Spring 2013 - RethinkingDebt
Transcription
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 Non-Profit Org US Postage PAID Rochester, NY Permit NO. 986 Stay Connected with CCCS/RethinkingDebt Facebook LinkedIn Twitter - www.facebook.com/RethinkingDebt www.linkedin.com/company/1929041 www.twitter.com/RethinkingDebt 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
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