INCOME MAINTENANCE DEPARTMENT

The mission of the Income Maintenance (IM) Department is to provide economic, nutritional and medical assistance to individuals and families residing in Mercer County, based upon financial need. These services are provided in an atmosphere that encourages individual responsibility, instills dignity and promotes pride through work. The programs administered by the department are the Work First New Jersey Program (WFNJ) including Temporary Assistance to Needy Families Program (TANF) and General Assistance (GA) Program; the General Assistance Emergency Assistance Program (GA/EA); the Supplemental Work Support Program; the Food Stamp Program (FS); the Home Energy Assistance Program - Automatic Payments (HEA – Automatics); the Refugee Resettlement Program (RRP); and the Medicaid Special, AFDC Related Medicaid and Family Care segments of the Medicaid Program. In addition to these programs that are directly supervised by the NJ Division of Family Development or the NJ Division of Medical Assistance and Health Services, the department also administers the Roads to Success Program, the Rescue Mission Initiative Program and an Outreach and Engagement Grant for the GA population. Training Related Expense payments for WFNJ participants involved in work activities, transportation payments for individuals involved with the Food Stamp Employment and Training Program and medical transportation payments for General Assistance program eligibles are also administered by the department.

Temporary Assistance to Needy Families Program (TANF) – Provides time-limited cash assistance to single adults or couples with dependent children subject to income and resource guidelines and other non-financial eligibility requirements.
General Assistance (GA) – Provides time-limited cash assistance and limited medical benefits to single adults or couples without dependent children subject to income and resource guidelines and other non-financial eligibility requirements.
General Assistance Emergency Assistance Program (GA/EA) – Provides emergency services such as food and shelter to GA individuals determined to be in an emergency situation.
Food Stamp Program (FS) – Supplements the food purchasing power of low-income individuals and families who meet the financial and non-financial requirements of the program.
HEA Program/Automatic Heating Payments – Responsible for the replacement of automatic heating checks and the reconciliation of discrepancies that arise regarding these automatic payments.
Refugee Resettlement Program (RRP) - Provides cash and medical assistance to eligible refugees.
Medicaid Special Program – Provides Medicaid coverage to dependent or independent children under age 21 and pregnant women under 21 on behalf of an unborn child subject to income and resource guidelines.
AFDC Related Medicaid Program – Provides Medicaid benefits to families (primarily TANF and RRP recipients) who meet the eligibility requirements of the former AFDC (Aid to Families with Dependent Children) Program.
Family Care Program – Provides medical coverage for low income families.
Roads to Success Program – Assists TANF, post-TANF and Early Employment Initiative (EEI) recipients with transportation needs in order to help them find and retain employment.
Rescue Mission Initiative – A special initiative instituted with the Rescue Mission of Trenton to assist with the placement of General Assistance emergency homeless recipients. The goal is to ensure emergency services and to expedite payment for eligible recipients at the Mission.
Outreach and Engagement Program – This is a grant program through the Mercer County Workforce Investment Board One Stop Career Center to provide intensive case management to 100 GA recipients. The program focus is on outreach and engagement combined with individual attention to assist the recipient in overcoming barriers to independence.
Supplemental Work Support (SWS) Program – This program provides employed TANF recipients, who are receiving a partial grant, an opportunity to withdraw from TANF and receive a flat $200.00 grant along with other post TANF services, such as child care, transportation and medical benefits.

2004 IN REVIEW

Change was the keyword for 2004. With the Early Retirement Incentive (ERI) plan, the department went through change in its management staff inclusive of an administrator, three assistant administrators and several supervisors.

A second change occurred with the transitioning of employment directed funding to the Department of Labor and Workforce Development (DOLW). Effective June 30, 2004, the department concluded the Board’s contract with the Division of Family Development (DFD) for General Assistance Case Management Employment Directed Activities. The funding for subcontracting with community providers for employment directed activities for GA recipients was redirected to the DOLW effective July 1, 2004. This subcontracting along with providing employment directed activities for GA recipients was transferred to DOLW’s Employment entity, the Mercer County Office One Stop Career Center (MCOSCC). In efforts to make this smooth and seamless transition for both entities and recipients, the department continues to meet with the MCOSCC on a monthly basis.

In light of the “to work consolidation” with DOLW and the many barriers to independence faced by GA recipients, the department recognized the need for intensive case management for some of these recipients. It was felt that it was in the best interest of this population to perform comprehensive social assessments upfront rather than after twelve months of assistance. In the spring of 2004, the department formed a task force which included the MCOSCC, Substance Abuse Initiative, Mental Health Initiative, Medallion Health Care and Catholic Charities. Together the task force developed a pilot project, “GA Triage,” to provide intensive case management services to 100 GA recipients who have significant and or permanent barriers to employment. The goal is to identify the barriers as early as possible so that the individual receives the most appropriate service(s) that leads to independence.

