Government benefits and social services from DSS in Forsyth County NC.
Short term assistance, including applications to government benefits, may be provided by Department of Social Services in Forsyth County. They are the main source for public assistance in the area. Families living in or near poverty levels, the unemployed and others can receive temporary help including from Food and Nutrition Service (SNAP), Work First Cash Assistance (TANF) and other benefit programs. Find details on DSS programs in the Winston Salem-Forsyth County area.
Social Services benefits including food, cash aid and child care
Department of Social Services
energy bill assistance is available in Forsyth County in partnership with community action as well as the
Salvation Army in Winston Salem
. One of the primary resources is the Crisis Intervention Program, or CIP. This helps families with paying their utilities if they are close to a shut off and is offered as part of LIEAP. All government grant money paid out will be directly to your electric or gas company with a focus of paying winter heating or summer cooling bills. Those Forsyth County individuals who are in immediate danger of disconnection or whose service has been disconnected may be eligible. The Social Service Department also works with the Salvation Army of Winston-Salem to administer the energy program. Subsidized child day care may be available for individuals who are in job training or who are working and need assistance with caring for their children age birth through 12. Department of Social Services offers applications to the Child Care Subsidy benefit. This will help lower-income parents (including single moms or dads) pay for daycare. Any type of day care is provided in Family Care Homes or licensed Child Day Care Centers in Forsyth County. There still will be some costs that need to be paid by the family, and the fee for the day care will be based on the applicants income and family size. Therefore the child care help is only an income based subsidy from the Department of Social Services. The state of North Carolina Food and Nutrition Services - federal government SNAP Food Stamp program provides monthly benefits to the working poor and low income. This public assistance can help low-income households buy food, perishable items and groceries. The exact amount of benefits distributed is based on income on family size, with an EBT card used as part of the Food and Nutrition Services. Noter people who are working may still be eligible for SNAP food stamps - this DSS benefit is not only for people with no money. This may be the governments most widely used public program and millions of people are enrolled across the nation, and thousands of local Forsyth County families also benefit.
Work First Family Assistance
is a cash assistance/grant program and it is also known as TANF. The short term aid can help residents of Forsyth County plan for employment, attend job training, keep children in school, and pay the bills including housing or food. The grants are intended to pay for basic needs only and clients will be required to get a job in the near future in order to continue to be supported by Work First. For example, families who get cash assistance or Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF), are limited to sixty (60) months of benefits in a lifetime. DSS helps with long term needs . Clients will often be assigned to work with the a case worker. This group oversees most of the government assistance and social services that are available in the county. Case managers that are part of DSS specialize in offering programs that contribute to the economic and financial stability of struggling families. The overall goal is to help them get short term government benefits to pay the bills and then help people remain employed over the medium to long term. Staff from Forsyth County also work with local agencies and federal government resources to provide a helping hand to qualified families.
Additional programs from Department of Social Services in Winston-Salem
Government health insurance will help pay medical bills. The Forsyth County DSS process applications to this state/federal benefit program. There are even local eye doctors that accept Medicaid and will offer exams/glasses to those patients. This is a government run program that can pay the health care costs for eligible low-income families and their children. There is some flexibility to your provider as well as the selection of a primary care provider is usually required. Health insurance for “childern” 19 and under is offered as part of the North Carolina Health Choice program. It is a version of Medicaid but focuses on younger people in Forsyth County. This statewide program provides low cost medical insurance, basic medical, dental and other support. It can also support people who are not qualified for Medicaid. Employment assistance is provided to TANF recipients as part of Work First Employment Services. This government program from Department of Social Services works closely with families receiving free cash assistance from Work First / TANF. Social workers can help you reduce barriers to either finding or keeping a job. In order to continue to receive public aid, plans and goals must be agreed to. It will outline the plan for the family to move toward self-sufficiency as they continue to use the resources of the Forsyth Department of Social Services. Some of the specific assistance provided by Work First Employment includes short-termed vocational education. There is also transportation assistance such as gas or car repair help. Or get subsidized childcare, intensive job search, a wide array of post-employment job retention services, and job development/placement.
Apply to the Social Services Department
The programs above, as well as others, can be accessed from DSS at 741 Highland Ave, Winston-Salem, NC 27101. For applications, dial (336) 703-3800.