If you follow me on Twitter (@UnitedWayJohn) you may have noticed a shift in tweets talking about outreach to the homeless, to outreach to people with utility shutoffs.

So I'll briefly explain the shift here.

2-1-1 On the Go! was originally developed to bring the information from the 2-1-1 database out to the homeless population in Detroit. We still do that. But we now have additional staff working on homeless prevention.

That's where the utilities stuff comes in.

In partnership with DTE Energy (Detroit's main utility company), 2-1-1 On the Go! deploys to the homes of DTE's most vulnerable customers - seniors, the disabled, and families with dependent children - providing information about community resources, as well as advocacy to help them get their utilities turned back on.

With this new partnership we are working to prevent homelessness in the lives of vulnerable populations. Also noteworthy about this new project is that we serve Wayne, Oakland, and Macomb counties, while the homeless outreach staff continues to serve just the City of Detroit.