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Cochran Firm's Helping Hands Blog

Details: Category: Helping Hands Blog; Published: Wednesday, 19 September 2012 19:00; Hits: 2326

Lowering Grocery Cost

If it is a struggle to get your grocery shopping done every week, the following program in Baltimore, MD. makes grocery shopping easier and more affordable:

Baltimarket is a virtual supermarket that ensures individuals have access to fresh, healthy and affordable food options regardless of their income or neighborhood. Realizing that obtaining affordable groceries can be hard, Baltimarket brings healthier foods to residents of Baltimore’s inner city neighborhoods. Through a partnership with Baltimore City Health Department and Santoni’s Supermarket, Baltimarket helps residents lower their grocery cost by delivering groceries to local neighborhoods free of charge. fruitbasket

The Baltimarket program is currently serving three local neighborhoods: East Baltimore, Washington Village and Cherry Hill. To receive groceries through Baltimarket, individuals must visit an order location and place an order online through Santoni’s Supermarket. There is no maximum limit of how many groceries an individual can order through the Baltimarket program; however the minimum requirement is an order of $25. Although the program’s main mission is to provide healthy foods for those in need, individuals are allowed to order whatever they want. Once an individual has placed their order, they can return to their order location on delivery day to pick up their order. The cost of the delivery service is free; however individuals must provide payment for their groceries. Payments accepted through the Baltimarket program include: EBT (Food Stamps/SNAP), cash, credit or debit.

The Baltimarket program is available to everyone in the community and serves as a great benefit to those who are unable to make long trips to local grocery stores. For more information about the Baltimarket program, please call (443) 743-0436 or (410) 545-7544.

At The Cochran Firm Disability Lawyers we understand that for many clients, Social Security Disability benefits can't come soon enough. If your application has been denied, don't give up! Our experienced Social Security disability lawyers are extremely familiar with the Social Security Disability application process and will work hard to help you get the benefits you deserve. If you or a loved one has a disability and would like assistance with handling your claim, contact The Cochran Firm Disability Lawyers today at 1-800-THE-FIRM (1-800-843-3476). We are available day or night to help you receive the Social Security disability benefits you deserve.

Details: Category: Helping Hands Blog; Published: Sunday, 16 September 2012 19:00; Hits: 2336

Improving Functional Capacities and Quality Of Life

There may be special equipment to aid you in living with your disability. The following organization in the Chicago area can help pair you with tools to improve your life.

The Equip for Equality’s Assistive Technology (AT) Project seeks to help individuals with disabilities in Illin wheelchair ois obtain various resources that could enhance their everyday lives. AT can be high-tech or low-tech, expensive or not, medical or non-medical. Simply put, AT is a tool. It can either be a device or service that is used to improve not only functional capacities of disabled individuals but also their quality of life. The staff at Equip for Equality can also help with technical assistance, advocacy and, in some cases, they may act as a representative for individuals with disabilities when dealing with Medicaid, Medicare, Special Education, Employment and Vocational Rehabilitation.

Through the AT Project, Equip for Equality offers the following services:

Advocates for and represents individuals obtaining AT;
Distributes resource information on AT.
Provides advice and technical support to disabled individuals seeking AT through schools, vocational rehabilitation services, employers, Medicaid and Medicare;
Provides information and referral services needed by disabled individuals to acquire appropriate AT devices or services;

To learn more about the Assistive Technology Project you can visit them on the web at http://www.equipforequality.org/ or call (800) 537-2632.

Details: Category: Helping Hands Blog; Published: Thursday, 06 September 2012 19:00; Hits: 2281

Financial Hardships

Do you find yourself getting stressed and overwhelmed each month when it’s time to pay your electric or natural gas bill? The following program may help ease your worries:

752757 the_tunnel The Washington Area Fuel Fund (WAFF) serves as a critical safety net for many Washington, D.C. residents. Sponsored by Washington Gas and administered through The Salvation Army, WAFF provides energy assistance to help families, who are experiencing financial hardships, in heating their homes. Although WAFF is sponsored by Washington Gas, assistance is provided to eligible individuals regardless of the type of fuel that is used to heat their homes. Assistance received through WAFF is not intended to replace any federal, state or local governmental energy assistance an individual may receive. Instead, WAFF is designed to provide assistance to families and individuals when other resources are not enough and no longer available.

Applications for WAFF assistance are accepted from January 1 through May 31. To qualify for assistance, applicants must live within the District of Columbia; the cities of Alexandria, Fairfax and Falls Church; or within the following counties: Calvert, Charles, Montgomery, Prince George’s, St. Mary’s, Arlington, Fairfax, Loudon and Prince William. Applicants must also be in an emergency situation and are no longer eligible to receive assistance through any government energy assistance programs to qualify. Individuals who use gas or electric heating must have already received a termination or warning of future termination notice and individuals who use coal, oil, wood, kerosene or other fuel must provide proof that they do not have funds to purchase fuel or buy fuel on credit.

