Detroit Economic
Security Service Center
Planning for Life Changes - Part Two
Building Your Own Resource Bank Workshop
1:15 P.M. – 2:15 P.M.
November 1, 2011
Aging Services: Changing the Mindset Conference
Schoolcraft College ● Livonia, Michigan
Introductions – Who’s in the Room
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Kate White – Elder Law of Michigan
Phyllis Edwards – Bridging Communities
Carl Herrell – Project Coordinator
Show of Hands
- Wayne County
- Oakland County
- Macomb County
- Service Provider – Aging
- Other Type of Provider
Learning Objectives
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Increase knowledge about economic
trends impacting older adults and
other consumers.
Share best practices about how to
create an Economic Security Service
Center at your local agency.
Increase knowledge about alternative
public benefits and traditional or nontraditional services that can be tapped
to improve the economic status of
older adults.
Overview
 Key Economic Trends Impacting Older Adults
 Program Goals, Benchmarks & Outcomes
 Detroit Economic Security Collaborative Network
 Local Model for Economic Security
 Economic Security Case Work
 Benefit Screening Tools
 EconomicCheckUp
 BenefitsCheckUp
 Impact of Public Benefits on Economic Security
 Implementing Economic Case Work at the Local Level
 Case Studies – Three Client Stories
 Questions & Answers
Key Economic Trends
• Nearly 7.1 million Americans aged 65+ live
in poverty.
• A third of retired older adults rely on Social
Security for more than 90% of income.
• Baby boomers are tapping into Social Security
retirement income earlier due to recession.
• Age sixty-five is no longer targeted age for
retirement.
• Unemployment rate for mature workers
hit an all-time high of 6.7% nationally.
Key Economic Trends
• Early Retirees are taking Social Security earlier
and collecting less.
• 74% of those nationally who retire late (after age
65 years) continue working to keep their income.
• 28% of retirees retiring late do so to keep health
insurance.
• Female retirees are more likely to live alone and
have lower incomes.
Source: Deft Research National Study/Blue Cross-Blue
Shield of Michigan
Key Economic Trends
• Current poverty rate does not
really tell us who can’t meet
their financial needs.
• Seniors and baby boomers need
help to improve their financial
status.
• No comprehensive service to
address all financial needs of
older adults.
NCOA Economic Security Service Center
Program Goal
Assist 500 individuals age 55 years living
in the City of Detroit with household
incomes at or below 250% of the federal
poverty level to obtain Financial Security
Objectives
1. Increase Income
2. Reduce Expenses
3. Improve Financial Security/QOL
4. Advocacy/Public Policy Change
5. Sustainability & Replication
Detroit Economic Security Service Center
NCOA Economic Security Model
Program Design – Economic Security
Demonstration Sites
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Two –Year $50,000 Grant
Technical & Support
NCOA Crossroads Website – Cross Learning & Sharing
Monthly Conference Calls
Monthly Webinars
Partner Meetings (Chicago, San Diego, Tucson, Atlanta &
Washington D.C.)
• Client Tracking & Six-Month Reports
NCOA Demonstration Sites
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Arlington, VA*
Baltimore, MD
Chicago, IL
Cleveland, OH
Dallas, TX*
Detroit, MI
Houston, TX*
• Los Angeles, CA
• Milwaukee, WI
• Nashville, TN*
• New Jersey (County)
• New York City
• New York (Upstate)
• San Francisco, CA
*New site added since launching in April 2010
NCOA Demonstration – New Sites
• Burlington, VT – Association of Africans Living in
Vermont
• Chicago, IL – Rodgers Park Community Center
• Kansas City, KS – Don Bosco Senior Center
• Long Island, NY – East River Development Alliance
• Syracuse, NY – Catholic Charities
• Fairfax, VA – NCOA Virginia Resource Center
Program Design – Economic Security
• Established Detroit Economic Security
Collaborative Network & Leadership &
Steering Committee
• Expanded partnership to include Tier I and
Tier II Partners
• Customized program model for local
community
• Tested local model for six months internally
• Developed Economic Security Assessment in
Service Point to track clients
• Developed forms, Value of Benefits and
Economic Security Directory
• Research/Data Collection
• Participate in Advocacy Activities
Detroit Economic Security Collaborative Network
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AARP Michigan
Accounting Aid Society
Adult Well-Being Services
Aging Network – Region 1-A
Bank of America
Bridging Communities
Caring Hearts
Central United Methodist Church
Communicating Arts Credit Union
Community Foundation of Southeast Michigan
Office of Congressman Hansen Clark’s Office
Corinthian Baptist Church-Caregivers Ministry
City of Detroit Human Services
Delray Senior Pavilion
Detroit Economic Security Collaborative Network
• Detroit Area Agency on Aging
• Detroit Housing Commission
• DTE Energy/Community Energy Solutions
• Elder Law of Michigan
• Franklin Wright Settlements, Inc.
