Utility Assistance October 16th at 2pm

LIHEAP

The Osceola Council on Aging's Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP) provides financial assistance to low-income households in meeting the cost of home heating and cooling to Osceola County residents.

Qualifications:

You are an Osceola Resident

Your Household is at or below 150% of the Federal Poverty level (see chart )

You have not received LIHEAP assistance within one year

Priority is given to families with children 5 and younger, persons over the age of 60 and/or anyone receiving disability

All Households must be able to provide:

Social Security Cards for everyone in the Household

ID for all adults 18 & over

Utility bill (applicant must be authorized user)

Proof of Household Income

• Last 4 weeks of paystubs and/or
• Unemployment letter and/or
• Child support Documents and/or
• Food stamp or any Government assistance award letter (SSI or SSDI)
• Any adult without proof of income must be present to sign a self declaration letter.

To receive assistance call- (407) 933-9540 Every 1st and 3rd Tuesday of the Month at 2pm.

We will take call until all appointments are filled.



The Free Cell Phone & Minutes Program

Safelink Wireless

How to Qualify

The process to qualify for Lifeline Service depends on the State you live in. In general, you may qualify if...

1.       You already participate in other State or Federal assistance program such as Federal Public Housing Assistance, Food Stamps and Medicaid.

OR

2.       Your total household income is at or below of the poverty guidelines set by your State and/or the Federal Government.

AND

3.       No one in your household currently receives Lifeline Service through another phone carrier.

4.       You have a valid United States Postal Address. In order for us to ship you your free phone you must live at a residence that can receive mail from the US Post Office or have a valid P.O. Box.

In addition to meeting the guidelines above you will also be required to provide proof of your participation in an assistance program, or proof of your income level.

Only certain Americans are eligible for SafeLink. Eligibility guidelines vary by state but in general individuals qualify if they participate in a public assistance program such as Food Stamps, Medicaid, Supplemental Security Income (SSI), Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF), Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP), National Free School Lunch, Federal Housing/Section 8 Assistance, or if they do not receive any of these public assistance programs, they may also qualify based on total household gross monthly income. Customers can learn more or apply by calling 1-800-SAFELINK or visiting www.SafeLink.com

Your exact benefits, including the number of free Minutes you will receive, depend on the state you live in.

LIFELINE/SAFELINK FACTS

There is no "Obama phone" or other newly created federal program to provide free cell phones. As you may know, this is a myth that is now circulating on the Web via email and blog sites. It has been thoroughly debunked by independent groups. (See for example: FactCheck.org at http://www.factcheck.org/2009/10/the-obama-phone/, which notes: "Low-income households have been eligible for discounted telephone service for more than a decade. But the program is funded by telecom companies, not by taxes, and the president has nothing to do with it."
The federal "Lifeline" program was created during the Reagan Administration. Lifeline is a federal program created by the Reagan era Federal Communications Commission (FCC) in 1984. The program was enhanced under Telecommunications Act of 1996, which was supported on a broadly bipartisan basis in Congress. The FCC’s Low Income Program of the Universal Service Fund, which is administered by the Universal Service Administrative Company (USAC), is designed to ensure that quality telecommunications services are available to low-income customers at just, reasonable, and affordable rates. Lifeline support reduces eligible low-income consumers' monthly charges for basic telephone service.
Thanks to SafeLink, Lifeline support is now available for wireless phones. Traditionally, the Lifeline program was only available as a discount on a consumer’s landline telephone bill. SafeLink Wireless was created by TracFone Wireless, Inc. when the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) recently approved the company to offer Lifeline -- a public assistance program that ensures telephone service is available and affordable for low-income subscribers. SafeLink Wireless applies the Universal Service Fund subsidy to an allotment of free airtime minutes and TracFone provides the wireless handset at the company’s expense. Instead of receiving a subsidized monthly telephone bill for Lifeline service, SafeLink converts the total amount of discounted service into minutes each month for one year. The cell phone offers in-demand features: voicemail, text, three-way calling, call waiting, caller ID and access to 911.
SafeLink phones are not paid for by taxpayers or the federal government. TracFone Wireless pays for the phones and also the cost of promoting its SafeLink program to make sure that eligible consumers know about the program.
SafeLink Wireless is making the vision of universal access to telecommunications services for all Americans a reality. As of October 2009, SafeLink has over 2 million customers and is available in 36 states - Alabama, Arizona, Arkansas, Connecticut, DC, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Mississippi, Missouri, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Puerto Rico, Rhode Island, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Virginia, Washington, West Virginia and Wisconsin. Today, there are over 1,700 companies in the United States currently providing discounted telephone service. But, thanks to its extensive outreach promoting SafeLink, TracFone Wireless is one of the largest providers of Lifeline services in the United States, second only to AT&T.

Job Opportunity

 

Now Hiring!!!

Come to the Recruiting Event!

Goodwill Industries of Central FL., Inc.

ATTENDED DONATION STATION (ADS) ATTENDANT

Accept donations from general public, issue receipts,

process donations in proper containers,

 fill out donor forms, keep area clean and organized.

