Link on the New Unemployment Extension, and Much More

While hunting up more information on the extension of unemployment benefits, I found this terrific website created by the Ohio Jobs and Family Services Department. Here to Help is not just for those on unemployment. It also links to a lot of good information for any Ohioans in financial straights: food sources, education funding, health care, housing, job searching, and the Learning Express Library, which helps you prepare for employment and education tests like the GED.
En route to this, I found another gem, weirdly stashed away under car repair (under “more”): Prevention, Retention, and Contingency program. It’s a program in Jobs and Family Services that provides small, one-time vouchers to help poor people scale the financial humps that get in the way of financial progress. It’s especially for families with minor children in the state of Ohio, who make no more (usually) than 200% of the poverty level, and working at least 20 hours a week. They do not have to be JFS clients to receive help. F or instance, if your car breaks down, and you need it for work, or you need work equipment, housing relocation, etc. It’s not for steady expenses—just small, make or break things. Each Ohio county’s Jobs and Family Services office has its own criteria and goals, so they vary from one place to another. If you are poor, the parent of a minor child and in a jam about paying for some small necessity, check out your county’s JFS office, as well as this site on your legal rights by Ohio Legal Services.