Emergency Assistance

1 The woman had survived cancer but lost her job. That is what she was hoping to replace when she reached out to the Eastpoint Workforce Development Center in Essex for help. But a counselor there learned that the woman was living in her car and immediately found a shelter bed for her. Then he was able to guide her to medical and prescription assistance. Credit A Helping Hand in Hard Times, a new Web tool that is helping Baltimore County staff and job-seekers locate a wide range of emergency assistance.

Help still is available for Marylanders at risk of losing their homes because they lost a job, their pay was cut or earnings reduced because of an illness. But time is running out. Homeowners facing foreclosure on their primary residence must get their applications into the state before 4 p.m. Sept. 16 to receive an interest-free, forgivable loan worth up to $50,000. The money is intended to help delinquent homeowners get current on housing payments and assist with future mortgage bills for as long as two years.

ANNAPOLIS -- The first phase of Maryland's welfare reform effort begins at the end of this month when the state kills off a program that once helped more than 17,000 Maryland families a year with small grants to tide them over in emergencies.State-funded Emergency Assistance, a $3.2 million program that made small amounts available for those facing eviction or other sudden problems, ends April 1. The remainder of its budget, $800,000, will revert to the general Department of Human Resources budget.

A string of terrible luck brought Deborah Goldring to the brink of foreclosure. Her husband died. All their savings were exhausted paying down bills from his long illness. Then she lost her job. But just as the Baltimore woman's lender notified her that her time had nearly run out, a new federally funded program was launched to help homeowners like her. Now Goldring is about to close on a no-interest loan that will allow her to catch up on her mortgage and that will cover a large chunk of her monthly payments while she looks for work.

THE QUESTION: How many calls does the 911 county emergency dispatch center in Westminster typically receive in a year? THE ANSWER: The dispatch center fielded 55,375 calls for help last year, according to the county Office of Public Safety. That's a 67 percent increase since 1994, when the center handled 33,071 calls. Last year, emergency assistance was dispatched in response to 15,104 of those calls, up from 10,728 in 1994. Send your questions of general interest to: carroll.letters@baltsun.

FIRN/Community Assistance for International Residents has published the "Helpbook," a resource booklet to acquaint new arrivals from other countries with the services available in Howard County through local government and nonprofit agencies.The 20-page booklet shows where to find information on immigration and naturalization, translators, jobs, housing, driver's licenses, Social Security cards, transportation, English classes, aid to low-income families or the elderly and emergency assistance.

ANNAPOLIS -- The first phase of Maryland's welfare reform effort begins at the end of this month when the state kills off a program that once helped more than 17,000 Maryland families a year with small grants to tide them over in emergencies.State-funded Emergency Assistance, a $3.2 million program that made small amounts available for those facing eviction or other sudden problems, ends April 1. The remainder of its budget, $800,000, will revert to the general Department of Human Resources budget.

Human Services Programs Inc., the private agency that runs most of Carroll's shelters and emergency assistance, won approval from the County Commissioners yesterday to become a "community action agency."That designation was started by former President Lyndon B. Johnson in the 1960s during his "War on Poverty."Community action agencies formed in other parts of the state and country in the 1960s, but never in Carroll. Human Services needed the commissioners' OK and now awaits state approval.

The waiting lines for food and medical assistance, always long at state Department of Human Resources offices, have grown even longer during this economic downturn as a surge in applicants has stretched caseworkers to the limit and left many people without benefits, simply because there aren't enough staff workers to process their claims. Baltimore Sun reporter Julie Bykowicz's poignant story Tuesday about Miracyle Thompson, a pregnant mother who was forced to skip meals so that her children could eat, represents a dilemma faced by thousands of Maryland residents who have waited longer than the 30 days allowed by federal law for emergency assistance approval.

By pledging $20,000 in funds to the Human Services Program, the Carroll County commissioners have ensured that two shelters for homeless families in Westminster will remain open. Without that 11th hour-contribution, HSP might have been forced to close its family shelters. The commissioners realized the gravity of the situation, found the money in their 1994 budget and solved the problem -- at least until next year.We commend the commissioners -- along with groups and private individuals who have made recent donations -- for their responsiveness.

