Jefferson County assistance programs.

Locate help with rent, electric and heating bills, and food.

Federal government stimulus funds are flowing to Watertown and the Jefferson County region. The Community Action Planning Council of Jefferson County Inc. has been provided its second installment of stimulus grants.

The agency, which manages a variety of assistance programs including FEMA funds for local agencies and charities, was provided notice earlier this month that it will receive extra FEMA dollars, bringing the total provided up to about $150,000 which will be used for shelter, food, and energy bills. It is expected that a large portion of the money will go to help paying utility and heating bills, as the need there is at the highest.

The second highest need for local residents is rent assistance. The agency's emergency rent assistance program serves as a last resort for those families who have had a denial from the Jefferson County Department of Social Services for rent help.  More and more people are looking for rent help to prevent eviction from their homes and apartments.

Some of the other beneficiaries of the aid include $10,000 was given to the Salvation Army for its soup kitchen, $12,500 went to the Watertown Urban Mission food pantry, and an additional $9,000 was divided among 15 smaller food pantries in Jefferson County to provide food assistance. Also, the Community Action Planning Council received about $5,000 to provide short term rent assistance and help for utility bills.

 

 

 

Additional help for bills in Jefferson County NY

A new program called Helping Eradicate All Roads to Homelessness, or HEARTH, could help hundreds of local residents with rent, heating, utility bills, and more. Jefferson County Social Services was awarded almost $2 million in federal government stimulus package funds for a project that aims to both prevent and reduce homelessness in all three counties in upstate New York. They will also be able to refer people to mortgage and foreclosure programs, including foreclosure mediation. Read more on mediation.

The HEARTH program will provide rental and utility bill assistance, emergency motel and hotel vouchers, money to pay for security deposits, moving costs, legal help, credit repair services, and landlord-tenant dispute resolution. They will also provide help to people so they can find affordable housing for households at or below 50 percent of median income in each of the three counties of New York.

Contact the Jefferson County Social Services to apply or learn more information.