

Statement of Responsibility
Inclusion in the Michigan 2-1-1 database 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 edit information to meet software and database formatting requirements, and to utilize the information in community resource directories, in publicly searchable online databases, and for community planning purposes.

This Statement of Inclusion/Exclusion Criteria serves as a foundational document for the Michigan 2-1-1 community resource database, and may be slightly modified by each partner agency in order to reflect the needs of their local community.

Decisions to exclude or remove an organization from the Michigan 2-1-1 database may be appealed in writing to Michigan 2-1-1, provided that evidence can be presented showing that the decision for exclusion or removal was inaccurate.