Heating Assistance Available

We are partnering with the Cincinnati-Hamilton County Community Action Agency to make emergency heating assistance available to those in need.

Starting Nov. 8, low-income families with incomes at or below 200 percent of the Federal Poverty Guidelines can apply for emergency help from the Home Energy Assistance Program (HEAP). For example, a family of three with annual income of $36,620 or less meets the poverty standard.

Representatives from the Community Action Agency will be at our building from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. every Monday through March 31 (except holidays) to assist those in need. Our office is located at 222 E. Central Parkway.

Please help spread the word.

Advertisement

Hamilton County One of Nation’s Best in Food Assistance Education, Outreach and Service

Our department was recently recognized as one of the top 30 agencies in the country — and the only one in Ohio — for providing its community with outstanding service in its food assistance program.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture named Hamilton County a Bronze Hunger Champion in the 2010 Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) Hunger Champion Awards. The awardees demonstrate exemplary service conducting outreach activities and assisting eligible clients to obtain nutrition benefits.

There were two Gold Hunger Champions and five Silver Hunger Champions. Hamilton County was one of 23 Bronze Hunger Champions. There were only two others in the entire Midwest.

I am extremely proud that our employees have worked hard and found new ways of conducting business in the face of tough times. Our food assistance recipients have jumped from 113,000 to 134,000 over the past year. Five years ago, there were only 76,000 recipients.

Our top priority is ensuring the citizens of Hamilton County receive the assistance they need and we won’t compromise on that. This award is a nice recognition of our efforts and commitment to this community.

Five Online Resources for the Unemployed

I know sometimes people who are out of work because of the economy struggle with where to turn to for help. The Hamilton County Department of Job and Family Services plays an important part in the social service safety net, serving thousands of people each day. We are also connected to other organizations that help. We put together a simple e-book listing some of the resources and how to access them. Check it out.

http://www.hcjfs.hamilton-co.org/TodayatHCJFS/2010/10/5OnlineResourcesForLongTermUnemployed10.pdf

This Week at JFS: One in Six Hamilton County Residents Receiving Public Assistance

Hamilton County JFS serves 150,000 residents with Medicaid assistance and 133,000 residents receive food assistance. Many of those are people who were employed but lost their jobs. Hamilton County JFS is the largest provider of food assistance in Southwest Ohio.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZoUxiwmCF3I

Children Do as You Do!

This video was brought to my attention this week. This is pretty powerful, and it really brings home a point we make to all of the parents involved with our agency.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7d4gmdl3zNQ

Need a Speaker? We Have Experts

Is your organization looking for someone to speak about child abuse? Elder abuse? Medicaid?

Our agency has an active Speaker’s Bureau and we will try to align someone with your needs. These short presentations are informational and help your organization understand what our agency does and the help that is available to Hamilton County residents. Topics include child abuse, elder abuse, child support, Medicaid, workforce development and more.

If you are interested, please visit our website, www.hcjfs.org, and fill out a Speaker Request form under the Contact Us section. The below link will take your there.

https://www.hcjfs.hamilton-co.org/SpeakingEngagementForm.htm