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More Resources for our Conferences and Neighbors
Conference Assistance Fund (CAF)
Our November activity:
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You submitted 170 fresh applications
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We approved 190 applications and declined 0; 4 were withdrawn
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This translates to 190 neighbor families/households assisted with approx $84,000 in complement to your Conference's organic resources
Our December activity to-date:
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You've submitted 81 fresh applications
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We've approved 64 applications; 0 have been declined and 1 withdrawn
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We have 34 applications currently in process
You can check on the status of CAF applications you have submitted by going to the Member Support and Forms page of our SVDP-Cincinnati website and clicking on CAF Application Status, or use this link:
https://app.powerbi.com/view?r=eyJrIjoiNjQyZDg5NmMtNWQ1ZC00OTAyLWIwYmUtZTA2NGMwZmZmNmZiIiwidCI6ImY2NWUwODUxLTYxM2QtNDEzNS05ZTE2LTUwOWFkYThjMDY2YiJ9 .
This resource is reserved for Vincentian members only; access to this resource can not be shared with neighbors, landlords, etc, under any circumstances.
In mid-October, our Council temporarily augmented our original FY2023 CAF budget provision of $60,000 per month. Our Council is subsidizing $80,000 per month for October, November, & December, 2022. We are carrying over $11,000 from Oct/Nov, so we have $91,000 available to extend this month. Please note:
We can extend this Council subsidy plus any twinning to CAF from fellow Conferences. If your Conference is currently blessed with funds exceeding 2-3 months of your normal operating outflow, please know that we have fellow Conferences in search of funds to invest in lifting neighbors right now. Please contact Tom Roberts, 513.345.4910 or [email protected] , for more info or to twin.
We continue to encourage you to guide our neighbors to other publicly- & privately-funded resources available within our community...and to nurture relationships that extend well beyond immediate basic needs (material) assistance to provide lasting impact.
Publicly-Funded Emergency Rental Assistance Program (ERA 2)
ERA 2, funded through the City of Cincinnati, is available for qualified/eligible tenant neighbors who reside within the City of Cincinnati. The City's funding is committed to us only for the remainder of this month (December, 2022). As of today, we (Conferences) have approved 116 ERA 2 applications and have 17 more in progress.
As we are committed to managing expectations of our neighbors and Vincentians…while providing an acceptably responsive turnaround time for all stakeholders, including landlords and utility providers…please understand the following:
- We cannot accept any more ERA 2 applications at this time. Our full focus is on processing and hopefully approving the ERA 2 applications currently in our possession. In order to extend ERA 2 assistance, we must approve an application by this Monday, 12/19.
- Our acceptance of an ERA 2 application does not guaranty assistance will be extended: we must determine that the neighbor is eligible; we must have all the info and documentation requested, including from the landlord or utility; and we must be able to accomplish this while there are still City of Cincinnati funds available to us.
We will continue to share weekly progress here. Thanks for your understanding and collaboration.
Rahe Beds Fund & Program
We are currently working on processing our December bed requests. Due to your volume of initial requests, we will be unable to issue any additional vouchers in December.
If your Conference is considering purchasing beds to extend as assistance, you can get info, including current pricing, or purchase by contacting Dave Chidlow, Stores Retail Resource Manager, at [email protected] or 513.853.1002. Your purchased beds will be picked up at our CHRC within our Liz Carter Center. Please be aware that our beds cost and resale pricing have risen significantly.
We are now out of pack n’ plays. We will let you know if/when we have availability.
Do you have questions about our Rahe Beds Fund & Program?
You can find the most updated Bed Fund Conference Guide in the Members section of the SVDP website. A recording of our recent Resource Spotlight featuring beds assistance will also soon be available. Our online request form can be found here .
