Summer Crisis Program Kickoff!

This Monday, July 1^st, The Mobile Express will be attending The Breathing Association Summer Crisis Program Health & Energy Kickoff!  Before we head out to this great event though, we wanted to let everyone know a little information about the Summer Crisis Program.  The Summer Crisis Program is a statewide program (similar to HEAP) that allows eligible Ohioans to receive either a credit on their energy bill or in some cases a free fan or air conditioner! However there are some key differences between who is eligible for each program, for instance clients who are already enrolled in PIPP and are current with their payments do not qualify for this program.  For more information about who will qualify for the Summer Crisis Program, and what benefits they might be eligible for, please follow this link to the Department of Development’s web page.  But don’t delay, The Summer Crisis Program only accepts applicants from July 1^st to August 31^st, and if you are in the Columbus area on July 1^st between 10:30 AM  and 1:30 PM stop on over at The Breathing Association Summer Crisis Program Health & Energy Kickoff at 1520 Old Henderson Rd Columbus OH 43220!

An Answer to All Those Healthcare Questions: Enroll America

Again and again I am running into clients looking for answers to questions and fears about the Affordable Care Act. Questions like, “Will I be able to get Medicaid then?” or “How could I possibly afford going to the doctor?” Fears like, “Am I gonna get in trouble if I don’t pay for insurance?”

My response?... I’m not 100 percent sure exactly what will happen when the change occurs but I’m confident it will be a change for the better.  When people are healthy they are able to make choices that lead to success.

In the current political environment it can be near impossible to sift through each and every message that is thrown at us through the media and find truth. With so much rhetoric out there how can we find good information to pass to our clients? Fortunately, there’s an organization called Enroll America.

Enroll America’s website hosts a ton of awesome resources from informational outreach maps to recorded webinars.  One of the easiest and most effective ways I've found to educate clients about this topic is to share with them this video from Enroll America:

The video does a great job at highlighting what to expect when the new law fully kicks in and it doesn't allow for me to pass false information along to my clients.  If you too are receiving questions from clients about the Affordable Care Act give it a try! Simply show them this video or point them towards the Enroll America website.

As we move closer to 2014 we’ll learn more about the plans, the pricing, and other specific information so stay tuned for more. 

Stand Down for veterans: CACEHR Knows How to Reach Out!

Over the past few weeks The Ohio Benefit Bank Mobile Express has had the opportunity to work with one of our favorite partners, the Community Action Commission of Erie, Huron, and Richland Counties (CACEHR). Recently CACEHR has organized several “Stand Down” resource fairs for homeless veterans in both Huron and Richland Counties.

Both Richland and Huron County chapters worked extremely hard to put together these events to provide an opportunity for their clients to become connected to a large number of service providers and employers. These events were an opportunity for their organization to help veterans in need, but also to show respect and appreciation for their service. 

CACEHR's Richland County chapter in particular used several strategies to advertise this event to both local social service providers and to clients, but one of their most effective was to reach out and enlist the aid of key community figures. According to the Rural Veterans Outreach Toolkit, a package created by the Veterans Rural Health Resource Center, one of the most effective ways to generate interest in veterans and other hard-to-reach populations is to be associated with influential and trusted members of the local area. It is also an effective strategy to help with the recruitment of other partners. In this case, CACEHR reached out to Mansfield City Mayor Timothy L. Theaker who became one of the event’s most vocal supporters. In a short speech addressed to the veterans being served at the event, Mayor Theaker expressed his gratitude towards the service and sacrifices of the veterans in his community, and expressed a strong desire to help those who had served get back on their feet.

Thanks to CACEHR a great number of veterans in multiple counties were able to connect to some fantastic resources, and we will look forward to their next event!

Photo caption: Representatives from local community resources set up their tables for the Stand Down event in Richland County.

One of the Best Advertising Mediums is Sitting Right in Front of You!

Recently Tyler and I have been researching best practices and outreach strategies. As we travel the state attending events, we often come across real-life examples of positive approaches to this work.

One of these moments occurred at a park in Akron last month at a benefits clinic event hosted by Choices Community Social Center.

We met with each interested resident, explaining how the OBB can work to alleviate some of the stress and pressure that often is associated with poverty.

One resident, who we’ll call “Dave,” listened so intently I thought for sure he would be interested in completing an application. After finishing my little spiel, he explained to me that although he was unemployed he was likely not eligible to receive any benefits because he had so recently lost his job. He would however pass all of the information on to anyone he encountered who needed assistance.

I believe in Dave, his willingness to succeed, and his likelihood of obtaining full-time employment very soon.  I also believe in the potential marketing and advertising power he and others like him possess.  Peer-to-peer advertising (AKA word-of-mouth advertising) is one of the oldest and most natural tricks in the book, but far too often underemployed.  Think of those ‘refer a friend and receive a discount’ campaigns or a ‘share on Facebook’ button at the end of an online news article. By educating clients and enabling them to share information with the people around them we can reach and serve a lot more people.

For more on this topic check out this Business Week article, Word of Mouth Is the Best Ad.

Interview with a Veteran

Recently, we were at a Stand Down (a service fair for veterans) in Huron County, where we were able to interview several different veterans over the course of the day. Two of them really stood out to me because they highlight just how large a spectrum of experiences the word “veteran” can cover.

John

“John” (pseudonym) is a 28-year-old veteran who served in the Special Forces, where he was injured and honorably discharged. Ever since he returned home, things haven’t been easy. The depressed economy has made it nearly impossible to find steady work, especially with the partially disabling injuries he received in the service. Having a large family—a household of five—has only made things more difficult as both parents struggle to balance raising their children with providing for them. John was already accessing some of the benefits for which he was eligible. Medicaid had allowed him to provide health insurance for his children, and SNAP made it possible for him to help continue to feed his family. When we spoke, he hadn’t applied for HEAP and PIPP, which he plans to do now using OBB Self-Serve. John acknowledged that he could potentially get a better job if he went to college, but he was hoping to be able to find enough work to avoid this because he wanted to pass his education credit onto his youngest daughter, hoping to give her a better start.

Earl

“Earl” is a veteran of the Vietnam War in his early 70’s. Until the past few years he had done quite well for himself, holding a steady job and making investments to help supplement his anticipated retirement. In his early 60’s Earl suffered from a series of severe illnesses commonly linked to exposure to Agent Orange, and was forced to retire earlier than he had planned. Then, his retirement packages lost significant value during the recession, leaving Earl and his wife struggling to make ends meet. Earl was eligible for SSDI due to the nature of his illnesses, which has been a great help to them over the past few years. When we spoke, Earl was just over income to be eligible for food assistance, but he was income eligible for HEAP, and he planned to visit a local OBB site to apply. Still, his retirement has not been anything like what he had expected, and he expressed concern about the uncertainty of how the next big change – the Affordable Care Act – will affect him. Earl remains nervous about what the future might hold.

Stories of veterans struggling to get by are unfortunately far too common, and veterans of long past wars as well as recent ones are both affected. These stories drive home the importance of the benefits that the OBB helps individuals access, because these benefits provide a little bit of stability in a fast changing world.