Faith, nonprofit groups discuss family aid
DBell@CalhounTimes.com
There are a wide array of services available to help Calhoun and Gordon County families in need, but most people don’t know what options are available to them.
That was the primary message delivered by several speakers during a faith and nonprofit meeting hosted by the Georgia Department of Human Services held at Rock Bridge Community Church on Thursday. The event brought together representatives from various government agencies, churches and other groups to learn and talk about those available services.
Janice Alexander, outreach manager for the DHS and Office of Legislative Affairs and Outreach, said that not only is the lack of knowledge a problem, but that too many myths exist about the services that are available.
“Our passion is getting the information out there,” Alexander said. “We know the value of information. We know that information is power.”
Kathleen Robles of Child Support Services confirmed that, saying that her office often hears that people think parents who get behind on child support often have their driver’s license revoked or are jailed without warning.
The truth is, she said, there are a lot of options for parents who have entered child support agreements to avoid those situations, but too often they don’t take advantage of the programs that exist to
HELP,
By Breanna Morris, 10thgrader at Gordon Central High School
By Judi Ramirez, 10th-grader at Gordon Central High School
help with delinquency. The department has specific programs that address parental responsibility and barriers to payment, Robles said.
The goal of those programs is “trying to work with them to overcome these barriers so they can pay their child support and financially support their child,” said Robles.
She pointed out that her office has three main roles: establishing a child support agreement, enforcing existing agreements, and reviewing and modifying existing agreements. She also noted that her office has nothing to do with custodial arrangements, and that even parents who no longer have rights to see their child can still be liable for supporting their child.
“Supporting your child and visiting your child are two separate issues. You have a responsibility to support your child,” Robles said, adding later, “I guess the message you can give to them is to go into the local office and see what they can work out.”
Alexander echoed that sentiment.
“We want to do what we can to support them to help them pay, because at the end of the day our primary focus is taking care of the child,” she said.
Rogena Walden, a Georgia Cares counselor and volunteer coordinator for the Northwest Georgia Regional Commission Area Agency on Aging, said her group works with senior citizens and adults with disabilities in a variety of ways, from workshops, counseling and food assistance to caregiver support and training.
Walden, who is based in Rome, said there are 12 Area Agency on Aging locations in Georgia, and her branch covers 15 counties in Northwest Georgia. She said more than 100,000 adults 65 years old and older, as well as thousands
more adults with disabilities, are eligible for the help they provide.
She estimated that 75% of those people don’t know about her agency at all. She said through Medicare counseling services alone the group saved residents more than $600,000 last year, or about $3,200 per person.
Because the agency is local and not afflicted with any particular government, they are able to give seniors the options and assistance that best meets their needs at any given time.
Jamie Sellers and Maria Horton, who both work with the Department of Family and Children Services (DFCS), also talked about the myths that surround their agency, noting mostly people think they just take custody of people’s kids, whereas the truth is they offer multiple services to benefit families and senior citizens.
“We serve anybody and everybody,” said Sellers, noting that while there are set requirements for all of their services, there are also a lot of waivers and exceptions that can be made.
In addition to Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) and the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, DFCS also offers training programs and educational opportunities.
Sellers said she actually started with DFCS as a client while she and her two children were living in a hotel room. She entered a training program with the agency and eventually went to work there full time. Their programs, she explained, are intended to help people out, not be a permanent solution.
“We want to help out clients. We don’t want them on benefits forever. We want them to get a good job and get back on their feet,” she said.
Horton, who investigates fraud concerns, added that a big part of the responsibility of taking advantage of what their agency offers depends
on the clients. She said often people don’t complete all the steps or lie about things like whether or not they are working or receiving other benefits, but DFCS crosschecks those details to see what they have told other groups.
She also noted that even if DFCS can’t provide assistance, they have access to other agencies and can provide referrals to other groups that can help.
“There are basic criteria, but there are a lot of exceptions, so the best thing to do is fill out an application,” Horton said.
NaTasha Christian does caregiver recruitment and retention for the agency and she said there are currently 192 Gordon County children in foster care. Many, she said, have been placed with families outside of the county due to a lack of foster families.
“It’s a trauma building upon a trauma, so we need to bring our children home,” Christian told them group.
She explained there are three levels of foster families: those that take in children and work with their biological parents to eventually return the kids back home; those that aim to adopt permanently; and families in between who work with bio families but also understand the foster situation could become permanent.
Christian said there is always a need for more foster families, but people can help in other ways too, like hosting diaper or food drive or mentoring parents who have lost custody their children. She also mentioned the organization’s “care portal” that allows them to help families meet a need through a community of volunteers and organizations like churches.
Alexander applauded that option and added that more involvement from more people will only boost what these groups can accomplish.
“Churches can’t do it all. The government can’t do it all,” she said. “But working together, we can make a difference.”