211 Tampa Bay Cares

What 211 Tampa Bay Cares does

First Contact (legal name 211 Tampa Bay Cares, Inc.) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization founded in 1996 in Pinellas County, Florida, and rebranded from 211 Tampa Bay Cares to First Contact in 2024. The organization operates a 24/7 crisis intervention and community information platform delivering the 211 helpline, the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline, and six specialty helplines serving veterans, first responders, sexual assault survivors, homeless individuals, and disaster-affected residents. Service reach now spans 10 Florida counties — Pinellas, Hernando, Pasco, Hillsborough, Sarasota, Manatee, DeSoto, Lee, Hendry, and Glades — with multilingual support in English, Spanish, Vietnamese, Greek, Arabic, and Portuguese. The underlying technology stack consists of an information and referral platform, case management systems, and the 211 Counts real-time data analytics platform that tracks community needs by zip code, county, congressional district, and region.

The organization is accredited by Inform USA, the International Council for Helplines, and the American Association of Suicidology, and holds GuideStar Gold Transparency 2024 certification. Its business model is donation- and grant-funded: revenue is derived from individual and corporate donations, workplace giving programs (Federal Combined Campaign #25524), foundation grants (Pinellas Community Foundation, United Way Suncoast), and government contracts with Pinellas County Human Services and the Florida Department of Children and Families. Designated funds such as the Hope Fund and the Adult Emergency Financial Assistance Program (AEFAP) channel donated dollars to direct financial assistance for eviction and utility prevention. The Rapid Re-Housing Collaborative uses the organization as a fiscal administrator for housing payments. All crisis and information services are provided free of charge to end users at any hour, and the organization explicitly declines donations from China, Russia, Iran, North Korea, Cuba, Venezuela, and Syria.

First Contact is led by President/CEO Micki Thompson with a six-person executive team and a 14-member Board of Directors chaired by Gayle Guidash. The headquarters and call center are located at 13921 Icot Blvd., Suite 700, Clearwater, Florida. The organization rejects traditional revenue scaling mechanics and instead pursues programmatic expansion through strategic partnerships with state and county agencies, the national Vibrant Emotional Health 988 network, SAMHSA, United Way Suncoast, the Homeless Leadership Alliance, and Suncoast Center for sexual assault services.

Name

211 Tampa Bay Cares

Legal name

211 Tampa Bay Cares, Inc.

Website

https://211tampabay.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1996

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

First Contact (211 Tampa Bay Cares, Inc.) is a Florida-based 501(c)(3) nonprofit operating the 211 helpline, 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline, and specialty crisis helplines serving community members, veterans, first responders, and homeless individuals across 10 counties.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Crisis Intervention and Community Information Services

NAICS

Emergency and Other Relief Services (62423), Social Assistance (624)

SIC

Services-Social Services (8300)

akta.pro primary industry

Behavioral Health Crisis Services Management (988/Hotlines/Mobile Crisis Coordination) (HLAEAHAK)

akta.pro secondary industries

Emergency, After-Hours & Hotline Contact Centers (BPAAAAAK), Crisis Intervention & Emergency Planning/Response Coordination (HSABAIAN)

Keywords

• Crisis intervention services
• Community resource referrals
• Suicide prevention helpline
• Financial assistance programs
• Disaster preparedness support

Headquarters

HQ city

Clearwater

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Donations: Charitable contributions from individuals, corporations, and foundations supporting nonprofit operations
2. Government Grants and Contracts: Funding from government agencies including Pinellas County Human Services, Florida Department of Children and Families for crisis intervention, disaster services, and social service programs
3. Workplace Giving Programs: Federal Combined Campaign (CFC) #25524 and workplace giving campaign participation
4. Hope Fund Donations: Designated fund helping individuals, families with minor children, and seniors in Pinellas County with financial assistance

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

First Contact operates 24/7 crisis-intervention and community-information helplines, primarily the 211 Community Resource Connections line and the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline, along with specialty helplines for veterans, first responders, sexual assault survivors, and homeless individuals. It also administers financial-assistance and rapid-rehousing programs to prevent evictions and utility disconnections, and publishes the 211 Counts real-time community-needs data platform.

