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More Resources for our Conferences and Neighbors
Conference Assistance Fund (CAF)
Our December activity:
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You submitted 176 fresh applications
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We approved 165 applications; 3 were declined and 2 withdrawn
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These approvals represent approx $73,000 in assistance extended to these 165 neighbor families/households
Our start to January activity:
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You've submitted 55 fresh applications
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We've approved 46 applications; 3 have been declined and 0 withdrawn
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We have 19 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 subsidized $80,000 per month for October, November, & December, 2022. Our Council has also augmented our January budget provision to $80,000. And we carried over under-extended December provisions as the holidays slowed our applications flow. All this should prove handy as we anticipate a surge in requests this month as the winter reality takes hold. Please note:
We can extend this Council subsidy plus any (welcomed and encouraged) 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, was available for qualified/eligible tenant neighbors who reside within the City of Cincinnati. The City's funding was committed to us only through December, 2022. We (Conferences) processed and approved 132 ERA 2 applications (of 139 submitted) which resulted in $398,488 in assistance to our neighbors. (These totals have been revised since last week as we successfully got a last one in "at the buzzer".) Huge thanks to those Conferences and Vincentians who submitted ERA 2 applications...and to Olivia, Alec, Mary Reid, and our Finance team for turning these applications into assistance extended to our neighbors.
We will share any new developments as they present themselves.
Rahe Beds Fund & Program
As we reported via email to Conference Presidents and bed coordinators, we are currently unable to redeem bed vouchers, due to supply chain issues with our new beds vendor. We have received the mattresses, but are still awaiting the delivery of the frames. Our hope is that they will arrive by the end of this week. We will send another email as soon as we’re able to start redeeming vouchers. Any vouchers with a January 2023 expiration date will be able to be redeemed through the end of January.
Due to the shipping delay, we have held off on printing the January vouchers. They will be printed and distributed as soon as we have the beds to fulfill them. Thanks for your patience in this matter.
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 the bed pricing will change slightly with our new bed vendor.
A limited number of cribs are available for neighbors with children younger than two. They can be requested by emailing [email protected] with the neighbor’s name, date of birth, and address.
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. 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, 2/1, 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 Monday, 2/6. 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.
Our Charitable Pharmacy, Social Services, and some Conferences are already using this tool to better 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
Christ Church Cathedral is once again accepting our referrals after their holidays break.
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. This Vision Clinic will be open on Thursdays only this month and in February; dates: all day tomorrow (1/12); the morning of 1/19; all day on 1/26; the morning of 2/2; all day on 2/9; the morning of 2/16; and all day on 2/23. 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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