June 10, 2007
10
FAQ @ DLL
Living Independently
Untapped Resources
Beat The Heat
The Food Support Program
by Lisa Schmidtke
by the Disability Linkage Line Q: I need help paying my bills. or ATM card. Food support Can I get some financial help? benefits can be spent like cash in most food stores. A: Disability Linkage Line (DLL) receives numerous calls How Do I Know If I Qualify? from people living on fixed If you answer “Yesâ€? to any of incomes who struggle making the following questions, you ends meet during the month. MAY qualify for Food SupBesides looking at financial port. resources, DLL explores other supports that help someone’s ¡ Do you and everyone who income stretch further. One lives with you receive such benefit, the Food SupSupplemental Security Inport Program, is an often uncome (SSI), General Assistapped resource that can add tance (GA) or Minnesota money into someone’s pocket Supplemental Aid (MSA)? for other bills. According to a ¡ Do you get either Transition report by the Legal Services Year Child Care or Basic Advocacy Project (LSAP), Sliding Fee Child Care asonly 59% of Minnesotans sistance? who qualify for Food Sup- ¡ Do you participate in the port are actually enrolled in Diversionary Work Program the program. (DWP)? What is Food Support? The Food Support Program helps Minnesotans with low income get the food they need for sound nutrition and wellbalanced meals. The program is meant to provide some additional help, not meet all of someone’s food budget needs. Once enrolled, the program issues benefits electronically through what looks like a credit
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If you did not answer “Yes� to any of those questions, you still may qualify. To find out, get on the internet and complete the eligibility screening tool at www.foodstampsstep1.usda.gov. (Your local library usually has computers you can use.) How do I apply? To apply for the Food Support
lighted concerns such as bus stops not always being pedestrian-friendly. Some stops do not have sidewalks and others do not have traffic control for pedestrians. The group workThe transportation group high- ing on MA income and asset
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If you have additional questions about Food Support or other community resources, please call DLL at 1-866-3332466. DLL provides free, disability-related information and assistance for Minnesotans. â– DLL does not endorse any particular Web site or provider. They assume no responsibility for transactions between the readers of this article and listed organizations.
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ummer time in Minnesota means an end to icy sidewalks, plenty of walks (or rolls) around the lakes and HEAT. It’s about this time of year that I start getting inquiries about energy assistance and cooling vests. For the elderly and those with conditions such as MS and Spinal Cord Injury, heat is a serious topic—so let’s address it early. To find resources for staying cool in your home, visit the Minnesota Department of Commerce Web site. In addition to energy incentives, grants and financial assistance, their Minnesota Weatherization and Field Guide provides Best Practices for Improving the Comfort, Safety, and Efficiency of Existing Homes. Their Home Energy Guide Techniques, Tactics & Tips will teach you how to cool efficiently to lower monthly energy bills and also help the environment. This guide presents a wide range of energy saving strategies, including passive cooling methods, effective use of fans, guidelines for purchasing air condition-
RESOURCES AgapÍ Transition Services: 612-849-8811 Arctic Heat: www.arcticheatusa.com Body Cooler: www.housecalls-network.com Xcel Energy: www.xcelenergy.com Hennepin County: wwwa.co.hennepin.mn.us MN Depart. of Commerce: www.state.mn.us MN Valley Action Council: www.mnvac.org Sr Community Services: www.seniorcommunity.org Silver Eagle: www.coolingvests.com.au ers, and tips on efficient operation and maintenance of air conditioning equipment. If you’re a senior or low-income household living in Blue Earth, Brown, Faribault, Le Sueur, Martin, Nicollet, Sibley, Waseca, or Watonwan counties, the Minnesota Valley Action Council will help you pay your energy bills. For financial assistance in Hennepin County, contact their Health, Housing and Social Services department. You can also go straight to the source. Xcel Energy provides programs to assist at-risk and special-needs households. Through the collaborative efforts of state and local agencies, low-income advocates and Xcel Energy’s Personal
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nesota Consortium for Citizens with Disabilities) and transportation concerns. They then split up into two teams to follow through on each issue.
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Program, call your local county office and request an application. If you need help finding the application on-line, call DLL. Either way, you will need to complete the application and give it to your county human services office. You will also need to be interviewed and provide proof of items such as your income, assets and housing costs. If you are unable to go to your county office for an interview, you can authorize a friend or relative who is familiar with your circumstances to apply on your behalf. If you are unable to authorize someone, you can request to be interviewed over the telephone.
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standard increases focused on gether preparing what they fered to help organize a meetcurrent MA qualifications and would say when meeting with ing with the Met Council and reasons for change. legislators. to work on transportation concerns. She told TBI group The group members re- TBI staff contacted represen- members they were the third searched who their lawmakers tatives to arrange meetings. On group this session to speak with were by using the Minnesota April 12, group members met her regarding transportation Legislature Web site. Partici- with Rep. Jean Wagenius in a and encouraged them to conpants also made phone calls to State Office Building hallway tact her when the session Metro Mobility to research is- during a committee break. Rep. ended. sues such as weekend rides. Sandy Peterson also spoke The two groups practiced to- with group members and of- There were two rallies the same day, and the group attended both: one in the Rotunda put on by Minnesota Consortium for Citizens with Disabilities, and another for transportation on the Capitol steps.
Accounts department, customers can get help with bill payment problems and gain access to weatherization services for their homes. These services promote the efficient use of energy, while making energy bills more affordable. Staying cool by holing yourself up is not an option for many. Going to the grocery store, getting prescriptions and working outside the home are necessities that can be dangerous when temperatures reach into the 90s. Let alone gardening, working outdoors or just watching a baseball game. Cooling vests have special technology sewn right into them to help the wearer stay cool for two to eight hours. Silver Eagle offers cooling vests, headwear, blankets and even cooling products for animals. The Arctic Heat Cooling Vest was used by the USA Olympic Teams in Athens 2004. Body Cooler offers neck wraps, wrist bands and a stylish cooling vest option for ladies that features a calico-print fabric in soft colors.
While you’re out and about you might as well go someplace cool! Malls, senior centers and libraries are all free and, most importantly, air conditioned. So are the public transportation vehicles. For a 2006-2007 Specialized Transportation Service Directory for Senior & Disabled Citizens in The TBI group members were the Metro Area, visit the Seempowered by the process. “It nior Community Services Web took many steps to get there, site. but we did it,� said program Enjoy the summer, take the participant Joanne Weise. heat seriously and as they said John Popko was asked if he in the 70s, “Stay Cool!� ■enjoyed meeting with the legislators. “Fine,� he said, and Lisa Schmidtke is president when asked if he would do it and founder of Housecalls Netagain, responded with a work, a directory of resources to help seniors, people with thumbs up. disabilities and their care-givKris Hanson added: “You learn ers live independently. Houseto hurry up and wait, and the calls Network does not endorse true meaning of patience.� ■any particular provider. They assume no responsibility for Angela Rose is a Community transactions between readers Integration Service (CIS) in- and listed organizations. FFI: structor for TBI Metro Ser- lisa@housecalls-network. vices, a division of Opportu- com, 952-221-0722, www. nity Partners. More infor- housecalls-network.com. ma tion is available at opportunitypartners.org.
