Pinellas Opportunity Council assistance programs.
The main programs from the Pinellas Opportunity Council focus on family development and self-sufficiency. However the non-profit community action agency may from time to time be able to help with financial needs. The priority for POC is on income qualified families with children, residents with a disability or the elderly. Clients need to be willing to work towards self-sufficiency.
Emergency assistance programs from community action in Pinellas County
They do have limited emergency assistance for electric bills, food, clothing, or rent/housing. This is very limited and will usually be combined with services focused on addressing the root cause of the hardship. The main offices for the non-profit are as follows.
- 501 1st Avenue N, Ste 517, St. Petersburg, FL 33701
- 1035 Burlington Av. N. St. Petersburg 33701 (727) 894-5176
- 5812 150th Avenue N., Clearwater, FL 33760. Main Phone: (727) 823-4101
- 8384 Bayou Boardwalk Largo 33777, (727) 202-6803
- 301 South Disston Avenue, Tarpon Springs, FL 34689. For information, call (727) 937-9393
To expand on above, the Emergency Services Program may have one-time cash grants or financial aid. It can help clients address fuel oil, utility bills, rent/mortgage, clothing, groceries and other crisis situations. At times these services from Pinellas Opportunity Council may not be available due to funding reasons or cutbacks.
The federal government Emergency Home Energy Assistance Program can be applied to at Pinellas Opportunity Council (POC). The government and this organization work to provide financial assistance or cash grants to low-income households. The aid is targeted at those with at least one member 60 years of age or older. The applicant also needs to be facing some form of cooling or heating crisis.
The above mentioned Home Energy Bill Program allows for the payment to go directly to utility and electric companies. Other assistance may be for the purchase of portable heaters, blankets and fans, the payment of electric reconnection fees, and also the repairs of existing heating or cooling equipment.
The Pinellas Opportunity Council assistance programs also focus on housing. The goal is to ensure that families (as well as individuals) have a safe and affordable place to live. There is mortgage help, storage or rent assistance, and other support. Some is emergency, some of the housing resources from community action are long term. Read more on how to get emergency housing assistance.
Resources for youth, adults and elderly from POC
FDP, or the Family Development Program, is when case managers work with individuals to help them move towards self-sufficiency. This is done by coordinating life skills training, case management, offering, financial literacy classes, job search, individual development accounts and self-employment.
Teenagers and younger residents can benefit from the Pinellas Opportunity Council Youth Development Program. They can receive leadership, workforce readiness, entrepreneurship classes and information to financial literacy skills.
The program from POC operates during the summer months in Florida. As resources become available, it provides a stipend to the youth for training expenses and employment needs. Some of the training topics include problem solving, interviewing, decision making/goal setting, budgeting/financial management, health issues, community involvement, and employability skills. Students are assigned to many different employers in the county in order to gain hands-on work experience.
Chore Services are for the seniors. The agency provides yard work and heavy household cleaning to help the elderly and senior citizens maintain suitable home environments and delay or avoid institutionalization. there are also volunteers that do home repairs for free.
The program was mainly designed to help frail elderly or disabled persons maintain a decent, independent living environment. Many elderly and senior citizens in Florida lack the physical stamina which some jobs require. Others from Pinellas County Florida may lack the financial capability to purchase household. Chore Services and the volunteers from the POC organization stands ready to help the poor and less fortunate.
The program is for frail residents of the county who are sixty years of age. Priority from the community action agency is given to emergency situations and also those with the greatest social or economic need. In most cases, hundreds of needy elderly people throughout Pinellas County Florida are served every year.
Applying for Pinellas Opportunity Council community action programs
The community action agency has multiple locations across the county, as noted at the top of the page. For a main intake number though, dial (727) 823-4101 or (727) 821-0584.
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