Must possess simple math skills and be able to read and write.

 Must be able to lift 40lbs. Flexible hours/days Mon-Sun.

(Hunter’s Creek New location)

Hunter Creek Donation Xpress Center

391 East Village Center Drive

Orlando FL 32837

October 05, 2012

10:00 A.M. to 1:00 P.M.

 

Goodwill Industries of Central Florida, Inc.
Kissimmee Job Connection Center

1356 E. Vine St.

Kissimmee, FL  34744

407.847.0696

Osceola Resources Blog Wants You!

The Osceola Resources Blog is looking for new blog authors. If you would like to help add to this blog please email us at Osceolaresources@gmail.com. It is easy and doesn't take up your valuable time.

Help us Help you.

Help With Your Utility Bill- October 2nd at 2pm

 

LIHEAP

The Osceola Council on Aging's Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP) provides financial assistance to low-income households in meeting the cost of home heating and cooling to Osceola County residents.

Qualifications:

You are an Osceola Resident

Your Household is at or below 150% of the Federal Poverty level (see chart )

You have not received LIHEAP assistance within one year

Priority is given to families with children 5 and younger, persons over the age of 60 and/or anyone receiving disability

All Households must be able to provide:

Social Security Cards for everyone in the Household

ID for all adults 18 & over

Utility bill (applicant must be authorized user)

Proof of Household Income

• Last 4 weeks of paystubs and/or
• Unemployment letter and/or
• Child support Documents and/or
• Food stamp or any Government assistance award letter (SSI or SSDI)
• Any adult without proof of income must be present to sign a self declaration letter.

To receive assistance call- (407) 933-9540 Every 1st and 3rd Tuesday of the Month at 2pm.

We will take call until all appointments are filled.

Rental Assistance

Osceola County’s rental assistance program provides assistance to county residents who are homeless or are in danger of becoming homeless.

Eligibility requirements include but are not limited to:

·        Must be low income, but have sufficient income to sustain rental payments (rent amount cannot exceed 35% of monthly income amount). See chart below.

·        Must demonstrate a need (homeless, living in hotel/motel, served eviction notice, living with family or friend).

·        Must attend a mandatory financial educational class (class dates & times will be provided).

·        If eligible, must choose a rental unit within Osceola County.

·        Must move into the rental unit prior to July 2013 to be eligible.

·        Must provide all required documents in a timely manner to be eligible (birth certificates, driver’s license, Social Se-curity cards, child support documents, disability documents, etc.).

·        Assistance will be granted to eligible applicants on a first come, first ready basis only (all documents must beprovided when required or eligibility will be denied).

Do You Qualify?

 Numbers reflect gross yearly income



　
Emergency Rental Assistance
Osceola County Human Services offers emergency, one time rental payment for a rental unit (not a motel room).

To qualify you:

• Must demonstrate a need (recent unexpected car repairs, medical bills, lapse in wages, etc.)
• Must have future financial management
• Must attend a mandatory financial education class (class dates & times will be provided)
• If eligible, you must live in Osceola County excluding the City limits of Kissimmee
• Must provide all required documents in a timely manner to be eligible (birth certificates, driver’s license, Social Security cards, child support documents, disability documents, etc.)

Assistance will be granted to eligible applicants on a first come, first ready basis only.

If your income qualifies for rental assistance or for more information about our rental assistance programs contact:

Niki Whisler, Homeless Advocate Coordinator

407.742.8411 niki.whisler@osceola.org

or

Keisha Cyriaano, CDBG Program Manager

407.742.8467 keisha.cyriaano@osceola.org

or

Jamie Rowland, CDBG Program Specialist
407.742.8405 cdbg@osceola.org

Energy Assistance Day

The Low Income Home Energy  Assistance Program will be providing financial assistance to low income Households. 

You qualify for assistance if:

· You are an Osceola Resident

· Your Household is at or below 150% of the Federal Poverty level (see chart )

· You have not received LIHEAP assistance within one year

· Priority is given to families with children 5 and younger, persons over the age of 60 and/or anyone receiving disability

 

Poverty Income Guidelines (150%)

Family Size

1 Person          $1396 monthly

2 Persons        $1891 monthly

3 Persons        $2386 monthly.

4 Persons        $2881 monthly.

5 Persons         $3376monthly.

6 Persons        $3871 monthly.

7 Persons        $4366 monthly.

8 Persons        $4861 monthly.

Numbers reflect Gross Income

You will need to bring the following: 

Social Security Cards for everyone in the Household

ID for all adults 18 & over

Utility bill (must be authorized user )
Proof of Household Income

· Last 4 weeks of paystubs and/or

· Unemployment letter and/or

· Child support Documents and/or

· Food stamp or any Government assistance award letter (SSI or SSDI)

· Any adult without proof of income must be present to sign a self declaration letter.

LOCATION: Jade Isle Community Center 325 Rosedale Ave St. Cloud FL 34769

WHEN: 9am to 1pm