Niagara County Salvation Army emergency assistance programs.
The Salvation Army center in Lockport provides assistance across Niagara County. There are a few resources they focus on offering, including the church is giving assistance including meals from the Sister Mary Loretto Memorial Soup Kitchen, free groceries from a client choice food pantry, and case management from Bridging the Gap. In some instances emergency financial help may be available for certain bills, ranging from heating or gas to rent.
Those are the social services that are available year round. There are also programs that fire up during the summer, fall, spring, and winter months. Examples of those include free Christmas gifts from Angel Tree, school supplies, and additional financial aid to pay winter heating or gas bills among others. All of this is available for a short term hardship.
The Niagara County Salvation Army center also works closely with other offices in western New York. This allows more regional services as well, such as placing the homeless in shelters as well as summer camps for school. So those area wide assistance programs are also important to people in the Lockport area.
Salvation Army free food, meal, and snack programs in Niagara County
Get up to 3 days worth of free groceries from the food pantry. This is open Monday, Wednesday, and Friday. Note only will boxes of food be passed out, but there are also goods including baby diapers, personal hygiene items, cleaning products, and even infant formula. Many single moms also benefit from this service. All of this is given out based on applicant circumstances.
The Lockport Salvation Army emergency food bank staff also direct very low income families to long term benefits too. This is also true for senior citizens, the disabled, and households living in poverty. Those public aid resources are part of the Pantry Plus program, and include WIC vouchers.
Hot meals are served to 50-150 people per day from the Sister Mary Loretto Memorial Soup Kitchen. It serves the homeless, lonely, and anyone looking for food. Another benefit is this Salvation Army service can get people out of the cold Niagara County winters as well.
Case workers help the low income apply for food benefit programs too. This includes everything from free school lunches or breakfasts for students in Niagara County to cash aid, SNAP food stamps, surplus government commodities and WIC (among others). Learn more on New York state government food programs.
Emergency financial help for bills
Financial aid can be combined with Bridging The Gap, a case management service. The funds are to hold the client over while BTG addresses longer term needs. So some money may pay the rent or cover gasoline expenses, or pay for utility bills. Some parents need support too, and this can refer clients to single mother rental assistance programs.
Then, BTG involves the client going through up to 3 months of life skills and case management. This is for youth as well as adults. It also helps ex-offenders as the District Attorney's Office can be involved. Local attorneys also partner with the charity on the service.
As far as the fall, winter, summer, and other Niagara County Salvation Army social services, those are open for applications during certain time frames. The applications need to be done on time and the criteria needs to be met. The main ones in the Lockport New York area include:
-Angel Tree gives out Christmas toys, games, clothes, gift cards, and other items.
-Summer school and after school day care.
-Seniors and the homeless can use cold weather shelters, or get out of the heat in the summer.
-School supplies for low income students entering elementary, middle, or high school.
-Workshops are organized by the Salvation Army and partners on budgeting, saving, and other activities.
-The local thrift store also gets more seasonal donations from the greater Niagara County community as well.
Salvation Army also offers housing solutions in Niagara County. There are too many homeless individuals or families, or residents that are “housing insecure”. The Christian charity will offer everything from a homeless shelter to motel vouchers or funds to pay rent or mortgages. Housing First is another federal program provides a place to live and then addresses the root cause of the crisis.
Applying for help from Niagara County Salvation Army
The Niagara County Salvation Army is located in Lockport New York at 14094 50 Cottage Street, and the zip code is 14094. Call the center at (716) 434-6104. There is also a homeless shelter, soup kitchen, and low cost thrift store on site.
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