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Holiday Resource Information from King County 2-1-1 The holiday season is fast approaching, and King County 211 searched the county for holiday programs designed to provide gifts, parties and meal programs for local low-income residents. Utilize Crisis Clinic’s Community Resources Online to access regularly updated holiday resource information: · Go to www.211KingCounty.org · Click on “Community Resources Online” · Click “Start a Search” · Under “Keyword” use any of these terms, or just click on them: o Christmas Baskets o Christmas Meals o Christmas Parties o Hanukkah Programs o Holiday Adoption Programs o Holiday Gifts/Toys o Thanksgiving Baskets o Thanksgiving Meals · Use any King County ZIP code to narrow your search. · If you type these terms in exactly as they appear above, you should get all of our results. Most food basket and gift programs are very ZIP code specific. Be sure to open up the listings and check the eligibility field to make sure your client lives in one of the eligible zip codes. Check the application field as well, as some programs require that clients pre-register by a certain date to receive services. You can also call 2-1-1 for help accessing holiday resources. If you are an agency representative and something about your listing is incorrect, please to contact the Crisis Clinic Resource Center at (206) 461-3210 to update your information. If you don’t see your agency on our holiday listings and would like to be included, please to contact us with that information as well and we’d be happy to add you to our online database. As we hear about more programs we will add them to our online database, so feel free to check back for updates and additions every few days. Please DO NOT print multiple copies of these lists for distribution as the information changes very frequently! Return to the top Housing and Essential Needs Effective November 1^st The Disability Lifeline program, which provides cash assistance to about 34,000 adults who cannot work and do not have dependent children, will end Monday, Oct. 31. Three new assistance programs will go into effect Tuesday, Nov. 1. Medical assistance eligibility and coverage, including long-term care benefits, will not be affected by the termination of the Disability Lifeline program. Medical Care Services and Medicaid coverage, administered by the Health Care Authority, will continue unchanged. ESHB 2082 establishes three new assistance programs within the Department of Social and Health Services and the Department of Commerce: Aged, Blind, or Disabled program will provide cash assistance to persons who are age 65 or older, blind or likely to meet the disability standard for the federal Supplemental Security Income program. The maximum monthly grant is $197 for one person. Pregnant Women Assistance program will provide cash assistance to women who are pregnant and not eligible for Washington’s Temporary Assistance for Needy Families program. The maximum monthly grant is $197 for one person. Housing and Essential Needs program may provide non-cash housing and other assistance for recipients of Medical Care Services. Housing and Essential Needs services will be provided by the Department of Commerce through grants to homeless and housing providers in local communities. Assistance may include rent and utilities, personal health and hygiene items, cleaning supplies and transportation. Housing and Essential Needs does not provide a monthly cash grant. King County has more than 6,000 residents that could potential qualify for this program.  Statewide, it is nearly 20,000. In King County, Catholic Community Services was selected to administer the Housing and Essential Needs housing funds. Former Disability Lifeline clients must call CCS and make an appointment to receive housing financial assistance. Appointments willl be held at the following Community Service Offices: Belltown, White Center, Kent and King North. CCS cannot see walk-in clients. To make an appointment call (206) 328-5755.   For more details visit http://www.henkingcounty.org. Return to the top Health Care Authority Budget Cuts Legislative Review Washington Housing Authority has submitted a budget package to meet the Governor’s directive to draw up plans for possible 5 percent ($223 million) and 10 percent ($446 million) cuts in our operating budget. Unlike savings initiatives and purchasing strategies, these are cuts that clearly reduce services and eliminate access to care. They mark degradation in health care for some of the most vulnerable citizens of our state. They also are not good policy, since people who lose access to care often wind up with more serious and more expensive conditions. The list is expected to be reviewed by the Legislature in its special session beginning in late November. Any decision to cut programs or benefits on the list would be communicated at that time. On the list is the elimination of the Basic Health plan, which has protected thousands of working poor over more than the past three decades and is considered a national model for covering the working poor. Other budget options identified include suspending adult pharmacy services and ADATSA Medical Care Services coverage; the medical interpreter program; all non-emergency dental coverage for adults; funding cuts and payment methodology changes for hospitals; and ending all funding for Maternity Support Services, which offers special support for high-risk pregnant women. These cuts would begin on or around January 1, 2012. For more information, visit the Health Care Authority’s budget web page here: http://hrsa.dshs.wa.gov/News/Budget.htm Return to the top PSE HELP Assists With Heating Bills Electricity and natural gas customers of Puget Sound Energy (PSE) may be able to receive significant help paying their utility bills. Because of a PSE program called HELP, more than twice as much utility-bill assistance now is available to eligible working families, seniors, the disabled, single parents, and others with limited incomes. In addition, the new HELP program has higher income limits for eligibility than the long-standing federal energy-assistance program – LIHEAP. How much HELP can I receive? HELP offers eligible customers $50 up to $1,000 per year in utility-bill relief. The precise amount of aid depends on household income and the size of a customer’s electricity or natural gas bills. Because of the HELP fund, about 20,000 more households served by PSE now can get help paying their bills. Who is eligible for HELP PSE residential customers with household incomes below 150 percent of the federal poverty standard may be eligible for HELP assistance. How to apply In King County call (800) 348-7144 to make an appointment. If you live in Seattle, your appointment will be