• Green Path, Inc.
• Greater Detroit Association for Blind &
Visually Impaired
• Luella Hannan Memorial Foundation
• Matrix Human Services
• National Council on Aging
• Neighborhood Legal Services
Detroit Economic Security Collaborative Network
• Peoples Community Services
• Wayne County Department of Human
Services
• Wayne County Foreclosure Prevention
Program/Partners – Family Tree and New
Detroit Hope
• Wayne County Community College District
• Wayne County Department of Human
Services
• Wayne State University
• St. Patrick Senior Center
Program Design – Economic Security
Participants
• Intake and Screening
• Release of Information Form
• Pre-EconomicCheckUp
• BenefitsCheckUp
• Person-Centered Assessment
• Economic Security Action Plan
• Referral to Benefits and Services
• Ongoing Follow-Up Assistance
• Post-EconomicCheckUp
• Client Satisfaction Survey
• Closing of the Case
EconomicCheckUp Tools
Pre-
The National Council on Aging
www.benefitscheckup.org/economicsecurity
Post-
Economic Security Tools
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Basic Client Tracking Tools in MS Excel Spreadsheet
Value of Benefit (VOB) Cheat Sheet
Community Mapping/Economic Security Directory
Service Point Economic Security Assessment
Economic Security Training Manual
Policies and Procedures/Protocols
Public Benefits & Services
Public Benefits
• Bridge Card – Food Stamps
• Low Income Subsidy
• Medicare Savings Plan
• Medicaid
• State Emergency Relief
• Free Phones
• Social Security Disability
• Property Tax Relief
• VA Benefits
• Housing Assistance
• Prescription Assistance
Services
• Aging Network Services
• Transportation
• Pension Assistance
• Property Tax Relief
• Money
Management/Debt
Counseling
• Foreclosure Prevention
• Legal Services
• Health Services
• Home Repairs
Program Expansion/Replication
• Economic Security Case Work Training
• Imbedding services in local Aging
Network – Contracts & Request for
Proposals
• Ongoing Partnership Building
• Sustainability Strategy
• Older Americans Act Advocacy
• Data Collection and Research
Marketing & Outreach
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Screening new and existing
clients
Pathways to Financial
Security Fairs
Economic Security Days
Financial Literacy Workshops
Senior Solutions Radio Show
Series
Promotional Cards
Who Supports Economic Security Case Work?
• Project Coordinator – Economic
Security
• Long Term Care Navigators
• AARP & Community Volunteers
• Tier I and Tier II Partner Agencies
including Service Provider Network
• Student Interns –Wayne State
University (BSWs, MSWs, and Ph.D.
Candidate)
Power of Public Benefits on Economic Security
Name:
Josephine Baker
Initial Assessment Date:
15-Apr-10
The Path to Economic Security: Your Economic Action Plan
Ongoing Support &
Follow-up
Intake
Dates:
3 month
Monthly Income
4/15/2010
$
694.00
Source(s):
SSI
Value of Income Supports
Monthly (SNAP, LIHEAP,
etc)
Source(s):
Total Income and Supports
(monthly)
Source(s):
Monthly Income Required
to Achieve Economic
Security
Source(s):
Monthly Shortfall
Source(s):
Percent of Economic
Security
6 month
7/15/2010
$694.00
SSI
$0.00
10/15/2010
$694.00
SSI
$35.00
694.00
$
$1,547.00
$
(853.00)
45%
729.00
$
$1,500.00
$
(771.00)
49%
SSI
Projected
$694.00
SSI
$283.00
SNAP & Rx SNAP, Rx, MSP
$853.00
SNAP, Rx, MSP, LIHEAP,
Housing
796.00
$
$
$1,500.00
$
12 month
1/15/2011
$694.00
$102.00
SNAP
$
9 month
(704.00)
53%
977.00
$1,500.00
$
(523.00)
65%
1,547.00
$1,500.00
$
47.00
103%
Case Example: Impact of Public Benefits on Elders
Advocating for Economic Security
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Older Americans Act Reauthorization
Video Advocacy – One Away Campaign
Local Advocacy – Economic Security Summit
Detroit - Research/Data Analysis to build case
for more resources
Elder Economic Security Standard Index
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What is it?
