Michael Swayze's Community Resources

Category: Nonprofit

  • Online Safety Net Tools and Applications, Part II

    The purpose of this article is to alert you to a number of safety net applications that can be downloaded or completed directly online. They cover a variety of topics, including programs for seniors, financial assistance, child care, energy, utilities and welfare.

    There is a section of this site’s community resource page known as the ‘Public Benefits Corner’ that provides links to a number of these online or downloadable applications. There are links for the following:

    • NJ FamilyCare application
    • Pharmaceutical Assistance to the Aged and Disabled (PAAD), Senior Gold, and Medicare Savings Programs – programs for seniors
    • Child Support Services
    • Subsidized Child Care
    • LIHEAP/USF/Weatherization – one application to apply for the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP), Universal Service
      Fund (USF) and the Weatherization Assistance Program
    • Communications Lifeline program for Verizon landline customers
    • Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants and Children (WIC) – how to find your local WIC agency
    • State Unemployment Insurance
    • State Temporary Disability Insurance
    • Transportation Programs for former TANF clients

    Links to these safety net programs and applications are available in the
    Public Benefits Corner of this website. Knowing where to go online is the first step.

  • Online Safety Net Tools And Applications

    Technology and the widespread use of the Internet have led to more and more safety net programs being placed online. This website has made a concerted effort over the years to make those applications easier to find. However, knowing where to go for government benefits or to a nonprofit’s office can be a hit or miss operation. This article hopes to highlight a number of public benefit websites, online applications and a few software programs known as pre-screening tools. Links to them can be found on this site’s community resource page or site map under the title of Public Benefits Corner.

    Benefits.gov is the official benefits website of the U.S. government. Introduced in 2002, it offers online access to information provided by seventeen federal agencies. Users can browse information by category, state or federal agency. New Jersey residents can discover information on the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) (formerly known as food stamps), medicaid program, unemployment insurance, Head Start, Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP), WIC, Weatherization Assistance Program and more.

    Social Security’s Benefit Eligibility Screening Tool, according to their site, “helps you find out if you could get benefits that Social Security administers. Based on your answers to questions, this tool will list benefits for which you might be eligible and tell you more information about how to qualify and apply.” BEST is not an application for benefits. It will screen for the following benefits: Medicare, Social Security Disability, Social Security Retirement, Social Security Survivors, Special Veterans and Supplemental Security Income (SSI).

    The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) Pre-Screening Eligibility Tool can be used to determine if you may be eligible to receive SNAP benefits. Buttons on the site explain how to use the tool as well as a basic Internet tutorial. The site is maintained by the USDA Food and Nutrition Service.

    This is the first in a series of articles on New Jersey websites with safety net applications and pre-screening tools. The Public Benefits Corner here has links to eighteen such sites.

  • State Rental Assistance Enrollment Begins March 6

    Pre-applications for low income elderly, disabled and families will be available online starting Monday, March 6 under the State Rental Assistance Program (SRAP), according to a press release and public notice issued by the New Jersey Department of Community Affairs (DCA).

    The application process will be conducted online only beginning Monday, March 6, 2017 at 10am and continuing to Friday, March 10 at 5pm.

    If selected, applicants must meet the income limits of the county where they are being subsidized and provide proof of residency. Income limits are county-specific, based on U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) guidelines of 30% – 40% area median income.

    Applications will be open in three categories:

    • Elderly – the head of household must be 62 years of age or over
    • Family – the head of household is at least 18 years of age or an emancipated minor; with or without children
    • Disabled – the head of household or spouse is permanently disabled

    The online pre-applications will be entered into a database and applicants will be selected through a lottery process, all to be placed on a waiting list. Submission does not guarantee placement on a SRAP waiting list. No paper applications are available. Applicants are required to furnish an email address. Individuals selected by the lottery will be notified via email which may take several weeks.

    The online application process begins Monday, March 6. Visit
    https://www.waitlistcheck.com/NJ559.

    More information is available from the Department of Community Affairs on the following web pages:
    Public Notice (English)
    Public Notice (Spanish)
    Application FAQ (English)
    Application FAQ (Spanish)
    SRAP Statewide Waiting List Open Enrollment Website