Metro Bus Passes (Everybody Rides Metro)
Your Conference has access to Metro single-day bus passes to be extended to neighbors for use for any of 3 defined purposes:
1. Commute to/from new employment
2. Commute to/from our Bank St services hub or other community social services
3. Commute to/from medical appointments
Please understand that these passes are sourced through the Everybody Rides Metro program and our Council is required to comply with the above-referenced usages and submit reports of passes distributed. Please also understand that your Conference will need to record bus passes extended in CMS for the neighbors receiving this assistance. Our Bus Pass Guidelines sheet for Conferences is available to you on the Members Support page of our website https://www.svdpcincinnati.org/conferences-members/member-support/
or use this link to go directly to this document:
https://www.svdpcincinnati.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/06/Bus-Tickets-Policy.pdf
If your Conference wants to learn more about this program or request passes, please contact Alec Jewell, Conferences Manager, at [email protected] or 513.345.4983.
Our Re-Entry Program
Our Re-Entry Program Manager, Dion Crockett, is eager to work with you to assist neighbors you are serving who have been affected by the criminal justice system. If you would like to host Dion at a Conference meeting, get together with him in another way, or discuss a particular situation, Dion can be reached at 513.562.8851 or [email protected] .
Cooking Improv with La Soupe
Our partner La Soupe teams with our Catino Choice Pantry to present monthly Cooking Improv demonstrations in the Teaching Kitchen at our NOC. Instructors from La Soupe and volunteers engage participants on basic cooking principles and how to use what you have to create delicious, nutritious meals. All recipes are based off ingredients found daily in our Catino Choice Pantry. Neighbors are encouraged to sample the delicious dishes and discuss preparation and ingredients with our staff, volunteers, and resident La Soupe instructor, Chef Mona!
These sessions are held on the first Wednesday of each month - which means our next event is Wednesday, 1/4/2023, 11am-1pm. No pre-registration is required.
Feel free to share this information with your neighbors, or if you’re interested in getting involved in our Teaching Kitchen programming, please reach out to Demi Schoenherr at [email protected] for more information.
Haircuts from the Heart in our NOC
This is a free haircut program, courtesy of our partner Franciscan Ministries. Stylist Margarita will be in our NOC on the first and second Monday of each month, 9am-noon, cutting hair in a room on the 2nd floor. Our next haircut date is Mon, 1/9/2023, as our NOC is closed on 1/2 for the New Year's holiday. Neighbors are accepted on a walk-in basis, and should sign in at our NOC reception desk upon arrival.
Education Center Within Our Neyer Outreach Center
Our NOC Education Center is available for our neighbors and Vincentians to use during our operating hours: Monday - Friday, 8am - 4pm, and Saturday, 8am - noon.
Language Service Available to our Conferences
A growing number of our Conferences are experiencing increased interactions with Latino members of our community…and are struggling to effectively communicate with neighbors who are most fluent or exclusively fluent in Spanish. We have contracted a dedicated language service to help you engage these neighbors in a welcoming, affirming manner. Any Conference member can download the “LanguageLine InSight” app on your smartphone, tablet, or computer at https://insight.languageline.com/ . You simply need to use the Authentication Code 6NN692GLS2 the first time you login. Through this app you will have access to over 40 different languages, including Spanish, via an interpreter. You will have the option of either audio or visual (for those needing sign language); we strongly encourage using visual only when you must. Please be efficient in your utilization as our Council pays by the minute for this service; visual is nearly twice as expensive as audio. When you access the service, you will be asked for your name and department, you simply need to state your name, then “St Vincent de Paul Cincinnati Conferences”, then your Conference name. Be sure to only call through the app; you cannot use this service through a regular phone call.
A testimonial from within our Council, "We actually just gave the line a call, figured trying it out would be the best way to know. It was very easy. You login and just select the language, then immediately it connects you with an interpreter who can add the other person to the call. It’s all through the app, very quick, very easy."
Our Charitable Pharmacy and Social Services are already using this tool to engage our Latino neighbors.
If you have any questions or are having trouble accessing the service, please reach out to Alec or Olivia of your Conferences Support Team.
A final seed to plant: If your Conference is among those engaging more neighbors preferring or needing to communicate in Spanish, please consider this an opportunity to seek the addition of Spanish-speaking members. This could enhance your responsive communication and expand your Conference’s perspective.
