Thursday, September 3, 2009

OBB Conference

With just under 24 work hours logged in the past two days, this week has been a bit of a blur! On Tuesday at the end of the work day, Alex and I piled our stuff into my car and took off for the 2nd Annual Ohio Benefit Bank Conference in Columbus.

The conference was for anyone affiliated with the Ohio Benefit Bank: The Ohio Association of Second Harvest Foodbanks, the Governor's Office of Faith-Based and Community Initiatives, Soluntions for Progress (the program software designers), VISTA Leaders, AmeriCorps*VISTA members, AmeriCorps State members, HarvestCorps members, counselors from OBB sites around the state--everyone!

Wednesday was the first day of the conference, which began with a presentation by Joel Berg, the keynote speaker. Mr. Berg previously served in senior executive service positions in the USDA under the Clinton administration, and currently works as the executive director of the New York City Coalition Against Hunger. Clearly, he knows his stuff! In his book, All You Can Eat: How Hungry is America?, Mr. Berg discusses poverty and hunger and offers real solutions to these problems. In yesterday's presentation, he compared poverty to other national problems this country has faced and solved in the past. He talked about cholera, yellow fever, and malaria, and how all were solved by the actions of government. He linked poverty to these problems by claiming that if government were to take enough thoughtful, deliberate action, the war on poverty could finally be won in this country. His argument was compelling, and I look forward to reading his book, which all conference participants received free of charge.

After his presentation, Jason gave an update on the latest info with the OBB. Since its inception in 2006, the Ohio Benefit Bank has brought back over $153 million dollars to Ohio families in tax credits and public benefits. This is money that would have otherwise stayed locked up in the federal government without the OBB's efforts. That's my kind of stimulus!

Jason also talked about the new programs added to the Ohio Benefit Bank. Call me a dweeb, but this was very exciting to me! Recently added is the Big Brothers Big Sisters Amachi Ohio program. This youth mentoring program matches adult volunteers with kids whose parent(s) have been incarcerated, and the OBB now has an application to refer eligible children for the program. How cool is that?

ALSO--I'm so excited about this--a select group of OBB sites and counselors is now able to help clients complete SSI/SSDI applications! Eeeee!!

Thanks to OASHF and my new friends at Solutions for Progress (hi Chris--thanks for reading!), a special "pro" module of the Benefit Bank is now available to help people fill out social security disability applications. To use this version of the software, counselors must receive special training and have extensive knowledge of the OBB, as well as an existing professional responsibility to help clients apply for social security programs. These counselors are known as "SSI Ohio Specialists," and in my region, they can be found at the FreeStore Foodbank in Cincinnati and the Samaritan Clinic in Dayton.

The module was launched in July, and I really can't say enough about just how positive this pilot program is for Ohio citizens. As you know, I have studied both the Supplemental Security Income and Social Security Disability Insurance programs, and what I found was no secret: the social security system is a bureaucratic mess. To further affirm this, Jason told us yesterday that only 28% of SSA disability applications are approved on initial submission, and with an extensive appeal process, it can take YEARS to get a final decision on one's benefits.

To make matters worse, the applications for these programs are long and involved, requiring a lot of paperwork for proof of income, assets, and disability. The application process can serve as a major barrier to anyone applying for benefits, but it can be especially burdensome for individuals with multiple disabilities, individuals who are homeless, and individuals who have a hard time keeping their papers organized. To put it simply, accessing SSI/SSDI applications via the Ohio Benefit Bank is a wonderful thing.

The rest of the conference consisted of: a brief visit with other VISTA members, lunch with OBB counselors from my region, two sessions on grant-writing, a regional briefing with Meredith, and a two-hour trip home. Overall, it was an exhausting, but positively educational experience and I am happy to have been a part of it!

P.S.--Stay tuned for our ridiculous adventure driving the Shared Harvest "van" to pick up food drive donations today. You don't want to miss this!

No comments:

Post a Comment