History

Forty Years of Service 1976-2016

1976 Incorporated agency as a 501(c)(3) providing telephone/walk-in information and referral services, located in Hayward City Hall basement
1978 Began Job Development for Youth Employment Training (CETA on wheels; Individual Services System)
1979 Began Alameda County 911 Translation Service for Spanish, Cantonese, Vietnamese and TTY
1983 Began After-Hours Phone Services for Alameda County’s Child Protective Services (CPS) and Emergency Response Unit (ERU)
1984
  • Began 9-1-1 Translation Service for State of California (over 2 million people served within 14 years)
  • Began Attorney Referral Services
  • Human Services Network organized Bay Area Information & Retrieval System (BAIRS), a 5-county I&R system
1987
  • Created first edition of the Directory of Human Services for Alameda County (The Big Blue Book)
  • Began countywide Shelter Daily Survey
1989 Homeless Phone Line and Housing Database created in response to Loma Prieta earthquake
1990 Started After-Hours Phone Services for Alameda County’s Public Guardian’s Office
1991
  • Began Alameda County’s Prison Health Services program
  • Created Mid-High Range Housing Database in response to Oakland Firestorm
1992 Started Pacific Bell’s Emergency Cantonese Language Assistance Bureau
1993 Began Area Agency on Aging’s Monolingual Spanish Senior Services
1995 City of Hayward’s Roving Housing Program starts Eden I&R’s Roving Department
1996 Began Alameda County’s AIDS Housing Information Project (AHIP)
1999 Began After-Hours Phone Services for Adult Protective Services (APS)
2000 Maximizing Opportunities for Mothers to Succeed (MOMS) started at Santa Rita Jail, included Eden I&R’s Post-Employment Roving Program
2003
  • Began After-Hours Services for Foster Care Placement Line
  • In partnership with Bay Area Urban League, started Eden I&R’s Earned Income Tax Credit program
2006 Began partnership with Berkeley Toys for Tots holiday program
2007 Launched 2-1-1 Alameda County Communication System
2009
  • 2-1-1 served as the primary access point for the Homelessness Prevention and Rapid Rehousing Program (HPRP)
  • Launched partnership with 2-1-1 San Diego to conduct CalFresh outreach
  • In partnership with the Computer and Communications Industry Association and Intuit, began making California Free Tax events referrals
2010
  • Began Medi-Cal Administrative Activities (MAA) outreach program
  • Began Veteran’s Housing Roving Program
  • In partnership with 2-1-1 California, began conducting outreach about California Emerging Technology Fund (CETF), bridging the digital divide for low-income individuals and families
2012 Began VA Housing Roving Program for Contra Costa County
2014 Launched Disaster Preparedness Program
2016
  • Printed the final edition of The Big Blue Book
  • In partnership with First 5 Alameda County, began outreach for Help Me Grow program