Crisis Center of Tampa Bay earns five-year national accreditation

The Crisis Center of Tampa Bay has earned another five-year national accreditation for its information and referral services, following a yearlong review of how the nonprofit connects residents with help.

Inform USA, formerly known as the Alliance of Information and Referral Systems, evaluated the Crisis Center’s compliance with national standards, examined its resource database and conducted a virtual site visit, according to a release. The process also included a “secret shopper” assessment and a survey of organizations listed in the database.

It is the fourth time the Tampa nonprofit has received the accreditation.

The designation applies to services available through 211, which connects callers with resources such as food, utility assistance and mental health care.

“The Crisis Center of Tampa Bay is the community’s gateway to connect to resources when they are facing life’s challenges,” President and CEO Clara Reynolds says in the release. “Achieving the Inform USA accreditation confirms that we are maintaining best practices in providing information and referral services to our community.”

Inform USA accredits about 125 organizations in the United States and Canada, according to the Crisis Center. Those organizations include 211 providers, aging and disability resource centers and other specialized referral services.

The Crisis Center operates the Gateway Contact Center, which handles 988 suicide and crisis calls in addition to 211 services. Its other programs include the Corbett Trauma Center in Tampa, Success 4 Kids & Families and TransCare, which provides ambulance and medical transportation services.

The Crisis Center of Tampa Bay holds approximately $12.5 million in total financial assets, with total liabilities around $4.3 million and net assets or fund balances totaling about $8.2 million, according to its most recent financial statements.