For more information about the WAFF program or to apply for energy assistance, call 1-888-318-9233 or (202) 756-2692.

At The Cochran Firm Disability Lawyers we understand that for many clients, Social Security Disability benefits can't come soon enough. If your application has been denied, don't give up! Our experienced Social Security disability lawyers are extremely familiar with the Social Security Disability application process and will work hard to help you get the benefits you deserve. If you or a loved one has a disability and would like assistance with handling your claim, contact The Cochran Firm Disability Lawyers today at 1-800-THE-FIRM (1-800-843-3476). We are available day or night to help you receive the Social Security disability benefits you deserve.

Details: Category: Helping Hands Blog; Published: Thursday, 06 September 2012 19:00; Hits: 2480

Building Strong Families

Often times, families are faced with difficulties that are beyond their control. When hardships arise, those families need someone to turn to for strength and support. The following organization in the Cincinnati, OH area can help ease the burden of life’s unanticipated challenges:

The mission of the Family Care Network is to build strong families and communities by promoting healthy family lifestyles and emphasizing personal growth and family empowerment. Through their wide range of quality support services, Family Care Network strives to keep families together and to prevent out of home placement for children, seniors and individuals with disabilities. By addressing problems such as homelessness, family stability, health care needs and substance abuse, Family Care Network helps families strengthen their ability to face the future independently. Services offered through the Family Care Network include:

Adult Services: Through the adult services program, Family Care Network provides homemaking, personal care and respite care services to older adults who reside in Wayne, Oakland and Macomb counties. Services are provided by trained and supervised caregivers who work closely with families to help them maintain an adequate living environment and prevent seniors from being placed in long-term care facilities.

Medicare Services: Through a partnership with Family Home Health Services, Family Care Network offers skilled nursing and therapy services to Medicare eligible homebound patients. By offering these services, Family Care Network and Family Home Health Services promotes the independence of homebound patients in the comfort of their own home. Services offered through the Medicare program are provided on an “as needed” basis by home health rehabilitation staff on a one-on-one basis in the comfort and privacy of the patient’s home.

Supportive Housing Program (SHP): SHP helps homeless individuals and families move from the streets, short-term and/or transitional housing to permanent housing. While obtaining and maintaining housing through Family Care Network, individuals are also provided with case management and support services to help them increase their skills, income and self-determination.

Family Services: In conjunction with the Department of Human Services, the Juvenile Assessment Center (JAC) and the State of Michigan, Family Care Network provides a variety of home-based services to at-risk families in Wayne and Macomb counties. Services offered through the family services program are provided by skilled professionals who work closely with families to meet their immediate needs and assist them in becoming self-sufficient. Through the family services program, individuals can participate in parent education classes, the parent aide program and therapeutic counseling.

For more information about Family Care Network or its services and programs, call (313) 964-5070 or (800) 676-5071.

Details: Category: Helping Hands Blog; Published: Thursday, 06 September 2012 19:00; Hits: 2535

Disability Housing

The following program exists to assist disabled individuals with housing related needs. If you are a disabled Tennessee resident, you may be eligible:

1178513 samaritan The Tennessee Disability-Related Housing Assistance program is a collaboration of the United Cerebral Palsy of Middle Tennessee (UCP), Tennessee Housing Development Agency (THDA) and a variety of organizations across Tennessee. The purpose of the Tennessee Disability Housing Assistance Program is to assist qualifying individuals who have disabilities with housing accessibility modifications or other housing related needs. The program is designed to meet the specific home and community based housing needs of low-income individuals with disabilities in Tennessee who do not receive housing support through state Medicaid Waiver programs.

To be eligible for the program, individuals must be documented by UCP as having a disability that results in a substantial limitation in three or more major life activities and that the disability is long-term or likely to continue indefinitely. Individuals must also meet the family income guidelines established by THDA which are based on total household income and the number of people living in the home. The program is currently targeted to residents of rural Tennessee communities. Residents living in Davidson, Knox, Hamilton and Shelby counties are currently not eligible for the program.

Funding received through the program can be used for a variety of purposes specific to disability related housing needs. These include:

Construction activities specific to disability needs such as widening doorways for wheelchair access, modifying bathrooms and installing grab bars

Funding assistance to move from a non-accessible home to an accessible home

Funding assistance to move from a nursing home or institutional setting to a community based setting

Funding assistance to help a homeless individual with a disability move into a home

Housing related assistance in emergency or crisis situations such as fire, flood or other natural disaster, death of a primary caregiver, extended hospitalization or medical emergency such as a recently acquired severe disability

Home weatherization for an individual with a severe disability

For more information about the Tennessee Disability Housing Assistance Program or to request an application, call (615) 242-4091.

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