Frequently Asked Questions
How does a client apply for assistance?
Clients wishing to apply for any C.U.E. program must come into the office and complete an application. All programs require the client to provide proof of physical address, proof of identity for everyone in the household, and proof of all household income, including food stamps. Some programs also require additional materials, like an eviction notice or proof of the cause of hardship. Intake specialists at the C.U.E. office work with all clients to ensure that the application is as complete as possible.
What if someone can’t get to the C.U.E. offices to request assistance?
If you have an elderly parent, a home health patient, or an ailing friend that needs to apply and can’t make it to C.U.E., it is possible for you to make application for that person (a proxy application) but please understand that we must take special care to ensure the legitimacy of the situation. You will need to pick up an application from our office (or request that we fax it to you) and the client him or herself must sign the application. You will also need a signed note from the client authorizing you to apply on his or her behalf. We will also take more care in some verifications, so it is possible that a proxy application may take a little extra time to process.
Once I’ve applied, how long will it take to find out whether I’m approved?
That depends on the program. If you apply for a Tri-CAN card and bring in all the required materials (see above “How does a client apply for assistance?”) you’ll receive your card on the spot, provided you qualify.
Applications for rent, utility, or deposit assistance take one business day to process. If you apply on Monday, you can call on Tuesday to find out the status of your application. Keep in mind that additional documentation is often requested during processing. Just because your application has been "processed" doesn't mean it is complete. On average, it takes most clients just a few days to get together everything they really need to be approved.
Because there are limited seats in each edition of the Home Skills Learning Project, it is a competitive application process. Once you submit an application, it goes into a pool until the application deadline, when we’ll choose the most qualified applicants to participate in the program. If you’ve been accepted, you’ll be contacted and given instructions as to when and where your classes meet.
Why is a family with no income prevented from getting homelessness prevention assistance? Don’t they need help more than anyone?
They do need help more than anyone, and they need far more help than we can offer. A family with no current or forthcoming income is not helped when an agency irresponsibly moves them into an apartment they can’t afford or allows them to use up their eligibility staying in a place they will eventually have to vacate. Since C.U.E. Homelessness Prevention assistance is available to each household only once per year (up to a maximum of $400 in any 24-month period) a client who cannot afford to pay the next month’s rent or utilities is far better served by staying in a shelter or with friends or family until a sustainable long-term solution can be found (an income-based apartment, a job, or long-term financial assistance like Social Security). Whenever possible, our intake specialists try to work with such clients to direct them to the proper resources for their needs.
What if I have been banned as a client?
For the most part, clients are banned for one of two reasons.
1) They have been flagged by one or more landlords/apartment complexes as bad tenants. The agency will not move a client into a new living situation if that client has proven to be dangerous and/or unreliable as a tenant because the tenant’s behavior is a bad reflection on anyone who receives assistance from the agency, and most low-income tenants are no more irresponsible or destructive than any other tenant. If you have been flagged by a landlord, you will need to speak to our executive director about whether reinstatement is possible and what steps you can take to be reinstated as a client.
2) They have attempted fraud against the agency itself. Lying, verbally or on paper, or otherwise deceiving staff in order to receive funding is a crime. Clients who actually receive funding by deception are prosecuted. If the deception is uncovered before funding is disbursed, the client will be banned from further assistance from the agency. Clients who have been banned for deception can be reinstated only by a vote of the board of directors and then only under extraordinary circumstances. |
