What We Do Mission: to assist people in identifying, accessing, and making effective use of community and volunteer resources Vision: to be the first link in linking people and resources 24 hours a day

Why and How We Do It We believe in fighting the stigma of mental health issues and suicide through the services we provide: Access to 24-hour help and hope through the 2-1-1 Helpline and National Suicide Prevention Lifeline Trainings on suicide and mental health that range from a few hours to 2 days. Follow-up calls to those that need extra support after suicidal thoughts or actions. Emily Slide 1-12

Our Values Diversity Collaboration Excellence We recognize that all people have time and talents to share, and that communities are strengthened when people connect through volunteer services. Collaboration We realize that we are at our best when we collaborate. Excellence We commit to implementing innovative and effective strategies, holding ourselves accountable for results, and sharing our knowledge and best practices with others.

History 1968 – Incorporation 1983 – Merged into the programs that are now FirstLink 1987 – We became accredited by the American Association of Suicidology 1995 – Dissolved United Way parent organization (Community Resources, Inc.) 1998 – FirstLink formed- changed the name from Community Resources, Inc. to FirstLink

History Continued 2009 – We became accredited by the Alliance of Information and Referral Systems 2010 – We became the 2-1-1 designee for the state of North Dakota and Clay County, Minnesota 2010 – Our holiday project (formerly Season of Hope) became Giving Tree of Hope 2012 – We began the Suicide Follow Up Call Program 2015 – We answered our 1 Millionth call!

FirstLink Today 24 Hour Telephone Services ​ FirstLink 2-1-1 Helpline ​ Contract Agencies ​ National Suicide Prevention Lifeline (NSPL) ​ ​ Suicide Support Services ​ Suicide Follow-up Call Program ​ Suicide Education Outreach in the schools ​ Suicide Prevention Trainings​ Giving Tree of Hope with Toys for Tots – For Cass County, ND, Clay County, MN and surrounding area

Accreditations Accredited by: American Association of Suicidology (AAS) since 1987 Alliance of Information and Referral Systems (AIRS) since 2009

FirstLink 2-1-1 Helpline 2-1-1 or 701-235-SEEK (7335) Free telephone service available 24 hours a day. Listening and Support- Provides a supportive, non- judgmental listening ear to anyone in need of support. Information and Referral about Health and Human Services. Mainly Nonprofit Organizations and Government Agencies Available to North Dakota and Clay County, Minnesota.

Database of Community Resources Contains thousands of different programs, nonprofits, and government agencies Each entry includes a brief program description, contact information, eligibility requirements, fees and office hours Viewable online: www.myfirstlink.org Click: “Find Resources Here”

Database of Community Resources Individuals are welcome to call about a variety of needs including, but not limited to: Abuse/Assault Addiction Basic Needs Disability Disaster Assistance Emergency Shelter Employment Faith Communities Financial Assistance Food Assistance Gambling Grief Healthcare Libraries Mental Health Military Support Parenting Recreation Senior Centers Substance Abuse Suicide Support Groups Transportation Volunteer Opportunities Youth AND MUCH MORE!!!

Met Needs FirstLink uses our call data is see patterns in what needs exist in our community. Below are the three top needs that FirstLink call specialists were able to help people find resources for in 2016.  Rent Payment Assistance Food Pantries Electric Service Payment Assistance

Unmet Needs Some of the reasons for unmet needs include financial assistance isn’t currently available, no program exists to meet the need, caller is ineligible for the services, caller refuses the referral, or for a variety of other reasons.  Our top three unmet needs for 2016 are below. Rent Payment Assistance Gas money Electric Service Payment Assistance

Offering a Helping Hand When someone who you know has run out of places to turn, tell them to dial 2-1-1 or 701-235-7335 (SEEK) Every ten minutes FirstLink answers a phone call from someone in North Dakota or Clay County, Minnesota who needs our help We listen, we support, we connect.

Contract Agencies FirstLink contracts with several crisis agencies answering their calls after business hours. FirstLink screens each call for crisis intervention needs, providing listening/support or information/referral according to individual contracts.