at Central Area Motivation Program. If you live in South King County, your appointment will be at one of the Multi-Service Center locations, and if you live in East or North King County your appointment will be at one of the Hopelink branches. Return to the top Critical Resource Updates Capitol Hill Alano Club has closed. Many of its groups are now meeting at Seattle Area Support Groups (SASG), formally the Dunshee House. Housing Resources Group has changed its name to Bellweather. Bellweather develops and manages low-cost apartment buildings throughout Seattle. Providence Hospitality House, an emergency shelter for women, officially closed in October due to financial difficulties. A second Providence ministry – Sojourner Place will remain open. Return to the top Upcoming Resources This column highlights timely resources in the community information database that might otherwise go unnoticed by our users. It is always recommended to check Community Resources Online for additional information and for the most current information concerning the following resources. November Resources Washington Utilities and Transportation Commission – Consumer Protection: This emergency option allows low-income individuals who have used up all other options to keep their heat on - from Nov. 15 through March 15 - making payments of seven percent of their household's monthly income. Before March 15, you must make arrangements on the winter bill, and pay the entire balance by Oct. 15. If the payment arrangements under this program are not kept, the company can disconnect your electricity and refuse to reconnect until the entire balance owed is paid. Read the Winter Low-Income Payment Program Law or call the commission for more information.	In this issue: · Housing & Essential Needs · Holiday Resources · Health Care Authority Budget · PSE HELP with Heating Bills · Critical Resource Updates · November Resources Salvation Army Planning Study WPO Development has been commissioned by The Salvation Army to conduct a Planning Study for its operations in King County. Once completed, the study will help the Army establish new goals and objectives for the next several years. Seeking people like you to take a couple of minutes to complete the online questionnaire. All responses will remain confidential. Catholic Community Services’ Reach Out Winter Shelter Opens November 1^st Federal Way churches host a winter shelter on a rotating basis for men. Apply at the South Sound Dream Center - 1336 S 336th St. Federal Way, WA 98003 – on Wednesdays, noon-2pm. Case managers connect clients to essential services. New HIV/AIDS Brochures Available Looking for a general audience brochure to answer clients’ questions about HIV and AIDS? Public Health’s HIV/STD program has revised and improved its brochure:  Frequently Asked Questions about HIV and AIDS, and in Spanish – Preguntas Frecuentes Sobre VIH y SIDA. These red and orange brochures replace the 2002 brochures with the same titles; the English was turquoise, the Spanish was pink. Please recycle those brochures as they are outdated. To request the new brochures,  contact Diane Ferrero at the HIV/STD Program at Public Health – Seattle & King County at (206) 296-4649. New Way to Sign Up for City if Seattle Benefits Those living in the greater Seattle area can now apply for City benefits on the state’s electronic benefit portal called Washington Connection. As of August 23rd, the Human Services Department’s PeoplePoint staff has been receiving electronic benefit applications via the state portal. People can now apply for nine City benefits, as well as state benefits, all in one place, entering their information once. In the first 30 days staff received applications from 719 households with most applying for two or more City benefits. In addition, with a federal ARRA grant, HSD has contracted with 39 community-based organizations to help their clients and community members apply for benefits via Washington Connection. PeoplePoint staff members are also training City staff in Libraries, Aging & Disability Services division, Parks community centers, and Neighborhood Service Centers. First National Emergency Alert Test Scheduled The U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) will conduct the first nationwide test of the Emergency Alert System (EAS) on November 9 at 11am and may last up to three and a half minutes. At that time, the public will hear a message indicating that “This is a test.” The audio message will be the same for both radio and television. A Nationwide EAS Test will help the federal agencies and EAS participants determine the reliability of the system. Ready for Winter Weather? Take Winter By Storm by getting ready before winter storms strike! Take these three steps to get ready: Create an emergency preparedness kit with at least a three-day supply of non-perishable food and water for your home and office. Kits prepared for vehicle road travel and winter weather evacuation go-kits are also advised. Make a plan and practice the plan with your family and those who depend on you. Stay informed and know the weather approaching so you are prepared for whatever Mother Nature throws our way. For more tips about emergency preparedness in Western Washington visit http://takewinterbystorm.org/ Business Office (206) 461-3210 Fax: (206) 461-8368 M-F, 8am-5pm Info@CrisisClinic.org 24-Hour Crisis Line (206) 461-3222 (866) 4CRISIS or (866) 427-4747 (206) 461-3219 TTY 24 hours, daily Volunteer Services (206) 461-3210 ext. 611 M-F, 8am-5pm King County 2-1-1 Dial 2-1-1 or (206) 461-3200 (800) 621-4636 M-F, 8am-6pm Teen Link (206) 461-4922 (866) TEENLINK or (866) 833-6546 (206) 461-3219 TTY 6-10pm, nightly TeenLink@CrisisClinic.org WA Recovery Help Line (866) 789-1511 (206) 461-3219 TTY 24 hours, daily Follow us on...
Resource Talk; Crisis Clinic's free monthly e-newsletter, provides critical resource changes, community events, feature articles on important health and human service topics and updates to the annual publication of the Where to Turn Plus directory. Click here to subscribe or unsubscribe to Resource Talk. You may view past issues of Resource Talk by clicking here. Crisis Clinic offers a variety of products to help connect people with critical resources. Information about purchasing Crisis Clinic's Where to Turn Directories, Where to Turn CD-ROMs, customized reports, customized mailing labels and holiday lists can be found online by clicking here. Crisis Clinic respects the privacy of our website users. For business purposes, please e-mail us at ResourceCenter@CrisisClinic.org or call us at (206) 461-3210. http://www.CrisisClinic.org Crisis Clinic | Community Resources Online | Housing and Emergency Services Brochures Where to Turn Products | Archive | Subscribe Last Updated - 11/09/2011 10:11 AM