Michael Swayze's Community Resources

Author: Michael Swayze

  • WorkPAYS – A Great Employment Program

    Several weeks ago the state rolled out a new employment program targeted at TANF (Temporary Assistance for Needy Families) households and New Jersey employers. It is the best program to come along in a long, long time. So if you are receiving cash assistance for yourself and your family please read on. If you work for a nonprofit read on and tell your clientele.

    The Department of Labor and Workforce Development has created a subsidized employment program for Work First New Jersey TANF clients. The goal of the program is to create jobs for TANF clients that may become permanent or provide work experience that will lead to an unsubsidized job with a different employer. Under the state guidelines WorkPAYS will reimburse employers 100% of the hourly wages for a period of six months. The program is time-limited. It begins March 1 and ends September 30, 2010.

    TANF clients should contact their Work First New Jersey Case Manager for more details and to receive a “Dear Employer” letter which they can present to prospective employers. Interested employers would be contacted by Department of Labor and Workforce Development (LWD) personnel.

    Additional information to job seekers is available online on the LWD website.

    Work pays.

  • Energy Assistance Tips

    The application period to apply for home heating assistance is now half over as the application period is November 1 through April 30, 2010. There have been a few things that should have been presented earlier but better late than never. Let me try to keep this short and to the point. Here are a few things you probably didn’t know.

    1. Instead of calling the local application agency to inquire about a LIHEAP application (for example in Union County the local agency is PROCEED) there is a statewide LIHEAP hotline number that applicants and food stamp clients can call instead of calling the local agency which just makes them take time out from processing hundreds of applications. The hotline number – which by the way is open on SATURDAY’s – is 800-510-3102.
    2. USF portability is probably a term you never heard about. Portable can be defined as carried or moved with ease. In energy assistance terms, when a utility customer who is receiving USF benefits moves to a new address, their USF eligibility can be re-evaluated by a phone call to the utility. The customer tells the customer service rep they are receiving USF benefits but they are moving to a new address. The company will evaluate the energy usage at the new address and then the state of New Jersey will determine eligibility for USF at their new location. A simple phone call. Portability.
    3. Every year the staff at NJ211 compile an energy guide. The 36 page 2009-2010 publication titled New Jersey Guide to Meeting Basic Utility Needs gives useful information on programs and agencies.

    You can also access the New Jersey Community Resources energy assistance programs webpage which contains an eligibility chart of various programs and links to forms. If you have other useful energy assistance tips or information let me know.

  • Backseat Smart Driver

    This morning while eating breakfast I was reading through a newsletter and came across an article titled, “Beverly Hills Man Wins Drive Smarter Challenge Video Contest”. Obviously I was interested. The next thing I did, after finishing my cereal and coffee, was to go visit the
    Drive the Smarter Challenge website and watch the winning video submitted by David Markus of Beverly Hills. Check it out. The video is both educational and entertaining.

    The video contest was sponsored by the Alliance to Save Energy along with a number of other partners. There are some other interesting things on the Drive the Smarter Challenge site too.