Staff photo by Suzanne Stone.
The Benefit Bank helps individuals and families in need evaluate what forms of government assistance they may qualify for and helps them fill out and submit applications for those benefits.
The program is open from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Monday, Wednesday and Friday at Our Lady of the Valley, and goes out to other sites in Midland Valley: 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. the first Wednesday of each month at Senior Village in Warrenville, the second Wednesday of each month at Village at Horse Creek in Gloverville, the third Wednesday of each month at Clearwater Village Apartments and the fourth Wednesday of each month at Kalmia Apartments in Graniteville.
“If someone comes in wanting to sign up for food stamps, say, our computers are already programmed for that. We put in our code and pull up the website to fill out an application. We do what’s called a Quick Check evaluation, and this tells them everything they might also be eligible for. So even though they came in just thinking of food stamps, they might find out they’re qualified to medical assistance or other things they didn’t know they were eligible to receive,” said Sister Catherine Marie of the Daughters of Charity.
The Benefit Bank also does voter registration applications and offers assistance with income tax and student aid forms. Those looking for Benefit Bank assistance may want to have with them a picture ID, current housing and utility bills, Social Security cards or INS documentation for non-citizens, pay stubs or written statements of gross earned income, proof of payment for child care services and medical services, and documentation of non-employment income such as Social Security benefits, workers’ compensation, pension or alimony.
“The whole process takes about 30 minutes, and many of the applications we help fill out, we can submit online. We usually tell them within two weeks they should know whether they’ve been approved for assistance,” Sister Catherine Marie said. “The Quick Check program lets them know in advance how many dollars in food stamps they can get, so they can plan a budget. They come up with a user name and password, so they can go in on a computer themselves and check out the status of their applications.”
Sister Catherine Marie said that the Benefit Bank staffers want to see funds allotted in the state and federal budget for those in need go to South Carolina residents who need them.
“I’d like to see people get these services, so at the end of the year the lawmakers don’t look at their budgets and say, ‘this much money wasn’t used, so South Carolina must not need that money,'” she said. “We’ve seen a decrease in people coming in for help and we’re not sure why; we know the need hasn’t decreased. Even people who do have jobs come up short and are going hungry, and we know they can use assistance.”
For more information about the Benefit Bank, call Our Lady of the Valley Catholic Center at 593-2623.
By Suzanne Stone
email:sstone@aikenstandard.com
Suzanne Stone is a general assignment reporter at the Aiken Standard. She is an Augusta native and graduate of the Savannah College of Art & Design and studied communications at Augusta State University. Follow her on Twitter at #SuzanneRStone and on Facebook at Suzanne Stone | Aiken Standard.
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