The Caring Place church based assistance programs
Clients of The Caring Place include low income families or people facing a one-time crisis, such as a medical emergency. The church provides coverage in Kennedy Heights, Golf Manor, Pleasant Ridge, and Silverton parts of Hamilton County. When possible, volunteers and staff will refer qualified applicants to programs throughout Cincinnati, or in some cases direct financial aid may be issued for paying certain household living expenses.
Assistance available to qualified families may be food or basic needs such as clothing or personal hygiene items. Many residents request funds for their rent so they are not evicted or maybe need money for utility bills. While The Caring Place will try to help with those costs, it tends to be difficult due to limited resources.
There are several churches that make up the organization. They include First Baptist, All Saints Episcopal, Cornerstone Missionalry Baptist, the Fellowsihp of Jesus Christ, St. Peter’s UCC, and a few others. They all rely heavily on donations as well.
Funds for paying utility bills, such as heating or electric, will be available. In some cases, the church that is part of the Caring Place will pay a small portion of an expense, or in other cases clients can get applications to LIHEAP or other programs.
When applying for energy bill help, the applicants income needs to be below a certain threshold. There will be a priority assisting senior citizens in the region, or households with young children or even infants. Proof of income, copy of photo Ids, expenses, and copies of bills must be issued as well. In addition, the customer will also need to pay some of the bill that is due as well, so they need to take responsibility for it.
Some of the main government resources that residents can get referrals too include LIHEAP - Low Income Home Energy Assistance, Emergency Food & Shelter (EFSP), and then non-profits that assist specifically with utility bill payments. Staff may even have suggestions on entering into payment plans too.
Emergency assistance provides other basic resources. These tend to be for employment, medical, and areas that lead to self-sufficiency, and may include the following.
- Information on lifeline telephone assistance programs.
- Free bus tokens for individuals for a job interview.
- Food from pantries.
- Vouchers for prescription medications and discounts.
- Help with obtaining documentation for employment reasons, such as birth certificates, license, and similar.
- The Caring Place has referrals for other social services and even medical care, such as assistance with prescription eye glasses.
Homeless Prevention assists households, whether tenants or homeowners in the service area of Hamilton County, who have faced a crisis situation. The Caring Place will first try to provide advice, such as advice on mediation. If there is funding, and the resident is otherwise self-sufficient, then there may be money for certain costs such as rent.
Food banks have items donated from a variety of sources within the community, while thrift stores will offer clothing. Teams from The Caring Place collect surplus food from grocery stores, local markets, restaurants, and even farms. Charities and local churches also hold food drives and fund raisers for commodities that will help supply the increasing demand. On the other hand, the items sold at the thrift stores are donated by people across the region.
The Caring Place Family Self-Sufficiency will involve the client working with a staff member to explore their needs. They will be able to learn new ways to move toward their goals and gain stability. As part of this process, participating families will identify resources and services that are relevant, and people can get advice on applying to them.
Staff from the Caring Place, including churches such as Kennedy Heights Presbyterian, will assist with employment matters, including holding mock employment interviews, creating resumes, as well as offering tips on internet researching for employment. The agency will perform assessments to help the client discover their true talents. All of this will hopefully lead to long term stability.
Advice, and maybe help in completing applications, for government benefits are available. Counselors from Cincinnati churches such as Pleasant Ridge Presbyterian assist and connect low- and moderate-income families to support systems. Some examples may be as follows. Learn about Women Infants and Children (WIC), Medicaid for the Aged, Blind and Disabled, Extra Help for Medicare Part D, and Section 8 Housing. There are many other entitlements available in the state of Ohio as well.
Much of what the Caring Place does is provide people tips and information. Among other things, it will free up a family's income for their other bills and living expenses, and an example of that is when people use the food pantry. So various forms of assistance are offered, and for more information, call 513-841-1499, or stop by 6312 Kennedy Avenue, Cincinnati, Ohio 45213.
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