DAYTON — The Montgomery County Job and Family Services is taking to the road in order to help people get the benefits for which they qualify.
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As previously reported on News Center 7 at 6, Job and Family Services is located on Edwin C Moses Boulevard in Dayton, but getting everyone to their campus can be a struggle.
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Now, they are teaming up with the sheriff’s office for an on-the-move program. The JFS team is taking an RV, stocked with supplies and paperwork, so they can go sign up county residents for benefits.
The JFS workers say this is a demonstration of the government being flexible in how they help people.
“We come directly to them so they don’t have to come here. It kind of alleviates that barrier,” Ashley Harris, JFS On The Move management liaison, said.
Harris says the county taxpayers didn’t pay for the RV, it was purchased with federal rescue plan money.
“So we are here to basically meet the customers where they are, to help them get benefits as quickly as possible,” Harris said.
JFS On The Move visits the Montgomery County Jail twice per month to serve people that often fall through the cracks.
“Defendants who are leaving the Montgomery County Jail could easily access those mobile supports, as well as our people that are touching our court system downtown,” Teresa Russel, director of criminal justice and outreach services, said.
Russell says hundreds of people will see the RV in downtown Dayton, and they can climb aboard and see a caseworker to get help with things like food assistance, Medicaid, child care or even license reinstatement.
The mobile outreach is not new, but the RV with eight computers in a mobile office is. JFS says community groups can request the mobile unit attend events, to see people that could qualify for benefits.
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