Committee backs MOU to connect Aurora referrals to DuPage Countys 2-1-1 service

The Public Health, Safety and Transportation Committee on Feb. 10 approved a resolution authorizing the city to enter a memorandum of understanding with the DuPage County Department of Community Services to formalize referrals and shared information with the countys third-party 2-1-1 service.

Chris Vergona, director of community services, said DuPage County reached out to surrounding municipalities in November 2025 to establish a central access point for basic health and human services and that the MOU would allow Aurora to share resources and referrals without adding city staffing or cost. "This system is gonna be third party but operates 24 hours a day, 7 days a week," Vergona said.

Ricky Benjamin, the citys customer relations manager, explained how 3-1-1 would work with 2-1-1 in practice: when 3-1-1 cannot provide a non-city service, staff will refer callers to 2-1-1 and provide relevant resources. Benjamin said DuPages 2-1-1 is operated through Fox Valley United Way and maintains separate call centers (one for DuPage County and another covering Kane, Will and Kendall counties); he listed examples of services 2-1-1 can assist with, such as emergency housing and utility assistance.

Committee members asked about technical routing and coverage near jurisdictional boundaries; Benjamin said call routing depends on cell-tower boundaries and phone type and that staff coordinate with carriers to troubleshoot coverage issues. Vergona and Benjamin emphasized the MOU creates a referral pathway rather than replacing city services and that both parties can terminate or renew the agreement annually.

A motion to approve the MOU was made and seconded; the committee voted 5-0 to approve the resolution.

Next steps: staff will finalize the MOU and coordinate the referral process between the citys 3-1-1 system and the DuPage County 2-1-1 call centers.