CommUnity Crisis Services and Food Bank has earned International Council for Helplines (ICH) re-accreditation for their Crisis Intervention phone, chat and text helpline services. This accreditation signifies that CommUnity has demonstrated commitment and substantial conformance to providing high quality service and helpline best practice standards of care.
“We congratulate and commend CommUnity Crisis Services and Food Bank for achieving re-accreditation and for their exemplary service to the state of Iowa. We are honored to have CommUnity as an accredited member of International Council for Helplines” said Gail Selander, Executive Director of International Council for Helplines.
An organization receiving International Council for Helplines accreditation has demonstrated to a team of accreditation examiners its commitment to offering helpline programs and services that are accountable, measurable, and of the highest quality. During the review process, the accreditation examiners evaluated CommUnity for compliance in several areas including governance and leadership, training, program management and suicide prevention and intervention standards.
“We are very excited to have once again been re-accredited by International Council for Helplines. ICH recently did a sweeping revision of standards to promote the use of best practices in crisis intervention service provision, a goal our organization always strives to meet. With this re-accreditation, we are ensuring that we have practices in place that allow our Crisis Intervention Program to provide crisis services based on these best practices,” said Cindy Hewett, Director of Services for CommUnity.
CommUnity Crisis Center and Food Bank is a volunteer-driven non-profit organization that provides immediate and non-judgmental support for those facing emotional, food or financial crisis. CommUnity was founded in 1970, and currently provides food assistance to more than 12,000 Johnson County residents. For more information, go to www.builtbycommunity.org.
International Council for Helplines is an independent, not-for-profit accrediting body with a mission to inspire, educate, and accredit helpline programs which offer support to individuals in crisis and emotional distress via phone and online emotional support services including chat and text. International Council for Helplines has been accrediting helpline organizations for over 50 years, and as an accrediting body, is solely dedicated to helpline best practice standards. For more information about the accreditation process, please visit the International Council for Helplines website at www.councilforhelplines.org