1 The woman had survived cancer but lost her job. That is what she was hoping to replace when she reached out to the Eastpoint Workforce Development Center in Essex for help. But a counselor there learned that the woman was living in her car and immediately found a shelter bed for her. Then he was able to guide her to medical and prescription assistance. Credit A Helping Hand in Hard Times, a new Web tool that is helping Baltimore County staff and job-seekers locate a wide range of emergency assistance.

The waiting lines for food and medical assistance, always long at state Department of Human Resources offices, have grown even longer during this economic downturn as a surge in applicants has stretched caseworkers to the limit and left many people without benefits, simply because there aren't enough staff workers to process their claims. Baltimore Sun reporter Julie Bykowicz's poignant story Tuesday about Miracyle Thompson, a pregnant mother who was forced to skip meals so that her children could eat, represents a dilemma faced by thousands of Maryland residents who have waited longer than the 30 days allowed by federal law for emergency assistance approval.

College Park -- In the aftermath of Maryland's embarrassing home losses to Ohio University and American last month, forward James Gist seemed to be taking much of the criticism for his lack of production, effort and leadership. Gist fouled out of both games, playing a total of 47 minutes, contributing 11 points and 10 rebounds. The only fourth-year senior on the team, Gist was seeing his final season as a Terrapin quickly slipping away. Duke@Maryland Tonight, 6:30, Comcast SportsNet, 1300 AM, 105.7 FM Records: No. 4 Duke (16-1, 4-0 ACC)

In this season of bounty, there are troubling reminders of hunger in our midst that should not be acceptable. Two reports last week found that the number of hungry Americans, including children, remains about the same, which is way too many people. And things aren't likely to get better as food, energy and housing costs are increasing while salaries remain the same or decline. Reducing hunger requires more aggressive public and private action. The federal Department of Agriculture reported that in 2006, there was a slight increase in "food insecure" households, up from 12.59 million in 2005 to 12.65 million in 2006, or nearly 11 percent of all households.

In the chaotic aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, the Bush administration was so eager to compensate for initial bungling that imperiled thousands of Gulf Coast residents, it began passing out cash aid to victims almost indiscriminately. So many people took advantage of this invitation to fraud that federal investigators estimate that 16 percent of the emergency assistance money - about $1 billion - was misspent on bogus victims and duplicate payments, with uses of the funds including football season tickets, divorce lawyers, and - most famously - a sex-change operation.

THE QUESTION: How many calls does the 911 county emergency dispatch center in Westminster typically receive in a year? THE ANSWER: The dispatch center fielded 55,375 calls for help last year, according to the county Office of Public Safety. That's a 67 percent increase since 1994, when the center handled 33,071 calls. Last year, emergency assistance was dispatched in response to 15,104 of those calls, up from 10,728 in 1994. Send your questions of general interest to: carroll.letters@baltsun.

It's taken a couple of record hurricanes, but the White House and federal disaster officials seem finally to have gotten their act together. President Bush had barely awakened the morning after Hurricane Iniki smashed into Kauai Friday when he declared the Hawaiian island a disaster area. Army and Navy units were already headed from nearby bases and, wonder of wonders, Federal Emergency Management Agency advance teams were on the island even before the storm struck.Washington's response to natural disasters like the major storms that hit South Florida last month and Kauai last week -- the sort of calamities state and local governments cannot handle by themselves -- should not have political implications.

By refusing to sign a letter to President Clinton requestin federal assistance to pay for snow removal after the recent blizzard, Rep. Roscoe G. Bartlett adhered to his political ideology to reduce federal spending. However in his zeal, Mr. Bartlett may not have been thinking of the best interests of his constituents.Mr. Bartlett, along with Rep. Wayne T. Gilchrest, his GOP colleague from the Eastern Shore who also refused to sign the letter, believe that the federal government's emergency assistance programs fall into that category.

Carroll County will pick up the tab for the next five months for a cash-strapped state program that provides emergency assistance to poor and disabled adults. The commissioners approved spending $50,000 yesterday to cover no more than 18 new applicants each month through June. "This is a safety net we're throwing out," Commissioner Dean L. Minnich said. The state instituted a six-month freeze last month on applications for the Transitional Emergency Medical and Housing Assistance program, which provides $185 a month to disabled people.