By CARL E. FEATHER - Staff Writer - cfeather@starbeacon.com
ASHTABULA — Ohioans pass up $1.6 billion in assistance every year, but partnerships between the state and non-profit entities are helping them get the aid due to them.
Greg Landsman, director of the state Office of Faith-Based and Community Initiatives, was in town Monday to help leaders of the county’s non-profit agencies and churches tap into the Ohio Benefit Bank and many other programs offered through his office. The director’s visit to Ashtabula County was the result of State Rep. Deborah Newcomb, D-Conneaut, accepting the office’s offer to present a seminar in every district in the state. But only 12 of the state’s 99 representatives signed up.
The office was created in 2003 to serve as a central point of contact for community groups, non-profits and government agencies interested in forming public-private partnerships. Landsman said the goal of those partnerships is first and foremost “reduce and eliminate poverty in Ohio.”
The recession has made the mandate even more difficult to attain. Landsman said it is likely many more Ohioans have slipped into poverty since 2007, when unemployment was 5.7 percent and about 1.5 million Ohioans were living at or below the federal poverty line. Further, as a result of the state’s budget woes, there is less money to help Ohioans climb out of poverty, making partnerships essential.
Landsman said although “faith-based” is part of the office’s title, it works with all 501(c)(3) agencies and even some foundations. In a typical year, it provides about $7 million in competitive grants that go to 50 to 60 non-profits. Those grants assist programs like summer learning and food initiatives, a family-support fund to provide informal support mechanisms for people making the transition from poverty and a fatherhood program.
While most of the grant programs have already closed for the 2010 funding cycle, Landsman said local non-profits can still tap into non-competitive services provided through the office.
Under the Together Ohio Community Engagement Partnership Program, the state has been divided into six districts, each one of which will be served by a regional partner to develop and implement a region-specific Call to Action outreach strategy. The program will provide quarterly seminars to help small non-profits grow and one-on-one technical assistance and mentoring.
Ohio also has numerous Call to Action programs that don’t involve grant money. One example would be to get congregations to sign on with the state in its effort to place the 3,000 children awaiting foster care. He said if just one in 20 congregations would partner with the state in the effort, “there would be no children waiting for homes.”
The aforementioned, Web-centric Ohio Benefits Bank, which requires only a computer, Internet connection and two days of training for a non-profit to launch, is another partnering opportunity. Landsman said there are more than 1,000 sites already using the resource, including three in Ashtabula County. Statewide, Ohioans have accessed $185 million in benefit money, much of it federal, as a result of using the bank.
“It can make a big difference in helping (clients) straighten out their situations and also helping bring more dollars into the local economy,” Landsman said.
Online: gofbci.ohio.gov
