By Tim Hockett For Peninsula Daily News
EDITOR’S NOTE — Tim Hockett is executive director of Olympic Community Action Programs.
This year, the Peninsula Home Fund has been a godsend to approximately 180 people each month.
As of the end of October, more than 1,800 households in Clallam and Jefferson counties had been helped, and more than $187,000 of the Home Fund had been spent.
Last year, the community donated more than $230,000.
Since it is during the winter months that most needs surface, OlyCAP staff are certain the Home Fund will be depleted by the end of the year.
People come into our offices with a variety of needs.
But the root cause is usually the same — loss of income.
That loss is often the result of unemployment, foreclosure or heavy medical expenses or any combination of those factors.
The Home Fund has also helped a few families in the wake of a personal loss, such as a fire.
OlyCAP also assisted these families with vouchers to its thrift shop in Port Hadlock, where fire victims could go shopping for a few necessary items to get a new start.
By far the largest presenting need this year has been access to health care, especially oral health care.
The OlyCAP Oral Health Center is seeing five to six dental emergencies every day, according to clinic coordinator Maxine Hoffman.
These are in addition to the regular daily schedule of about 20 patients.
“Many of our patients can’t even afford the minimum required by our sliding scale,” said Hoffman.
“We use the Home Fund to help with the fees for those who have the highest need.”
The fund provided more than $75,000 toward medical and dental needs, including help with prescription medications, lab work and medical supplies.
Rental assistance and home heating assistance are the next highest needs expressed by clients seeking help.
More than $42,000 has been distributed to families needing help with rent or mortgage payments.
About $3,300 has been spent on emergency home repairs.
About $25,000 has been drawn upon to assist people with keeping their power on.
And more than $2,000 has been spent on firewood.
Purchasing clothing for adults needing work-appropriate clothing or uniforms and for children with special needs used about $7,000 from the Home Fund.
Another $2,000 helped purchase personal hygiene supplies for those needing them.
OlyCAP drew $20,000 from the Peninsula Home Fund to help provide transportation to work or medical appointments — mostly by means of bus passes — and to provide car repair and pay for fuel to work.
A number of other re-employment supports were funded by the Home Fund, totaling more than $8,000.
OlyCAP does not use the Peninsula Home Fund when other resources are adequate.
For example, when energy assistance dollars are available from local utilities or the federal government, those funds are used before any consideration is given to using Home Fund dollars.
Vouchers written on the Home Fund are often supplemented by other resources.
For example, if a family needs personal hygiene supplies, OlyCAP will first look at its inventory of goods provided to them from World Vision to distribute.
These strategies help extend the Home Fund — and help to leverage other resources to benefit those in need.
New this year providing “helping hands” are our Americorps VISTA volunteers assigned to OlyCAP.
For every instance of help provided by the Peninsula Home Fund, an appointment must be arranged with someone who can help.
A network of volunteers has developed over the years.
Gracious community members have made up the backbone of OlyCAP’s emergency services volunteers.
But this year, OlyCAP has been able to use many of its Americorps VISTA volunteers to meet the growing need of struggling persons or families.
More than half a dozen Americorps VISTAs have helped families by means of the Home Fund.