If you need help with money or becoming self-sufficient, you can go to a non-profit, faith-based church in East Baton Rouge Parish. Case managers and volunteers from different churches will get together with people who applied for help. They will talk about different options that are available. These options might include getting money for a place to live or to pay rent. There might also be workshops about food and budgeting that people can go to. The charity agency can tell you about US government programs that can help you, like the USDA Commodity program and emergency solution grants.
Assistance is offered for residents in the following zip codes: 70806, 70808, 70809, 70810, 70814, 70815, 70816, 70817, 70818, 70819, and 70820. There may be services in nearby regions as well. This means that, as part of the process, workers who deal with intakes will need to have meetings with people who are applying. They will review the person’s income and financial situation, and if the person is eligible for financial aid, they will be referred to the appropriate resources. The main concern is providing assistance for essential requirements.
Food assistance and local pantries from churches
The churches will be working with the families and the community to help prevent hunger. There may be free groceries available, or applications for resources such as SNAP food stamps. Many families can get help with their nutritional needs, but resources are primarily focused on senior citizens and children from low income households.
A food pantry is a good place to go when you can’t afford to buy food. There needs to be some sort of difficulty that the person or family is going through and they need to be able to communicate what the issue is. If you qualify, you can go to the food pantry and get emergency food assistance.
The client gets to choose what center they want to go to. Visitors to the local church’s pantry or soup kitchen can choose from a variety of food supplies. The goal is to create a meal plan that includes a variety of food groups in order to get the nutrients your body needs. Most of the food that is available comes from donations or from partners such as Feeding America or the Hunger Prevention Nutrition Assistance Program.
If you need assistance with food, another option is to get help from the United States Department of Agriculture. They have a program that provides food to people in need. This non-profit provides food to low-income or working families who are struggling to find enough to eat. These federal government commodities are distributed on a first come first serve basis and are distributed every three months to qualified applicants.
The Nutritional Outreach and Education Program (NOEP) uses the expertise of its experienced staff to provide guidance and direction. This service will help residents of the county with the SNAP Food Stamp application process and even how to get re-certified.
Emergency funds for rent, living expenses and energy bills
This is only available if you are in a crisis and have no other options. If you do well on the assessment, you can get money to help pay for college. The churches in Baton Rouge Parish may have free gas vouchers or bus passes for job interviews and doctor’s appointments. There might be money from the government to help pay for renting, getting ID cards and birth certificates, or getting medicine.
Churches in the local area, including Francis Asbury United Methodist, Broadmoor Baptist, Trinity Lutheran, St. Luke’s Episcopal, and around 15 others, raise money for the cause. There may also be some occasional grants from the government or United Way, but those are not common, and all funding is restricted.
The Energy Bill Assistance Program helps with different types of energy sources, like natural gas, propane gas, electricity, heating oil, kerosene, and wood. The majority of this financial assistance comes from donations by local charities as well as from the federal government’s Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP).
Many of these local churches are supported by the United Way or other local fundraisers. The money is used to pay for a lot of different things, like if someone needs to stay in a shelter, or if they need help to pay their rent or mortgage. Case managers from local churches can provide some financial assistance for past-due energy bills and one-time rental assistance at certain times of year, but it’s not much. In some cases, loans with no interest will be issued to help a client pay for living expenses, but no matter the situation, all support is limited and comes with restrictions.
You will receive financial aid and advice. For clients who are struggling to get on their financial feet, faith based groups or partners have trained volunteers who can provide guidance and support. This process will help people identify what is preventing a client from being financially independent. A development plan is a set of goals and actions that you take to improve your life or reach a goal. For example, you might have a plan to improve your credit score or to save money each month. What this means is that they will also help you figure out how to carry out your action plan.
There are several transitional housing options available in Baton Rouge Parish, most of which are low income apartments. Each family works closely with staff to find a suitable home. There are also support systems for single parents, veterans and senior citizens in the area. All clients will also enroll in programs to develop life skills, receive counseling, and get help with finding a job, as needed. The goal of these sessions is to help people identify and overcome the things that have been holding them back from being self-sufficient.
The churches in East Baton Rouge work together with other organizations to provide additional skills training when needed. This can include anything from helping you find a job, to teaching you how to manage money, giving you advice on what courses to take or providing therapy for you and your family. This will help the tenant in the transitional housing to make a successful move to permanent housing.
Assistance for seniors in Baton Rouge from churches
The Home Rehabilitation Program provides repairs and improvements to homes for low-income families, the elderly, and people with disabilities. Rehabilitation funds are typically in the form of low income loans and are used to assist with home repairs and modifications to make homes accessible for people with disabilities, based on HUD Housing Quality Standards. If someone from a church volunteers and is eligible, they might do some minor maintenance work.
The National Family Caregiver Program provides information for caregivers. This program provides one-time financial assistance to eligible senior citizens. There are a number of services available to help with things like rent and utility payments, medication costs, food and medical equipment. Other help may be possible to get, depending on what the older person applying for assistance needs.
How to find help and apply to churches in Baton Rogue
Charity services are provided by many churches, and families can be given information about a location near them by dialing 211. Referrals will be given as needed.