Chillicothe Mo. – (June 11, 2020) – Local businesses in Caldwell, Daviess, Grundy, Linn, Livingston and Sullivan Counties encourage the community to attend the Drive Thru Job Fair on July 14th from 10am to 1pm at the Cornerstone Church West Parking Lot at 900 Adams Drive, Chillicothe, Mo.
 
The Drive Thru Job Fair is a free event organized by ResCare Workforce Services supported by your local North Central Economic Alliance and Vocational Rehabilitation to provide community members easy social distancing access to current open employment opportunities.  Attendees will drive thru to receive a bag filled with information from companies that are HIRING NOW!  
 
We are excited to help local businesses promote current job openings in a safe, efficient, and unique manner.  If your business would like to participate, all we need is your one-sheet/half-page/postcard sized documents that describe your current open positions and how to apply delivered by July 6th. This will be a contactless event- attendees will drive up, we will hand them a bag with your information, and they drive home! We have a team of volunteers that will direct traffic and hand out the bags. 
 
For more information about Local Counties Drive Thru Job Fair, email or call Edie Miller at [email protected] 660-864-0078 or Becky Hicks at [email protected] 660-259-1989 

Release of $15 million to Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program doubles summer benefit amount to help more Missourians during Phase 2 of Recovery Plan
 
JEFFERSON CITY, MO – Today, the Department of Social Services (DSS) announced additional funding of $15 million for the Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program that helps low-income Missourians with payments for their summer cooling bills from June 1 through September 30, 2020.  The additional dollars double the maximum benefit amount to $600 and allows DSS to serve the needs of a greater number of Missourians who are now facing a crisis. To be eligible for the program, low-income Missourians must:

• Be responsible for paying home cooling costs,
• Have $3,000 or less in bank accounts, retirement accounts, or investments,
• Have a household income  of 135 percent or less of the federal poverty level (a monthly income of $2,400 for a family of three or $2,897 for a family of four) and,
• Be a U.S. citizen or legally admitted for permanent residence.

 
“We want Missourians to remain healthy, especially when dangerously high temperatures can make homes unsafe,” said Jennifer Tidball, Acting Director, and Department of Social Services. “More families than ever are struggling with financial hardships and may not have enough resources to pay the electric bill to cool their household and keep food on the table.  We are grateful to utility companies for providing temporary relief to Missourians who cannot pay their utility bills; however, this cannot last forever. As we move Missouri’s Show Me Strong Recovery Plan forward, we want to make sure Missouri citizens know that LIHEAP may be available to help with cooling costs.”
 
To apply for the LIHEAP program, households need to complete one application form and then mail or fax the form to the office serving their community listed on last page of the application.   
 
For Federal Fiscal Year 2019, (October 1, 2018 through September 30, 2019), 114,639 Missouri households received LIHEAP assistance.
 
Missourians who have questions can use the DSS Virtual Assistant to get immediate answers to basic questions that are not specific to an individual’s case 24 hours a day or can call 855-FSD-INFO or 855-373-4636 Monday through Friday, 6:00 a.m. to 6:30 p.m.
 
The Missouri Services Navigator has information on over 2,800 programs and services available in the state.  Missourians in need of information on LIHEAP, Food Stamp, Medicaid, Child Care Subsidy, or Temporary Assistance for Needy Families benefit programs can visit dss.mo.gov. Missourians can also apply for those services 24/7 online by visiting MyDSS.mo.gov, or sending completed applications and verification documents by email to [email protected], or by fax to 573-526-9400.
 
The Department of Social Services is committed to the “Show Me Strong" Recovery Plan and serving the needs of Missouri citizens during COVID-19 pandemic.  Information regarding the department’s response to the pandemic is available online https://dss.mo.gov/covid-19.
 
The mission of the Department of Social Services is to empower Missourians to live safe, healthy, and productive lives.  Visit dss.mo.gov to learn more about the Department of Social Services and follow us on Facebook and Twitter.

JEFFERSON CITY, MO – The Department of Social Services has received approval from the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), Food and Nutrition Service (FNS) to extend Pandemic Food Stamp/Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (P-SNAP) benefits through the month of July.  This means Food Stamp/SNAP households will once more automatically get the maximum Food Stamp/SNAP benefit amount for their household size loaded onto their Electronic Benefit Transfer (EBT) card.  P-SNAP, part of the Families First Coronavirus Response Act, enables Missouri SNAP households to receive the maximum Food Stamp/SNAP benefit amount for their household size during a state of emergency.  As of April 30, 2020, 360,937 Missouri households or 752,315 individuals receive Food Stamp/SNAP benefits.
 
“We are grateful the USDA approved the department’s waiver request to extend P-SNAP benefits for Missourians through the month of July,” said Jennifer Tidball, Acting Director, Department of Social Services. “This will have a positive impact on families as they move forward through Phase 2 of the Show Me Strong Recovery Plan returning to work and getting back on their feet. However, Missourians who receive SNAP benefits need to be prepared for the eventual return to normal benefit amounts for their household size, which for many will mean a decrease in their benefits.”
 
Low-income Missouri families are encouraged to apply for the Pandemic Electronic Benefit Transfer (P-EBT), a one-time food assistance benefit of up to $302 per each student. The P-EBT benefit helps low-income families of students who qualify for free or reduced-price meals with the cost of the meals they provided for their children while they attended school at home during the months of March, April, and May. The application deadline is extended to July 7 since only about 60 percent of households that could be eligible have applied for the P-EBT benefit. Families may download the application online or call 855-FSD-INFO to get an application by mail.

During Governor Parson’s Tuesday press conference this week, Acting Director Tidball noted the USDA Food and Nutrition Service resumed the requirement for Missourians to complete the periodic recertification process to verify the household still qualifies for Food Stamp/SNAP benefits. The DSS Family Support Division has begun sending letters to over 16,000 households due for recertification in the month of July. Households that receive that letter must complete and return the application form on time to ensure eligible household receives Food Stamp/SNAP benefits without interruption.
 
Missourians who have questions can use the DSS Virtual Assistant to get immediate answers to basic questions that are not specific to an individual’s case 24 hours a day or can call 855-FSD-INFO or 855-373-4636 Monday through Friday, 6:00 a.m. to 6:30 p.m.
 
The Missouri Services Navigator has information on over 2,800 programs and services available in the state.  Missourians in need of information on Food Stamp, Medicaid, Child Care Subsidy, LIHEAP, or Temporary Assistance for Needy Families benefit programs can visit dss.mo.gov. Missourians can also apply for those services 24/7 online by visiting MyDSS.mo.gov, or sending completed applications and verification documents by email to [email protected], or by fax to 573-526-9400.
 
The Department of Social Services is committed to the “Show Me Strong" Recovery Plan and serving the needs of Missouri citizens during COVID-19 pandemic.  Information regarding the department’s response to the pandemic is available online https://dss.mo.gov/covid-19.
 
The mission of the Department of Social Services is to empower Missourians to live safe, healthy, and productive lives.  Visit dss.mo.gov to learn more about the Department of Social Services and follow us on Facebook and Twitter.

CAPNCM delivered crockpots & cookbooks to the Jamesport school today. The school plans to use the donation as part of their ProStart program, which allows students to earn a certificate when they graduate high school. (left to right: Sherry Hoerrmann, Misty Savage, Traci Savage, Jayla Smith)