Spring 2013 - RethinkingDebt

CCCS of Rochester/RethinkingDebt Headquarters: 1000 University Ave, Rochester, NY 14607 **SPRING 2013**
Inside this issue:
BalancedCare
1
Client Support
2
Discussing Money
2
1st Home Club
3
Foreclosure Prevention
3
MyMoneyCheckup
4
Biz Kid$
4
Identity Theft
5
Summer Fun!
5
New Services for Seniors and People
with Disabilities
By: Doris Green, Director of Managed Financial Services
CCCS of Rochester has recently launched a new division of services named BalancedCare. BalancedCare provides managed financial services for seniors and people with
disabilities. We are offering two new programs:
Medicaid Assistance Program: This ser vice is designed for senior s and/or people
with disabilities who need access to community based services that can be only be
used if the person is Medicaid eligible. These are called Waiver Programs and are
strictly funded by Medicaid. These Programs include Long Term Home Health
Care Program, Nursing Home Transition and Diversion Waiver Program, Traumatic
Brain Injury, Office of Persons with Developmental Disabilities, and Office of
Mental Health. Medicaid has strict income and resource guidelines. Many people
don’t believe that they will qualify. However, by using a pooled supplemental needs
trust to shelter excess income, many people are able to qualify for Medicaid. If you
need assistance with home care or if you are providing care for a loved one and feeling overwhelmed with care giving responsibilities, this may be the answer you have
been looking for.
Representative Payee Services: CCCS of Rochester has been approved by the Social
Security Administration to act as Rep Payee for individuals over the age of 18 who
receive Social Security benefits (SSI, SSD or retirement) and because of a disabling
condition are unable to handle their own funds and need someone to guide them in
using their benefits. CCCS of Rochester receives the SS benefit directly and pays
bills on the person’s behalf. We work with the person to develop a budget and insure that they receive a personal needs allowance to be spent as they see fit.
Contact:
Doris Green/ Director of Managed Financial Services
585-360-1856
dgreen@cccsroch .org
Client Support
By: Katie Addison, Client Support Team Lead
As the only community-based not for
profit credit counseling organization
in Rochester, Consumer Credit
Counseling Service of Rochester/
RethinkingDebt and its employees
have the knowledge it takes to help
you reclaim your financial health.
Not only are all of our credit advisors certified by the National Foundation for Credit Counseling to help
members of our community regain a
positive financial standing in areas of
debt reduction, home ownership,
foreclosure prevention, student
loans, and bankruptcy, but CCCS of
Rochester/RethinkingDebt also has a
fully staffed Client Support department which is certified in credit
counseling. This allows our current
and prospective clients to receive the
most timely and efficient communi-
attorney, or just curious about our
services, we have the knowledge and
skills to provide you with accurate
information. If we do not know the
answer, we will find it and get you
the answers you need. We are committed to our clients!
cation when there are concerns and/
or questions. Our Client Support
staff is here to schedule appointments and answer all questions pertaining to the services offered at
CCCS/RTD. They can also help you
with credit and debt questions. Our
support staff deals with all situations
and scenarios. When we say we have
heard it all, we really have! Whether
you are a client, creditor, collector,
Our Client Support staff looks forward to serving the community and
creating a relationship with you in
which you are comfortable with and
confident in our service. Our phone
hours are Monday – Friday 9:00a –
5:00p. On the off-hours, feel free to
visit our website
www.cccsofrochester.org and fill out
the contact us form or send us an
email at [email protected]. We will get
back to you as soon as possible.
Discussing Money
By: National Foundation for Credit Counseling
A recent poll hosted on the NFCC
website revealed that 68 percent of
respondents held negative attitudes
toward discussing money with their
fiancée, with 5 percent indicating the
discussion would cause them to call
off the wedding.
The fact of the matter is that two
people bring financial baggage into a
relationship but often don’t deal with
it until problems arise. Baggage can
come in the form of a poor credit
rating, significant debt, and no experience with managing money. Regardless of the issue, the time to address money differences is up front,
before the financial bottom falls out.
Court records show that money problems is one of the main causes of
divorce. Taking action now can prevent a disaster later. The actual poll
question and responses were:
Page 2
aware of=11%
D. Cause us to call off the wedding= 5%
E. Be a productive and easy conversation to have= 32%
For professional help bringing two
incomes, two lifestyles and two financial attitudes together, or for help
in working through financial problems that have never been addressed,
consider calling CCCS of Rochester/
RethinkingDebt for an appointment
with a certified credit advisor. We
If I were getting married, I think that can help you deal with those awkdiscussing money with my fiancée
ward and distressing issues so you
would:
can move forward in your marriage
A. Be a necessary, but awkward
with a clean slate.
conversation= 45%
Call us at 585-546-3440 or 888-724B. Likely to lead to a fight, so I
2227. Or visit one of our websites–
would avoid this topic= 7%
www.cccsofrochester.org or
C. Reveal financial issues I wasn’t www.rethinkingdebt.org.
First Time Homebuyer Education
By: Andrea Colline, Outreach Coordinator
Becoming a homeowner is the #1
goal of many of our clients. CCCS of
Rochester can help you prepare for
the reality and responsibilities of
home ownership and assist you in
obtaining money to help with closing
costs. CCCS of Rochester participates
with the First Home Club (FHC) program. FHC was launched by the Federal Home Loan Savings Bank in
1995 to offer incentives for households with incomes at or below 80%
of area median income to save towards the purchase of a new home.
