News
You Can Use Prepared by Steve Tindall
From
Lutheran Community Services December
2013
Editors: This information is prepared for church
newsletter editors, secretaries and pastors. Your help in getting the word out
is appreciated and will help LCS achieve its mission of “Sharing God’s
blessings by helping others in need.” Comments about timing or content are
welcome. Contact Steve Tindall
(stindall@lcsde.org). 302 654 8886.
Furniture
Program Needs Transportation
LCS housing clients can get free furniture through our
partnership with New Life Furnishings, which is a wonderful outreach initiative
developed by Westminster Presbyterian Church near LCS’s headquarters. Many housing clients come to LCS with very
little. Sometimes they don’t even have furniture for the new apartment that LCS
helps them secure. In such cases, LCS turns immediately to New Life Furnishings. Their whole mission is to help get good
serviceable used furnishings into the hands of people who really need it. And
they have it all… beds, bedding, things for the kitchen, tables, small
appliances, lighting, chairs etc. Unfortunately, most of our housing clients
don’t have a way to transport the furniture they select from New Life
Furnishings to their new apartment. That’s why we need a physically fit volunteer
with the following: a strong desire to help, a truck or SUV, and the ability to
set up the logistics between LCS, the client, and New Life Furnishings. If you
are that person and want to volunteer, or if you have questions, please call or
email Cher Frampton at 654 8886 x107 or cframpton@lcsde.org.
LCS
Housing Clients Get Financial Counseling
As part of the application process, people who come to LCS
for help with back rent, utilities or security deposits, receive budget
counseling. This used to be provided by LCS housing specialists as part of the
application process. Recently, however, LCS decided to transfer the budgeting
component of the application to Clarifi, a nonprofit organization that
specializes in providing financial literacy training. Housing clients are
instructed to contact Clarifi and do their financial counseling component on
the phone. This way, when clients arrive at LCS to apply for an LCS housing
grant or loan, they have already completed their financial training and come to
us with both a home budget and a basic
plan to improve their financial well-being. Some clients even continue
their relationship with Clarifi to address debt problems and buying a home.
Corporate
Support
LCS recently received two wonderful corporate grants: $10,000 from Bank of America for general
operations; and $5,000 from Dupont for food and housing help during the
holidays.
