Unfortunately times are tough for many of our community members. A not well-known program available to those receiving public assistance is the PRC which can assist with paying unanticipated short-term shelter, vehicle, and job training expenses. Read below for more information or contact Josef Koval for more details (jkoval@mesilacleveland.org).
The Prevention, Retention and Contingency (PRC) program was established to help families overcome immediate
barriers to self-sufficiency. It is funded through the Temporary Assistance to Needy Families program for low-income families. Families receiving assistance from other public assistance programs − including Ohio Works First, Disability Financial Assistance and food assistance (formerly known as food stamps) − may also apply for PRC services and benefits at their county departments of job and family services.
Who is eligible for PRC services?
Benefits and services are available for certain low-income families who need short-term help during a crisis or
episode of need. This includes:
• Needy families with minor children
• Individuals who are pregnant
• Noncustodial parents of minor children if the noncustodial parent lives in Ohio and does not live in the
same household as the minor child.
What types of services may be offered?
• Clothing and shelter
• Domestic violence, housing relocation and disaster assistance
• Transportation (including auto repair expenses or a down payment on an automobile)
• Training, employment and work support
Benefits are available at county departments of job and family services but vary between counties based on the
needs in the local communities. Each county has a PRC plan stating the types of services and benefits that are
available in that county and the eligibility criteria for them.
County PRC plans can be found at
http://jfs.ohio.gov/owf/prc/county/countytable.stm (Ed: Seem to be problems with this web site)
For more information, contact your county’s department of job and family services.
Sounds Great but... says
Unfortunately, there is a reason why this program is not well known.
This program is very difficult to take advantage of. I will admit, it has been a while, but at one point I tried very hard to take advantage this program.
There are a few issues with it. First of all, it is run by the department of job and family services. Only your case worker can get you on this program. Getting in-touch with your case worker is usually a challenge in and of itself.
The other problem is: most case workers are not too familiar with this program. They just “know about it”, but they do not know too many details. So even when you get in touch with your case worker, they usually do not know how you can or will benefit from the program. And because the case workers are so overloaded, they will not take the time out to research it for you.
I tried this a number of times, when I had different case workers, and only succeeded once. After hours and hours of work, I was able to get the program to pay for a gas shut-off notice I had. But that was it.
If anybody knows of some practical way to get on this program, please share it with us!!
Thank You!!