Effective July 1 2004, the IM Department contracted with Mercer County Workforce Investment Board One Stop Career Center to provide intensive case management that emphasizes outreach and engagement to 100 GA recipients with significant barriers to employment. Both the One Stop and IM Department staff identify individuals for this program. The program through one-on-one counseling, rewards system and individualized attention assesses barriers to independence and needs of each customer. Individuals are prepared for job seeking. Critical services are provided to encourage job retention. Also, customers may be referred for additional training and assessment as needed. This program with its emphasis on outreach/engagement activities combined with intensive individual attention is the first of its kind in Mercer County.

In 2003, the agency piloted the use of DOLW’s work registration database (OSOS) as a referral system and communication tool between the DOLW’s Employment Services, Mercer County One Stop Career Center and Mercer County Board of Social Services. This effort was a successful venture and was implemented statewide in 2004. Again in 2004, the agency was asked to serve as a pilot for the state’s food stamp on line application program. The department was part of the successful pilot and the program was rolled out to the rest of state in October 2004.

In 2004, the department initiated a Food Stamp Outreach and Customer Service Plan for the agency. As part of the plan, the Department continues the agency’s 28 year outreach activities to the community which includes nine sites throughout the county. Additionally, outreach is conducted on Tuesday evenings at the Rescue Mission and Wednesday mornings at the Salvation Army. In addition, through receipt of a 2 year federal grant, this department hired in July 2004 a food stamp coordinator whose mission is to encourage eligible people to participate in the Food Stamp Program. The coordinator targets vulnerable populations in need of increasing food dollars, such as senior citizens, immigrants, working poor and the disabled. This is accomplished through presentations, visiting food stores, hanging posters in storefronts and educating the public on use of the food stamp on line application.

The Roads to Success Program continued in 2004 to break down transportation barriers for TANF, post-TANF and EEI recipients. Four post-TANF recipients participated in the car purchase program while a number of TANF, post-TANF and EEI recipients received assistance with driver’s license restoration, car insurance, car repairs, van pool services and driver’s education classes.

As a result of the agency’s participation in the Mercer Alliance to End Homelessness, the process of transitioning individuals released from incarceration into the community was brought to the attention of the department. In 2004, the department initiated a partnership with the Department of Corrections (DOC) to better deliver services to former institutionalized customers. This population often has a difficult history. There are many barriers to re-establishing themselves in the community. Among the barriers are addiction, literacy, mental health issues and few in demand job skills. It is the department’s hope along with DOC that together we will be able to provide a service plan before a customer is released into the community. These customers will be assisted in a manner that will foster success and reduce failure.

Challenges and Goals for 2005

Change continues to be the keyword for 2005. Changes to the programs we administer will come from many and various directions in 2005. These changes are the result of funding cuts, TANF reauthorization and the DOLW to work consolidation. For 2005, the work consolidation is a work in progress. We will plan regular meetings with our operational partners to find the best path to efficient and quality service delivery.

Fiscal reality presents the challenge to do more with less. While caseloads continue to grow, funding cuts by the state have not allowed any increase in the number of staff. Therefore, we are continuing to restructure our service delivery procedures in order to service our recipients in a timely and professional manner within the parameters of current funding levels.

Due to fiscal restraints and community responsibility, the department will strengthen the relationships with our current partners and strive to develop new ones. For example, the department is collaborating with several new organizations that address vulnerable populations; i.e., institutional dischargees and veterans,

As always, we recognize the challenge to maintain our high record of service to the Work First New Jersey recipient and the community. We anticipate meeting the high levels of accuracy that were achieved in 2004.

“Feel Good Story”

In September 2004, James X was a part of the first Outreach and Engagement Program under the new contract. He was the first in the class to get a job. On 1/12/05, the case manager made a follow-up call and he had the following to say about his involvement in the program:

“Being in the class gave me an opportunity to get around and make applications because I had a bus pass. The class itself was quite insightful. One of the activities I particularly enjoyed was one where we had to stretch 3 times and each time we had to out-do ourselves. It brought to my mind that I can achieve anything if I try. I was also able to share information with other people and to see that I was not the only one in that situation. My first job was steppingstone to the next. I was inspired to keep reaching higher and get a good job and I did.”

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