National Suicide Prevention Lifeline 1-800-273-TALK (8255) Connected to national network of crisis centers so no call goes unanswered Help those who are having thoughts of suicide or who have a concern about someone Only crisis center in North Dakota to answer NSPL calls

Suicide Follow-Up Program A voluntary program offered to individuals needing additional support. Callers who dial our 2-1-1 Helpline and the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline (NSPL) Patients being discharged from select clinics and hospitals in North Dakota Part of a research project with Columbia University to evaluate effectiveness of suicide follow-up calls. Main goals: Offer support and resources Create a safety plan Check to see if person is utilizing services

2016 Statistics Total ICS Calls: 49,353 Total Resources Given: 18,051 Calls related to suicide: 2,512 1150 Suicide Follow-up Calls made in 2016 Contacted Dispatch/Law Enforcement : 62 

Call Types

Suicide Related Calls

Suicide Education Outreach Provided since 1996 Primarily serves 7th-12th grade students in Fargo and West Fargo, but is also available for other groups in Cass and Clay counties Students are trained on suicide statistics, risk factors, warning signs, and resources for help. On average 2,500 local students participate each year

Suicide Alertness Training SafeTALK 3-Hour Suicide Alertness training developed by LivingWorks, Inc. Helps people identify those who have thoughts of suicide Teaches participants to connect a person with thoughts of suicide to a suicide first aid intervention caregiver.

Suicide Intervention Training Applied Suicide Intervention Skills Training (ASIST) A 2-day workshop developed by LivingWorks, Inc. Trains any community member to become a more effective suicide first-aid caregiver. Used nationwide by all National Suicide Prevention Lifeline centers and internationally by many mental health and government organizations.

Mental Health First Aid MHFA is an 8- Hour, evidence-based training program committed to empowering individuals to identify, understand and respond to those in mental health and substance abuse crises.  Mental Health First Aid has been shown to increase mental health literacy and decrease the stigma of mental illness among participants. FirstLink offers Adult MHFA and Youth MHFA for adults that frequently interact with youth.

Specialized Training Active Listening Community Resources FirstLink offers specialized trainings on a number of different topics ranging in length from 30 minutes to 2 hours. Active Listening Community Resources Self-care and Resilience Crisis Intervention Suicide Grief Suicide Awareness and Intervention Noteworthy Customers

Number of community trainings: 194 Training Statistics Presentations  Participants: 5,046  Number of community trainings: 194

Giving Tree of Hope/ Toys for Tots & Connection Fair Offers assistance to those in need during the holiday season (children and adults with special needs) Coordinates the collection and distribution of new donated holiday gifts to meet the needs of individuals in the Cass-Clay community Provides volunteers with opportunities to serve

2016 GTOH/T4T 13,962 gifts were collected 3,526 individuals received gifts within 1,474 families 472 gifts given to clients lacking transportation through agencies 23 agencies received the remaining gifts 63 businesses and churches throughout our community were Giving Tree of Hope sponsors 11 organizations were at our Connection Fair

Disaster Assistance During a disaster FirstLink coordinates… Local cities’ and counties’ volunteers Several check-in sites for volunteers Volunteers who will answer the disaster hotlines -Including Child Abduction Response Team (CART) tip line Dissemination of information from authorities to community members

How We Can Help You Save you time to allow you to focus on higher priority situations - Provide information about resources - Provide 24 hour emotional support - Be a safety contact number - De-escalate situations and reduce the need for emergency services Available for trainings to help increase understanding about mental health and suicide

How You Can Help Us Utilize 2-1-1 and FirstLink Website Educate others and refer to 2-1-1 - Distribute cards Attend various trainings or events held by FirstLink Update your agency’s information when appropriate Stay connected with FirstLink by following us on social media

Questions or Comments? 24 Hour Helpline: 2-1-1 or 701-235-7335 (SEEK) NSPL (National Suicide Prevention Lifeline): 1-800-273-8255 (TALK) Website: www.myfirstlink.org Facebook: www.facebook.com/myfirstlink Twitter: twitter.com/myfirstlink_org Blog: myfirstlink.areavoices.com Youtube: www.youtube.com/user/myfirstlink Pinterest: pinterest.com/firstlink