Christ Church Plumb Line
New development: Christ Church Cathedral is halting activity on their Plumb Line assistance outreach for the holidays. Starting EOD this Friday, 12/16, we will be holding off on submitting referrals to them until the New Year. Thanks for your patience and understanding.
Olivia Scheper, Conferences Support Coordinator, is our central contact point-person. Plumb Line only accepts assistance referrals from this single SVDP point-person.
As a reminder, Plumb Line can assist with $400 of past due rent for neighbors who are currently working.
Please note: Your Conference does not need to enter your request for Plumb Line assistance into CMS when you submit it to Olivia. Olivia will add the referral into CMS once she submits it to Christ Church.
All referrals to Plumb Line should be sent to:
Olivia Scheper
[email protected]
Phone: 513.345.4986, ext 239
Please understand and have faith: Plumb Line only communicates with the landlord and the neighbor after our referral is made. Therefore, once we have submitted your neighbor referral to Plumb Line, no news is good news. Christ Church will only communicate with us when they are unable to assist a neighbor or there are difficulties with a case. We should not contact Christ Church for status reports on a referral.
Greater Cincinnati Water Works (GCWW)
GCWW's Emergency Rental Assistance (ERA) Program provides funds for assistance for eligible tenants residing in the City of Cincinnati. There are eligibility stipulations. Tenants must qualify by completing an online application at assistance.mygcww.org .
Renters can also call 513.591.7700 to receive assistance from the call center to complete an application. There is also a flexible payment plan through the PromisePay Portal. GCWW customers can visit GCWW.promise-pay.com for details about the program and how to enroll. Renters not residing in Cincinnati city limits but living in Hamilton County can visit https://erap.hcjfs.org/ for utility assistance. If you need additional materials or information, please contact GCWW at [email protected] .
Duke Energy
Duke Energy has released an updated summary of Financial Assistance Available for Ohio & Kentucky Natural Gas and Electric Customers. To learn more, go to the Duke Energy website, click on the Financial Help tab, and then click on Ohio.
Duke encourages us to follow our standard steps for processing pledges on customer accounts. For questions on accounts or pledges for neighbors requesting utility assistance, please contact Duke Energy's Centralized Agency Team at 800.241.3194. Advocates are available Monday through Friday, 7:30am - 5:30pm.
Should our neighbor / their customer not meet Duke's qualifications for assistance, please refer them to Duke's customer care organization at 800.544.6900 where they may find assistance through a flexible installment plan.
State of Ohio Program for Struggling Homeowners
Save the Dream Ohio helps eligible Ohio homeowners facing foreclosure and/or who cannot afford to pay their mortgage payments, utility payments or other related housing costs as a result of economic hardship caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. The state of Ohio was awarded $280 million from the U.S. Department of Treasury through the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 for the program. Click here for more information:
Save the Dream Ohio - Managed by the Ohio Housing Finance Agency (ohiohome.org)
Hamilton County COVID Assistance
Our neighbors & you can still find info and resources at https://513relief.org . Hamilton County has recently refreshed funding at Hamilton County Job & Family Services (JFS). Neighbors can apply at 513Relief.org on their mobile device or desktop. The Hamilton County Rent and Utility Program’s application can be submitted on a smart phone. Please note: this funding comes from the same federal pool as ERA and other COVID relief programs, so a neighbor who has previously exhausted their access to this pool will be ineligible. Community Action Agency (CAA) also has COVID relief funding through the City of Cincinnati. Please refer eligible neighbors to either or both of these service organizations.
Cincinnati Eye Institute Foundation (CEIF) Vision Clinic in our Neyer Outreach Center
The Vision Clinic operates by appointment on certain Monday mornings & Thursdays as designated by CEIF. Please note this schedule for the remainder of December: open for the morning, 8:30am - noon, tomorrow (12/15) & 12/29. A limited number of walk-in exams can also be accommodated. To schedule an appointment, or to inquire for additional info, please call 513.207.6140.
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