The FHC provides down payment
and closing cost assistance by granting $4 in matching funds for each $1
saved in a dedicated account. You
can receive up to $7,500 in matching
funds toward your closing costs. The
Homebuyer must participate in the
program for a minimum of 10 months
of systematic savings, up to a maxi-
mum of 24 months.
In order to participate and enroll in
the FHC, you must meet these preliminary qualifications:
●Meet the definition of first-time
homebuyer
●Purchase a home within HLB's
district area (New Jersey, New
York, Puerto Rico, or the US
Virgin Islands)
●Gross household income is 80%
or less of the area median income. The income limits are
currently $56,320 for 1-2 person household limit and 64,768
for 3 or more people
●Open a dedicated savings account with an approved bank
and agree to save monthly for a
period of 10-24 months
●Complete an approved homebuyer counseling program
●Execute the FHC Enrollment
Terms & Conditions Agreement (application)
●Obtain mortgage financing from
the member
When you complete one of our
workshops for first time home
buying, you will receive a Certificate of Completion that will help
you qualify for the First Home
Club. Please contact our agency
for more information, to set up an
appointment, and to get started.
Foreclosure Prevention
By: Destiney Fraguada, Counseling Team Lead
During tough economic times, many
homeowners face difficulties in making their mortgage payments. The
one missed payment turns in to another and another. Most homeowners
do not know where to turn and fear
having their home taken away from
them.
At CCCS of Rochester/
Rethinkingdebt, we strive to assist
homeowners that are having difficulty in making their monthly mortgage
payment with possible foreclosure
prevention options. Our certified
Housing Counselors will advocate
for the homeowner and serve as their
voice with their mortgage servicer.
ble to the homeowner to prevent
The Housing Counselor will work
foreclosure on the property.
with the mortgage servicer to find
the best fit option that may be availa- There are many programs for differPage 3
ent types of loans. They range from
government programs such as the
NYS Homeowner Protection Program and Making Home Affordable,
in-house modifications offered by
the Mortgage Servicer, to Traditional
Sale and alternatives to foreclosure
such as Deed-in-Lieu or Short Sale.
If you know someone that is facing a
mortgage issue and cannot make
their current or next mortgage payment have them contact us by phone
at 585-546-3440 or email at [email protected] .Our certified Housing Counselors can advocate for the homeowners that are facing mortgage difficulties and in
many cases find a positive outcome.
MyMoneyCheckUp
By: Joe Schmitthenner, Credit Advisor
Do you have goals which you are in
the process of trying to attain but are
not sure if you can afford them? Are
you living paycheck-to-paycheck
without setting aside any savings?
Are you getting close to retirement
age and not sure where you stand?
Well we have a resource for you!
In conjunction with the National
Foundation for Credit Counseling,
CCCS of Rochester/RethinkingDebt
is proud to announce the launch of a
new web-based resource to help with
your money management needs. MyMoneyCheckUp is a program developed by the NFCC in collaboration
with Ohio State University, The University of Wisconsin and the University of Chicago and offers easy
online access and availability to a
comprehensive analysis of your financial behavior.
MyMoneyCheckUp is a free webbased tool to help you see where you
stand with your finances. After regis-
financial well-being. The information provided will allow the exploration of the link between your
financial literacy and your financial
behaviors, which will make it much
easier to budget your monthly bills
and expenses going forward.
Finally you will be provided with a
computer-generated analysis of your
overall financial health based on the
tering, you will be asked a series of
financial information you provided
concise questions related to your
and your answers to the financial
financial behavior in four key areas:
questions. This analysis highlights
Budgeting and credit management,
potential areas of weakness that
savings and investing, planning for
could benefit from additional finanretirement, and managing home eqcial planning, education and possible
uity. These questions are carefully
counseling sessions to provide more
designed and validated to reflect fiinformation or additional alternanancial behaviors relevant to low and
tives.
moderate income households.
