Benefit Bank offers aid to the ‘new poor’

CINCINNATI (AP) — Carmen Brothers is one of those self-sustaining people, the kind who hates to ask for help, even in tough times and especially not from the government.

When the 51-year-old former bank collections trainer lost her job last year, fell severely ill and had three lengthy hospital visits, she refused to apply for government aid other than an unemployment check.

Her condominium in Columbus teetered on the edge of foreclosure as bill payments drained her retirement savings and prices climbed for fuel and food.

And then this month, she swallowed her pride and sought help through a program at a local church, bracing herself for more frustration and paperwork. Instead, she found a network of nonprofit groups aimed at helping low-income residents claim billions of dollars in government aid without the red tape.

It’s called the Ohio Benefit Bank, a public-private partnership that provides clients with free, centralized assistance to apply for food stamps, tax refunds, child care and other programs using volunteer counselors and special filing software.

Since 2006, Benefit Bank programs in Ohio and five other states have helped 56,000 people claim more than $57 million in benefits and tax credits or refunds, according to Solutions for Progress, the Philadelphia-based technology company that develops and customizes the software for each state.

Ohio has the most active Benefit Bank so far, with more than 32,000 people served and $37.6 million in work support claimed. It has become a model for anti-poverty activists considering similar systems in Colorado, North Carolina, Michigan, Maine and Louisiana.

Ohio organizers see it as an especially useful tool for helping the “new poor,” people trying to navigate unfamiliar government programs and complicated application processes for the first time.

Besides a social stigma, other factors that keep eligible people from seeking aid include repetitive paperwork, the disconnect among government offices, and a low level of awareness about eligibility, said Lisa Hamler-Fugitt, executive director of the Ohio Association of Second Harvest Foodbanks. The association leveraged its network of nonprofit affiliates to help create more than 700 Benefit Bank access sites across the state and spread the news by word of mouth.

More than $1.6 billion in tax credits and public benefits go unclaimed each year in Ohio alone, Hamler-Fugitt said.

After spending a few hours with counselors typing data into a computer, Brothers has claimed her piece, about $285 a month in food stamps and work support.

Columbus resident Marla Flewellen, a 42-year-old seminary student, turned to the Benefit Bank when she began caring for her three great-nephews. Now she gets more than $900 in monthly food stamps and financial support.

“Talk about a big help,” said Flewellen, who calls the bank “a one-stop shop for resources.”