 |
Andrew Scheiner/Daily Journal
Hundreds of families lined up for the Family Resource Fair in Redwood City to see if they qualified for retail gift cards and learn how else they can get help for basic needs like food and rent. |
Before Wednesday, the Arrivillago family wasn’t sure if there would be Christmas gifts for their two young children.
He is a painter, she does some baby-sitting and all together the San Mateo couple brings in approximately $1,300 a month. They were barely getting by, she said.
Yesterday, they joined hundreds of other low-income San Mateo County families at the Family Resource Fair to see if they qualified for retail gift cards and learn how else they can get help for basic needs like food and rent. With the cutoff at $44,000 for a family of four, the family was approved.
The cards will go for food but also Christmas gifts, they said.
But assessment for the cards from retailers like Safeway, Target and Kmart were just the beginning for the family. Once inside the event, they — like all other attendees — were screened for food stamp eligibility and housing assistance before continuing on to informational stations manned with staff from nonprofits, services and safety-net groups.
Those who need job skills could turn to PeninsulaWorks or Jobs for Youth. Those worried that a substance abuse issue or disability barred them from employment had Vocational Rehabilitation Services. Those who meet the eligibility requirements and need work learned about subsidized programs in which the county reimburses employers up to 80 percent.
The fair gave goers a one-stop shopping approach to services and publicized options that might not always be publicized, said Susana Stewart of Vocational Rehabilitation Services
“It really helps us get the word out,” Stewart said.
The word about the county event was definitely out. The line of people waiting for their turn snaked out of 555 Marshall St. in Redwood City down the street, around the corner and back past the traffic court building on the other side of the block. Some used event fliers as makeshift fans, a number pushed babies in strollers, others balanced cups of complimentary coffee in one hand while filling out application paperwork on clipboards clasped in the others.
The first woman through the door showed up at 7 a.m. even though the doors didn’t open until 10 a.m. The pregnant woman, already mom to a 12-year-old, worked at AAA and couldn’t make ends meet. Even though employed, she is among those who qualify for benefits.
“The face of need is changing. The new message is that the guidelines extended the benefits to 200 percent of poverty level so we are able to help many more people,” said Beverly Beasley Johnson, director of the county’s Human Services Agency.
The changing face also means less stigma about seeking help.
“There but for the grace of God goes any of us,” Johnson said.
Although the county and its collaborative core services always had some aid for the needy, an influx of federal money from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act let them provide temporary relief to families within those extended guidelines. Funds for those services, collectively known as SMC Works, expires Sept. 30, 2010 so officials pushed hard to get as many new faces as possible signed up yesterday.
Although San Mateo County is commonly thought of as an area of wealth, the attendance yesterday painted a different picture as do the numbers. Applications for food stamps, Medi-Cal, CalWORKS, emergency housing and emergency food have risen 35 percent over the past two years. Unemployment has doubled. And even those who would have never thought they’d need help find themselves asking.
“There is still a lot of need, too,” said County Manager David Boesch.
Linda, a 40-something mother of three who stood near the end of the line yesterday, said she swallowed a lot of pride to first, admit she couldn’t make it on her own and second, seek out benefits. At approximately 12:30 p.m., with less than three hours left in the event and no clear idea when she’d make it in, Linda said she refused to be frustrated by the wait because of the end goal.
“I’ll stay here all day,” she said.
Those who couldn’t attend Wednesday’s event can still apply by contacting any of the HSA regional offices, said HSA spokeswoman Amanda Kim.
The Arrivillagos plan to pass on the news. The couple had their young nephew with them because his mother had to work but said they will tell her how to reach HSA.
Even residents who don’t need or qualify for the benefits profit from the federal funds because they will immediately be used in the county, Johnson said.
After explaining to one woman the gift card must be used by next September, Johnson said the recipient explained they would be gone by next week.
Unlike the projects and construction gaining the most headlines, the federal funds used by the county for financial relief is money directly in the hands of the needy, Johnson said.
Once recipients are tied into the system, even when the federal funds expire, the families can continue benefits from already established providers and money streams, Boesch said.
Michelle Durand can be reached by e-mail: michelle@smdailyjournal.com or by phone: (650) 344-5200 ext. 102.
Qualifications for aid
• Household income less than 200 percent of the federal poverty level
• Family includes a dependent minor child
• Proof of residency
• Existing CalWORKS families meet eligibility.
Services available
• Utility shut-off prevention
• Housing relocation assistance
• Moving assistance
• Security deposits and move-in costs
• Short-term rental assistance
• Emergency shelter
• Eviction prevention assistance
• Supplemental food assistance
• Employment-related work allocances
• One-time expenditures intended to remove a barrier to work
• One-time special allowances
2009 Federal Poverty Guidelines
# of Family Members Income
2 $29,140
3 $36,620
4 $44,100
5 $51,580
Human Services Agency Locations
Appointments recommended
Daly City 301-8400
South San Francisco 877-5608
San Carlos 802-6470
Redwood City 599-3811
East Palo Alto 363-4218 |