Posts tagged Food Assistance
Boulder County reintegrating administration of CCAP
Aug 9th
Co-locating Child Care Assistance Program with county’s other human services will boost efficiency, access
Boulder County, Colo. – As need continues to increase in the community for help with child care costs, Boulder County is moving to reintegrate administration of a key program that provides that assistance.
The Child Care Assistance Program (CCAP) is a statewide resource for families who need help covering the costs of child care as they’re working, seeking a job, or pursuing an education.
In Boulder County, CCAP has been administered by a third-party private vendor, Aspen Family Services. County leaders recognized an opportunity for streamlining the CCAP enrollment process by integrating it with other self-sufficiency-supporting services that the county oversees.
“Child care assistance is an extremely important support for parents who are struggling to find and keep jobs,” said Christina Ostrom, Family and Resident Support Services Division Manager for the Boulder County Department of Housing and Human Services (BCDHHS). “We know that quality child care along with strong work supports, access to healthcare and food assistance, and stabilizing financial benefits is a combination that leads to self-sufficiency.”
Since 2008, BCDHHS has seen a 150 percent increase in need for Food Assistance (formerly known as “food stamps”), and a 63 percent increase in need for Medicaid services. During this time, the county has continued to work to more efficiently meet this increase in need and to ensure clients understand the full range of services available to them.
BCDHHS staff have access to state and county eligibility systems and databases, which means the transition of CCAP into the department will reduce wait times for clients after they submit applications for the program. County staff will also be able to quickly connect clients with other services they may need in addition to child care assistance.
“This is an exciting time for the county,” said Boulder County Commissioner Cindy Domenico. “We have an opportunity to bring vital services together to strengthen and widen our safety net, and this will help countless families get the comprehensive help they need now.”
CCAP covers much of the cost of child care for qualifying families through a network of providers across the county. In order to reach more families with this assistance, Boulder County recently returned eligibility guidelines for the program to 2009 levels to include families with incomes up to 225 percent of the Federal Poverty Level (for example, $3,474 gross monthly income for a family of three). A portion of the CCAP program in Boulder County, including this expansion, is funded by Ballot Initiative 1A, a temporary property tax increase passed by voters in 2010 to backfill human services budget cuts. In addition to expanding eligibility, this funding has allowed the county to further support quality child care options in the community.
Ongoing operating expenses for in-house CCAP administration will be cost neutral for the county. BCDHHS will reintegrate administration of CCAP in Boulder County during the first quarter of 2013. A series of meetings will be held in August to share information with county partners on the transition.
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Boulder County assistance program featured on Dateline NBC
Jun 21st
Boulder County’s human services programs highlighted nationally
County’s focus on early intervention and prevention helping increasing numbers of people
Boulder County, Colo. – Boulder County’s front-end approach to providing human services will be in the national spotlight this weekend. On Sunday, June 24, Dateline NBC will feature a documentary on three families who have received services through the county and its collaboration with community providers.
According to the network’s description, the one-hour special, “America Now: Lost in Suburbia,” focuses on formerly middle class families confronting poverty for the first time. Dateline producers and camera crews have been in Boulder County since late 2011 conducting interviews and gathering footage for the documentary. Boulder County Department of Housing and Human Services (DHHS) Director Frank Alexander spoke with Dateline NBC anchor Lester Holt for the program, and numerous interviews were also conducted with DHHS staff and representatives from community non-profit partner organizations.
The program will air this Sunday at 7 p.m. Mountain time on NBC.
Since 2008, Boulder County has seen a 150 percent increase in need for Food Assistance and a 63 percent increase in need for Medicaid services. Some of this increase is a result of people applying for human services assistance for the first time in their lives. Alexander notes that in recent years, in part to address this rising need, Boulder County has shifted to a front-end, early intervention and prevention approach to providing human services. “This involves helping clients identify their full range of needs as soon as they come to us,” he said. “For example, if we can help someone avoid foreclosure by getting him into housing counseling, we save him and the community nearly $75,000.”
Boulder County’s foreclosure rate has fallen 58 percent since it peaked in 2009, the same year the number of clients in DHHS’ foreclosure counseling program hit its high point. “Many clients who come to us for Food Assistance quickly find out that they also need housing counseling and are eligible for financial assistance with childcare,” Alexander said. “By investing more in this early identification of needs, we are saving money and helping people avoid deeper crisis.”
Ballot Initiative 1A, also known as the Temporary Human Services Safety Net (TSN), is helping generate funding for these crucial services. The TSN, passed by voters in November 2010, was designed to back-fill budget cuts to Boulder County’s human services programs. The county has seen a 20 percent cut to its human services funding at the state and federal level during a time when need has risen dramatically.
“Our front-end approach to human services is strengthening our safety net,” said Boulder County Commissioner Cindy Domenico. “Thanks in big part to the taxpayers and our community partners, as more of our neighbors find themselves needing help we’re building a system that is there to meet them earlier and more efficiently.”
More Boulder County seniors may be eligible for food, heating cost assistance
Apr 12th
Eligibility expansions now in effect
Boulder County, Colo. – Boulder County seniors age 60 and older who may not have previously qualified for help with food and heating costs may now be eligible for assistance. Boulder County’s Department of Housing and Human Services is overseeing local expansions of both the Food Assistance and Low-income Energy Assistance Programs.
Theresa Kullen, eligibility program manager with the Community Assistance and Resource Services program at Boulder County Housing and Human Services, says the changes are welcome. “These expansions will help more low-income Boulder County seniors meet the rising costs of heating their homes and buying groceries,” she said. “We know the need is there, so our hope is to spread the word about these new opportunities.”
Food assistance is now available to seniors whose gross monthly income is less than $1,816 for an individual or $2,452 for a couple. Deductions from income can be made for mortgage, rent, and utility and medical expenses. The “asset test” is no longer used to determine eligibility for food assistance. This test previously made seniors ineligible for food assistance if the value of bank accounts, life insurance policies, or IRAs exceeded a certain amount. Qualification is now based only on income.
Approved applicants receive a debit card that can be used to buy produce, meat, dairy items, and boxed, frozen, and canned goods. The Food Assistance application is simple and short, and processing takes just two to three days. Seniors are encouraged to apply for this expansion now or find out more by contacting Shaula Lee at Boulder County Housing and Human Services at 303-678-6336 orslee@bouldercounty.org.
In addition, Boulder County residents age 60 and older who were previously ineligible for LEAP (the Low-income Energy Assistance Program) due to income limit reductions may now be able to get help with winter heating bills through the Senior Heat + program. This new program has gross monthly income limits of $1,670 for an individual or $2,246 for a couple.
The application deadline for Senior Heat + is April 30. Seniors who may be eligible should apply immediately or find out more by contacting Amy Armstrong at Boulder County Housing and Human Services at 303-678-6007 or aarmstrong@bouldercounty.org.
