INCLUSION/EXCLUSION PLAN

The 211 DuPage resource database is designed to be a comprehensive resource database. Any organization or entity meeting the Inclusion criteria may be incorporated. The focus of the database are services offered to persons located in DuPage County where the service meets either an essential human or economic need. Areas targeted include clothing and household goods, education, employment, income and financial resources, individual and family support, legal, food, health (dental, medical, mental), housing and utilities, and transportation. Agencies and services must meet all criteria, as explicitly stated within the Inclusions/Exclusion Plan, to be included in the 211 DuPage resource database.

Geographic Area

Agencies to be included within this database must provide services to those located within DuPage County, Illinois, or are providing 211/Information and Referral services in the State of Illinois

Agency Types

For inclusion:

1. Non-profit organizations
2. Government entities
3. Federal
4. State
5. County
6. Local Government Agencies
7. For-profit businesses offering services to the general public at:
   1. No cost
   2. Sliding fee
   3. Will accept government or nonprofit payment
8. Accredited Colleges/Universities that are located within DuPage County
9. Providers of senior services
10. Or meets a unique human service not otherwise available from a nonprofit provider

For exclusion:

1. Organizations that do not expressly meet the inclusion criteria.
2. Organizations that provide services to members only.
3. Organizations that are sufficiently covered through other resources already included in the database.
4. Organizations that don’t have at least one established service site that clients can physically visit should the service require it; excluding web- and telephone-based services that otherwise meet the inclusion requirements.
5. Organizations that do not have at least one staff person that is regularly available to communicate with Information and Referral staff.
6. Organizations that primarily serve for a political cause or are an issue-oriented action group.
7. Organizations that engage in fraudulent, discriminatory or illegal activities.
8. Organizations that misrepresent their services in any way.

Other Inclusion Considerations

The following items will also be considered when an agency applies for inclusion in the database:

1. Degree of demand/need for the services offered
2. Number of agencies in the database currently offering the service

Exclusion/Removal Criteria

DuPage County Community Services reserves the right to exclude organizations from the 211 DuPage resource database that do not meet the inclusion criteria as explicitly stated within the Inclusion/Exclusion Plan. Potential grounds for exclusion or removal from the database may include, but are not limited to:

1. Failure to provide listed services to eligible applicants
2. Fraud
3. Misrepresentation
4. Discrimination
5. Criminal activity
6. Agency no longer meets inclusion criteria
7. No response from the agency to three consecutive requests for updated information (at least one will be via phone or physical letter)

Statement of Responsibility

Inclusion in the 211 DuPage resource database should not be construed to constitute an endorsement of an agency, organization or its services, nor should exclusion be construed to constitute disapproval. The 211 DuPage database provides resource information, not endorsements, recommendations or ratings of potential service providers.

Appeal Policy

DuPage County Community Services reserves the right to exclude any organization, program, or service from the database at any time that the organization, program, or service does not meet the criteria as outlined in this plan. Complaints regarding the exclusion, inclusion, description, removal or indexing of an organization or its service(s) may be submitted in writing to the System Administrator. All complaints will be considered in light of the Resource Development Policy. The party filing the complaint will be notified in writing of the final decision and justification thereof.

Any further objection to the decision of the System Administrator must be submitted in writing to the Director of Community Services whose determination will be returned to the complainant in writing. All decisions by the Director of Community Services are absolute.

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Complaints regarding the delivery of a service to a client should be submitted to the organization or entity that provided/refused to provide the service. The System Administrator should also be informed of complaints so that they may keep the resource database current with only those agencies whose referrals are helpful to the community. If there is an egregious non-delivery of service, fraud, discrimination, or misrepresentation of services, DuPage County Community Services reserves the right to remove the agency from the database.