Product overview

First Contact (formerly 211 Tampa Bay Cares) is a nonprofit crisis intervention and community information organization offering a portfolio of interconnected helplines and support services. The core offerings include the 211 Community Resource Connections helpline and the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline, supplemented by specialized helplines for sexual assault survivors, first responders, veterans, and homeless individuals. Financial assistance programs include the Adult Emergency Financial Assistance Program (AEFAP) and Hope Fund for housing and utility support. Additional services include disaster preparedness, rapid re-housing coordination, suicide prevention training, and the 211 Counts data analytics platform providing real-time community needs data.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• 211 Community Resource Connections A free, confidential 24/7 three-digit helpline (call 211 or text zip code to 898211) connecting community members to local health and human services, providing information, referrals, emotional support, and care coordination across the Tampa Bay region.
• 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline A 24/7 national network of local crisis centers providing free and confidential emotional support via call or text to 988 to people in suicidal crisis or emotional distress across the United States.
• Adult Emergency Financial Assistance Program (AEFAP) Helps individuals and couples without minor children with financial assistance to prevent evictions, foreclosures, and unhealthy living conditions, or to maintain employment, as a partnership between Pinellas County Human Services and First Contact.
• Sexual Assault Services Hotline A 24/7 hotline for sexual assault survivors, their families, and friends, providing crisis intervention and confidential support in partnership with Suncoast Center.
• First Responder Hero Helpline A 24/7 peer support service for first responders and their families, connecting them to trained specialists and additional support resources.
• Veteran Services Florida 211 network service helping Florida veterans receive emotional support and connections to community resources, including the Supportive Services for Veteran Families (SSVF) program.
• Homeless Helpline A specialized helpline partnering with the Homeless Leadership Alliance, staffed by trained homeless services specialists who help individuals navigate the housing system and connect them to appropriate resources.
• Disaster Services Disaster preparedness and recovery support, including emergency supply checklists, family emergency planning, and coordination with local emergency management agencies.
• Pinellas Rapid Re-Housing Collaborative A program placing individuals and families with minor children into permanent housing with up to six months of rental deposit and utility payment assistance; First Contact acts as fiscal administrator for the project.
• Suicide Prevention & Training Suicide prevention resources, training programs, and crisis support connecting individuals to the 988 Lifeline and local prevention initiatives like Zero Suicide Pinellas.
• Hope Fund A designated fund helping individuals, families with minor children, and seniors in Pinellas County with financial assistance to prevent evictions and maintain utility services.
• 211 Counts Real-time searchable data of 211 calls providing community needs snapshots by zip code, county, congressional district, and region to help organizations track trends and demonstrate community needs.

Quantifiable outcome

• 24/7 crisis support available to millions of community members across 10+ counties
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers5 records

Segments6 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

13 partnerships are on record, tiered core and supportive.

• Central Florida Behavioral Health NetworkcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership for behavioral health services coordination and crisis intervention support across the Central Florida region
• Pinellas County Human ServicescoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerGovernment partnership providing funding and oversight for Adult Emergency Financial Assistance Program (AEFAP) and Rapid Re-Housing services
• United Way SuncoastcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLong-standing partnership from original 211 lineage; provides community funding and resource coordination
• SAMHSAcoreOthersFederal agency providing guidance and support for suicide prevention and mental health services
• Vibrant Emotional HealthcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNational partner for 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline network providing crisis center support and standards
• Suncoast Center, Inc.coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership for Sexual Assault Services Hotline - Suncoast Center provides specialized advocacy and counseling while First Contact operates the hotline
• St. Vincent de Paul South PinellascoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerProvides case management for Rapid Re-Housing program; First Contact acts as fiscal administrator for housing payments
• Florida Department of Children and FamiliescoreOthersState government partnership for auxiliary aid plan and disaster services coordination
• Duke EnergysupportiveOthersCorporate partner supporting community services and disaster preparedness efforts
• United Way of Hernando CountysupportiveStrategic or Co-development PartnerRegional partnership extending 211 resource connections to Hernando County residents
• Pinellas County Sheriff's OfficesupportiveStrategic or Co-development PartnerLaw enforcement partnership for first responder support services and community safety
• Rays Baseball FoundationsupportiveOthersSports team foundation supporting community programs and initiatives
• Homeless Leadership Alliance (HLA)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership to operate Homeless Helpline; referrals for Rapid Re-Housing come through HLA's prioritization list

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• Mental Health America: National nonprofit operating mental health screening, education, and referral resources including information helplines. Comparable as a federally-adjacent mental health support organization with similar referral/intake function.
• United Way Worldwide: National umbrella organization that helped incubate and historically funded 211 services, including the United Way lineage that merged into First Contact. Comparable as the legacy funder of the 211 network.
• Veterans Crisis Line (VA): Federal crisis line operated by the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs serving veterans in crisis. Comparable as a federally-designated crisis service that overlaps with First Contact's Veteran Services Helpline.

Direct peers

• Crisis Text Line: National 24/7 crisis intervention service via text messaging. Closely comparable model — trained crisis volunteers handling real-time emotional support and referral — with similar funding mix of donations and grants.
• The Trevor Project: Operates TrevorLifeline, TrevorChat, and TrevorText for LGBTQ+ youth in crisis. Directly comparable crisis intervention model — 24/7 helpline + chat/text — funded through donations and foundation grants.
• Vibrant Emotional Health: Administers the national 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline network and operates NYC Well. Direct peer in operating crisis hotlines at scale; also a strategic partner of First Contact.

Emerging players

• Trans Lifeline: Peer-run crisis hotline staffed by transgender operators serving trans and questioning callers. Comparable crisis-helpline operating model with narrower demographic focus.
• IMAlive: Online crisis chat network providing real-time emotional support. Closely comparable peer on the chat/text crisis intervention model, though smaller scale.

Regional players

• 211 LA County: Regional 211 service provider covering Los Angeles County with crisis intervention, resource navigation, and disaster support. Direct functional peer with comparable scale, service mix, and funding model.
• 211 San Diego (211 San Diego County): Regional 211 operator covering San Diego County with information & referral and crisis intervention services. Direct functional peer running the same 211 backbone in a different geography.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/FirstContact211
• Xx.com/211tbc

Compliance5 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles8 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about 211 Tampa Bay Cares