Please visit the link provided below
After completing this portion of the
and on our website if you are interquestionnaire you will then be asked
ested in this great new offering!
a series of questions which gather
www.mymoneycheckup.org/
more information to create a comcccsofrochester
plete and accurate snapshot of your
CCCS Partners with the City of Rochester’s Biz Kid$ Program
By: Chad Rieflin, Director of Programs and Grants
One of our top priorities at CCCS of
Rochester is to work closely with
community agencies in order to integrate financial education within their
programs and projects. We believe
this strengthens the services provided by these organizations and affords
us the ability to expand our reach
and impact. We have the privilege
of partnering with many different
groups. One in particular that we
want to highlight is the City of Rochester Biz Kid$ program. Biz Kid$ is
an entrepreneurship education program for students between the ages
of 10-18 that focuses on helping urban youth learn about making and
handling money. The Biz Kid$ program accomplishes this goal by ofPage 4
fering weeklong camps, monthly
seminars, and the opportunity for
students to join a business team and
sell products at local fairs and festivals. Through our Credit Education
Bureau (CEB) extension, CCCS
helps Biz Kid$ with program development, curriculum development,
and educating students on the subject
of money. Biz Kid$ serves approximately 100 students annually and
many Biz Kid$ graduates have gone
on to start and run successful businesses locally. Recently, a group of
Biz Kid$ visited the CCCS offices
and participated in a workshop about
the ins and outs of credit. Students
played a “Jeopardy” style game and
competed as they learned about credit reports, credit scores, loans, and
interest rates. To learn more about
Biz Kid$ or to register your student
for Biz Kid$, visit: http://
www.cityofrochester.gov/bizkids/ or
call the City of Rochester Recreation
Department at (585) 428-7371.
Identity Theft
By: Marie Cancela, ACH Specialist
Identity theft is commonly seen in
the form of stolen credit cards or
bank information, but it can happen
in a variety of other ways. No matter
what kind of fraud, once it is discovered, the procedure for the victim
should be the same.
The first step you want to take if you
believe you're a victim of identity
theft is to contact all three of the major credit bureaus and report the
www.rethinkingdebt.org . There are
fraud, or possible fraud, and have
many people to file reports and the
what they call a "fraud alert" atmore you file, the more likely you
tached to your credit report.
are to catch the thief, recoup your
The three major credit bureaus are
missing funds and cover all your baEquifax, TransUnion, and Experian. ses.
They can show you your credit reOne of the best ways to avoid identiport and help find what looks suspity theft is to shred all your bank and
cious, and can then help you solve
credit card statements to protect
the problem. You'll also want to file
yourself from dumpster divers.
a local police report. A complete list
Don't just throw them out or even
of the best steps to take and ways to
just tear them up. Shredding them is
contact the three credit bureaus can
the best option. Online banking also
be found on our websites–
minimizes the risk of sensitive inforwww.cccsfrochester.org or
mation getting in the wrong hands.
The same protective measures
should be applied to anything involving your social security number.
Absolutely safeguard your social
security number. If somebody asks
you for it, ask them why they need it
and what they do to safeguard that
information. Give it out very sparingly!
Never ignore your bank information.
Remaining aware of your bank accounts will help you find a fraudulent charge before it gets any worse.
The best way to avoid ID Theft is to
make sure you keep an eye on your
statements, look at your bills and
make sure there aren't any charges
that you didn't authorize.
When it comes to avoiding identity
theft, vigilance is key.
Need more help? Call us at 888-7242227.
Cool Tips for Summer Fun
When school lets out every summer, fun in your own backyard is a great
thoughts turn to FUN, but don’t let
summer fun break the bank! CCCS of
Rochester/RethinkingDebt have some
tips for inexpensive summer fun.
●Visit the Library– Most libraries
have summer activities and programs.
It’s also a low-cost way to check out
books, movies, and audio books.
●Plan an overnight or weekend visit
nearby– Do you have family and
friends that are too far away for dinner but close enough for night or
two? Make some day or weekend
trips to visit grandma, an aunt, or an
old friend with children. A change of
scenery is great for the whole family.
●Childcare Sharing programs– Pooling your resources with neighbors,
●Family Movie Night– Many theafamily and friends can be a good way
way to save some money this sumtres offer free or reduced prices for
mer. Pack a lunch and have a fun pic- to keep the kids entertained but also
movies during the day on weekdays, nic outside.
allow you some free time to get
matinees on the weekends, or considchores and errands done.
er renting a movie and having pop●Visit Local Playgrounds and Parks–
corn and snacks on your own couch. A visit to a park in another local town By incorporating some fun but low
cost activities this summer teaches
will be an adventure for the kids to
●Museums and Galleries– With gas explore “new” slides, monkey bars
your children to treasure the time
prices still at record highs, finding
spent together not the money spent.
and swings.
Page 5
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Toll Free Phone: 1-888-724-2227
Email: [email protected]
This newsletter is a publication of CCCS of Rochester/ RethinkingDebt.org, a Not-for-Profit agency. It is a source of information for
clients, sponsors, representatives of the credit industry, and the service networks supportive of our mission and vision.
Headquarters:
1000 University Ave., Suite 900
Rochester, NY 14607
Phone: (585) 546-3440
Fax: (585) 546-5693
Toll Free- (888) 724-2227