Franklin
County Job and Family Services, Reynoldsburg City Schools to pilot on-site case
management program
Columbus, OH – Franklin County Department of Job and Family
Services (FCDJFS) and Reynoldsburg City Schools (RCS) have teamed up expand
access to supportive services through a new on-site case management pilot
partnership. Beginning today, residents in Reynoldsburg and surrounding
communities will be able to apply for public assistance benefits like food
assistance and Medicaid at the RCS Welcome Center.
Under this new partnership,
which the Franklin County Board of Commissioners voted to authorize Feb. 4, FCDJFS
will provide a case manager on-site for up to 20
hours a week to determine eligibility for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance
Program (SNAP); Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF or Ohio Works
First cash assistance); Medicaid; and Prevention, Retention and Contingency
emergency assistance (PRC).
The case
manager will be stationed at RCS Welcome Center, located at 1555 Graham Road, on
Wednesdays from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. and will assist those on a first-come,
first-serve basis.
This partnership with RCS supports Commissioners’ Rise
Together Blueprint, which calls for increasing accessibility of
integrated family support services, including parent education, child care, and
food assistance by adding locations that are walkable or easily accessed by
public transit.
“Reynoldsburg is a changing community with changing needs. I think it’s taken for granted a lot, but not everyone can just jump in car to visit one of our Opportunity Centers,” FCDJFS Director Joy Bivens stated. “By placing our services right where they live, we’re trying to give people back the gift of time – time they can use to work, to go to school, to support their families.”
The Blueprint also calls for expanding the
use of schools as family and neighborhood resource centers, providing access to
healthy food and other integrated support services for students and families.
“As part of our Five-Year Strategic plan, it is an initiative to expand and enrich the active partnerships between the District, our residents and community,” RCS Superintendent Melvin Brown said. “As our community continues to evolve and change over time, the needs of our families also change and by providing these types of services to them in a more convenient and reachable way will be huge for our city.”
Reynoldsburg has
approximately 6,100 residents enrolled in SNAP, 1,100 children receiving Publicly
Funded Child Care and 12,000 on Medicaid, which is more than one-in-five residents.
FCDJFS is also looking
to expand its footprint through additional on-site case management partnerships
in school districts with a high need for supportive services.
The Franklin County Department of Job and Family Services provides
timely public assistance benefits and builds community partnership through
inclusion, responsiveness and innovation. Learn more at https://jfs.franklincountyohio.gov
and follow FCDJFS on Facebook,
Twitter
and YouTube.
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