The clock is ticking on funds older county residents may be able to use for rent, utilities, home repair, property taxes and mortgage payments.
Thanks to a state Healthy Aging grant the county received, the nonprofit agency Community Action Council of Portage County has $110,000 for those purposes alone. The funds are available through June 30.
The money is part of $451,874 the state Department of Aging provided to various county agencies, including Job & Family Services of Portage County, Catholic Charities, AxessPointe and Direction Home.
County residents aged 60 or older are eligible as long as they qualify, Portage County Treasurer John Kennedy said.
Since 2021, CAC has used a grant from the Ohio Housing Finance Agency to serve more than 360 Portage County families who were impacted in some way by Covid-19, including 119 families with a combined $252,000 in property taxes. Like the Healthy Aging grant, additional funds are available through June 30.
Preference is given to applicants 55 years of age or older, but anyone may apply for up to $10,000 in grant funds.
CAC, Kennedy said, is “doing all sorts of good stuff that most residents have no idea that A, these things exist, and B, that they may be eligible.”
The application process may be daunting, but Kennedy said it may well be worth it. Anyone in need should call JFS at 330-389-7512, and take it from there. Applications are also available online at www.portagecounty-oh.gov/jfs, or in person at the JFS office, second floor of 449 S. Meridian St., Ravenna. JFS will refer applicants who qualify to CAC, which will proceed with making necessary payments. Kennedy advised applicants to keep his office apprised of where they are in the process.
“I think as public servants and as people who live in this space, we would be remiss if we didn’t tap into all of the assets we have in terms of community organizations and other agencies that exist. We’ve got so many here in Portage County,” he said.
Some sobering stats: Kennedy said 14,565 county residents receive monthly SNAP benefits for food assistance, 21% of county public school students receive free lunches, 17,260 residents are food insecure, and 20,056 people live in poverty.
In Kent alone, 3,801 children live in poverty, and 40% of Kent public school students qualify for the government’s free lunch program, Kennedy said.
The treasurer’s office can offer payment plans and provide information about resources, but quickly pivots to suggesting existing services and links to grants, such as those available through CAC and JFS.
“If you qualify through one of their utility assistance grant programs, you can get up to $10,000 in total aid and can use that money to pay your property taxes. You’re no longer delinquent, you’re no longer struggling to make ends meet, and maybe you’re no longer going to be a hunger-related stat,” Kennedy said.
A county treasurer, Kennedy said, must be more than a tax collector. Instead of taking what money a resident has, the treasurer’s office staff must provide residents with resources, information and connections so they are better equipped to follow up with the right people at the right agencies.
“The tragedy is we have money available and, as is often the case, we don’t run out of it. We end up leaving money on the table. We know about the need out there, but connecting to everybody who needs it is the real challenge,” Kennedy said.
Many people, including many public officials, simply don’t know about the help agencies like CAC provide and who may be eligible.
That makes getting the information to the people who need it remains a challenge. Kennedy’s predecessor, Brad Cromes, launched annual financial wellness fairs to help people learn how to balance personal budgets, deal with credit, open bank accounts, and access low-interest loans.
Since financial stress can lead directly to mental health challenges, the fairs also feature mental health agencies ready to link attendees to any number of services.
Kennedy would like to scale the financial wellness fairs up, possibly providing them more than once a year or dovetailing them with other agencies’ programs.
“We don’t want you to go into foreclosure. We don’t want you to lose your home. We don’t want you to end up being delinquent on your taxes, so let’s treat this holistically, address the problem at hand, and see if there are other things in the future that can help you become a little more self-sufficient,” he said.
Wendy DiAlesandro is a former Record Publishing Co. reporter and contributing writer for The Portager.