Serving Rural Communities Through 211

Ann Clement has been on the job for five months as the head of Wyoming 211. After nearly a decade in healthcare and public policy, including stints at the Partnership for a Healthy Wyoming and the Wyoming Chapter of the Alzheimer’s Association, she became Executive Director of Wyoming 211 in October 2024. Her 14-person organization includes an Aging and Disability Resource Center (ADRC) navigator, two kinship navigators, two 211 navigators and a community information exchange navigator.  

One of her biggest challenges? Geography.  

There are counties in Wyoming with fewer than six people per square mile. So, trying to connect people to resources can be a challenge.”  

The Cowboy State’s 584,000 residents are spread across nearly 98,000 square miles – making it the least populated state in the U.S. and the 10th largest in size. Wyoming is deeply rural without the support of major city centers. And like rural communities across the country, it has a human capital flight problem. As young people grow older, they tend to leave the state.

As a result, Wyoming faces significant obstacles like labor shortages, an affordable housing crisis, and a shrinking tax base that struggles to support its rapidly aging population.

Clement believes 211 can make a difference.  

A top request from callers is rental assistance and the waitlists for affordable housing are long. When callers ask about housing, they are also screened for other unmet needs like food, utilities and even caregiving. Residents can also experience significant challenges with accessing healthcare. In a state with only half a million people, services that support aging seniors are few and far between, says Clement.

Wyoming 211 has pursued various partnerships and funding to connect callers with the services they need. Recently, they became recipients of a University of Wyoming Center on Aging grant that will allow the organization to hire another ADRC navigator to support the Wind River reservation.  

Their partnership with the University of Wyoming also funds two Kinship navigators who each support 500 families a year with information referral up to full case management for kinship caregivers navigating the guardianship process.  

Lastly, Clement understands that asking for help can be hard, for many reasons. Wyoming 211 offers free, confidential calls that meet people where they’re at. “People are reluctant to ask for help and they often don’t even look outside of their own community for assistance because they really don’t know that’s an option,” said Clement. Her mission is to close the gap between existing resources and the people who need them.  

People are reluctant to ask for help and they often don’t even look outside of their own community for assistance because they really don’t know that’s an option.”