Financial help from SHORE UP! community action agency.
Households that are struggling financially or facing a crisis can turn to SHORE UP for help. The community action agency works with clients to help them break the cycles of living in or near poverty. They combine emergency financial help with education, such as skills training or budgeting classes, as part of a comprehensive case management plan. Find programs from SHORE UP.
Staff from the community action agency, which is officially known as Self Help on Rural Economics and Urban Problems, provide support to families in several counties, including Dorchester, Queen Anne's, Kent, Talbot, Somerset, Wicomico, and Worcester. In an effort to support even more people in this region, SHORE UP also partners with other non-profits in the area to provide referrals and ensure that all needs are met.
Emergency food, housing, medical and financial help
The community action agency assists households experiencing crisis situations. Income and other conditions are in place in order to get emergency financial assistance or grant money. Using funding from the state and federal governments and other sources, they provide energy assistance, medical care, food and financial services.
Utility bill assistance for electricity as well as heating bills is available once per fiscal year (July 1 – June 30). This can also help pay with summer AC / cooling bills. Working with local utility companies, SHORE UP can provide assistance with utility bill arrearages of $300 or more, as well as establishing a budget payment plan and receiving a credit toward future bills. This includes applications from SHORE to MEAP, which is the local version of LIHEAP for paying energy bills. More on MEAP applications in Maryland.
SHORE UP has a HUD-certified Housing Counseling program that can assist individuals with the homebuying process from start to finish. We offer counseling on budgeting,. Credit repair, foreclosure prevention, and more.
- The HUD counseling provides information on other programs in Wicomico, Worcester, Kent and other counties. This includes USDA Housing Repairs and Rehabilitation to improve living conditions for eligible low-income homeowners. There is foreclosure prevention counseling as well as financial aid from grants to pay for home rehabilitation and repairs.
Weatherization Assistance provides improvements to homes that increases their energy efficiency. Energy efficiency, in turn, leads to lower heating and cooling bills. This will help low-income qualified families, seniors and the disabled in Dorchester, Kent, and other counties save money on their utility bills.
Additional housing-related programs
Subsidized housing at Loretta Village is located in Princess Anne, Maryland. There community consists of apartments for low-income families as well as units for seniors. Each apartment includes stove, refrigerator, carpet, trash, water access and a laundry room. They are income based units.
SHORE UP provides a number of assistance programs for the elderly or seniors. The non-profit works to meet the emotional, social, recreational, physical and educational needs of senior citizens as well as disabled residents in its service area. The Adult Day Services program is a center-based program for individuals age 16 and over who require some supervision during the day while their caretakers work. Specific programming provided by Adult Day Services includes therapeutic activities, help with personal care, meals, and help with other daily tasks. Much of this is provided by social workers and an on-site registered nurse.
Senior Employment is available part of Foster Grandparents Program. Eligible individuals age 55 and older earn tax-free stipends while working part-time with children. Options include watching children enrolled in day care while parents take job training, working one-on-one with a child who needs extra help, or helping preschool teachers with their students.
SHORE UP education and financial literacy services
Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) program provides free federal and state (Maryland, Delaware and/or Virginia) income tax return preparation. This will help with both federal and state of MD returns. SHORE UP will also help clients with e-filing for qualifying families and individuals. VITA services include preparing incomes taxes on wages (W2); pension and retirement (1099R); Unemployment (1099G); Social Security/Disability; and completing Schedules for C-EZ, A, B, and D.
When applying for VITA, people need to bring Photo Identification, including State of Maryland or Driver's License for everyone aged 18 and over, the IRS Intake/Quality Review Form, Social Security Card or ITIN for each individual listed on the return, and all tax as well as income forms such as W2s, 1099s, and so on. Learn more on filing income taxes for free.
In an effort to break the cycle of poverty, education and training at SHORE UP includes courses in Adult Basic Education (ABE) or GED General Equivalency Diploma preparation. Instructors and partners of the community action agency provide assistance and also monitor progress as students work at their own pace using individualized, computer-based programs. There is information on job training in the entire region, including counties of Dorchester, Queen Anne's, Kent, Talbot, Somerset, Wicomico, and Worcester MD.
SHORE UP helps children as well. The programs include Head Start (ages 3-4) and Early Head Start (birth-age 3). These programs offer preschool education and child care, with an emphasis on parental involvement, child health, and case management for the family.
Social as well as recreational activities facilitate family bonding, and there are also Parental Involvement workshops held in the community. This is to support in their children’s education, including volunteer opportunities, with an emphasis on encouraging fathers to participate. SHORE UP’s Head Start programs offer nutritional services, hot meals, education, assistance with accessing medical care, and instruction in the care and development of infants.
Phone number
SHORE UP’s main office is located at 520 Snow Hill Rd., Salisbury, MD 21804-6031, but it operates programs in nine counties and has facilities in seven counties. Visit them on the web at shoreup.org or call 410-749-1142.
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