How it helps you?
How it can help clients?
What does it look like in your
area?
Benefits Enrollment & Options Center
• What is it?
• How it can help you and your
clients?
• How we have integrated case work
and Elder Economic Security
Index?
Barriers to Economic Security
• Asset tests and attitudes toward
poor
• Paper work burdens
• Attitudes – a new standard of living
with less
Organizational Challenges
• Case Coordinators
• Assessments
• Clients
Organizational Success
• Cultural Change
• Client Employment
• Enhanced Collaboration
• New Partnerships
Characteristics of Participants
• Reached out to 250 consumers for economic security
or financial literacy.
• Served 185 consumers with economic security case
work and access to public benefits.
• Project to serve 300 by December 31, 2011 and 500 by
March 31, 2012.
• 89% of participants are African American 9.4% are
White (9.4%) and 2% fall within other ethnic groups.
• Age ranges of participants: 24.8% are 55-61; 16.7% are
62-64; 19.7% are 65-67; 8% are 75-79 and 21.6% are
80+ years of age.
• The majority of participants are female: 83% as
opposed to 17% male.
Characteristics of Participants
• 50% are retired while the others are enrolled in SCSEP
(17%)
• About 33% of participants are working, unemployed or
seeking work.
• 54% have transportation problems.
• 33% have household incomes below 100% of poverty,
63% have household incomes between 101% and 199%
of poverty and 7% have household incomes 200% - 250%
of the federal poverty level.
• About 36% own their homes, 21% rent and the others live
with others or in homeless shelters.
• Top five reasons for seeking help: 1 – Public Benefits; 2Housing, 3 – Financial Counseling; and 4 -Employment;
and 5 - Healthcare Assistance.
Participants Served
74%
2%
50%
4%
15%
2%
29%
Consumer Progress
(October 1, 2010 – September 30, 2011)
39%
Client X
• 61 year-old African American male with no income
was referred by VA Counselor
• Loss job as janitor, very depressed
• Wife has severe arthritis and is asthmatic who
receives Social Security Disability.
• Participant used the ADRC library to research job
options and medical condition. He wants to work in
health care to help seniors.
Outcomes
• Applied for Social Security and was approved in May
2011. Value of Benefits: Increased monthly income by
$636.00.
• Called recently to report that he is much better and
looking forward to the future.
Client Y
• 55-year-old divorced, African American man has no income,
no medical insurance and only a $200 Bridge Card for food.
• Attempt to start business from his home was unsuccessful.
• Had been living in abandoned houses until his aunt and uncle
passed and left him their home with a $5,000 DTE energy bill.
• Had no means of transportation and only a few hundred
minutes a month on a free cellular phone.
Outcomes
• Assisted with applying for Social Security Disability, Medicaid,
and assistance from the Department of Human Services for
his DTE utility bill. Value of Benefits: Social Security
Disability is $1,187/mo.; SER for utility help – $1,700; DDOT
Bus Pass - $69.66/mo.
• Received oxygen to assist with heart condition.
• Reports feeling that his self-esteem has improved
significantly.
Client Z
• 55-year old African American widow who lives alone is
struggling to make ends meet.
• Under employed, working full time and earning
$700/mo.
• Owns home with a mortgage
Outcomes
• Assisted participant to obtain $1,500 for roof repair from
SER.
• Assisted participant to get $134/mo. in food stamps.
• Helped participant to obtain $1,113 to avoid shut off.
• Referred to Green Path for money management
counseling.
• Negotiated home modification loan to reduce her
mortgage down by $185/month.
• Currently, working second job to earn additional income.
Detroit Area Agency on Aging
Anne Holmes Davis
Senior Director – Planning & Economic Security
(313) 446-4444, Ext. 5803
davisanne@daaa1a.org
Carl Herrell, Project Coordinator – ESI
(313 446-4444, Ext 5240
herrellc@daaa1a.org
Bridging Communities, Inc.
Phyllis Edwards, Executive Director
(313) 361-6377
phyllisedwards@bridgingcommunities.org
Elder Law of Michigan
Kate White, Executive Director
(517) 853-2375
kwhite@elderlawofmi.org
Special Thanks to Our Supporters
Michigan
Detroit Economic Security
Collaborative Network