The Connection Initiative

What is the Connection Initiative?

The Connection Initiative (TCI) is a county-wide program hosted and coordinated by the CCC that connects community members to needed resources. It uses an online platform that allows the moderator to connect community members to needed resources or organizations. A person can email support@connectioninitiative.org;  call/text (207) 255-7786; or visit TCI’s website to reach out for help.

TCI’s mission and value proposition

To make lives better by connecting our neighbors in Washington County to community resources; and responding to Washington County neighbors’ needs with care, connections, and options.

 

Online Guide:

We are building an online guide of resources in Washington County by category.  Check out our recovery resource page here by capturing this QR code with your phone.

How does TCI work?

  • Once someone reaches out to TCI by any of the avenues above, a “ticket” or record of the person’s request is created and brought to the attention of TCI’s Program Manager, Dante Zanoni, LSW.
  • Dante will consult the database of resources available through the TCI platform, and if necessary, will create side conversations with providers who are trained to respond to TCI requests.  These are trusted partners of the CCC who represent organizations throughout Washington County dedicated to improving outcomes for community members through specific services.  These partners are referred to as “resource partners.”
  • Dante may refer the request to one or more resource partners who will reach out to the person making the request.
  • Dante will follow up to ensure that the request has been resolved.
  • If there is no immediate resolution, Dante will record this request as a gap in Washington County’s array of services and will forward this information to CCC as an issue needing attention.

Download a flyer for more information.   The Connection Initiative has streamlined our request forms to better serve our neighbors. Please be in touch if you have any questions. Thank you for your continued support.  Make your request for resources here or visit the TCI website and click on the orange “Connect Now” button.

CCC and partners are very excited about the potential for advancing efforts to improve outcomes for community members that TCI offers.  Connecting workers to one another in collaborative problem solving and revealing missing supports and opportunities will help with future program development and raise the bar on responsiveness to community needs.  One such effort is the Downeast Community Population Health Initiative, a 2-year collaborative effort funded by the Maine Community Population Health Initiative to improve health outcomes for Tribal and non-tribal community members aged 65 and older in Washington County and Passamaquoddy communities. Visit CCC’s Thriving in Place page to learn about TCI’s role in this initiative.

TCI also provides an easy tracking system for workers who submit requests on behalf of clients.  Further, incorporating career pathway and training programs into TCI’s online platform is an exciting concept under development to strengthen the workforce, assist youth with career pathways, and improve the ability of individuals to provide for their families.

History of TCI

TCI’s origins go back to the 2015 CCC Visioning Day at which CCC and partners brainstormed the core of TCI’s program as a response to community needs.  CCC designated this concept as an important program to develop and a committee formed to design the structure, mechanisms and gather input from community members and providers working with community members.  In 2020, funds were raised to hire the program manager whose first task was to identify available resources and resource partners.  Concurrently, a small group of concerned providers, community leaders and business owners began to meet, coordinated by Washington County’s Public Health District Liaison, Al May, to address catapulting needs of community members created by the pandemic. CCC joined this effort and offered TCI as the mechanism for this group to realize its goal of connecting community members to resources.  We invite you to follow this work as it continues to unfold.

For more information on this program and how you can become involved, contact Dante at  dzanoni@cccmaine.org or 207-263-4997.