The Sargent Shriver National Center on Poverty Law recently met with advocates from a shelter for victims of domestic violence and their children and the Western Local Office of the Illinois Department of Human Services (IDHS) to address persistent problems that shelter residents have in accessing public benefits. The positive results of the meeting underscore the benefits of collaborating to foster understanding between state agencies and community organizations.

Shelter staff had reported on the difficulties that residents had in timely obtaining Crisis Assistance and Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) benefits, in transferring their cases to the nearby office, and in obtaining child care assistance and other supportive services. To improve the delivery of services, the meeting with the IDHS local office was arranged. Victor Rosario, the Western administrator , brought key members of his staff to the meeting to discuss critical issues regarding coordinated service delivery to families who are homeless due to domestic violence. These staff members supervise the frontline workers who are responsible for the administration of benefits at the local office. We are focusing on this meeting because it exemplifies how local service providers can bring their clients’ needs to the attention of IDHS staff members and collaborate with them to ensure that these needs are better met.

Shelter staff had reported to the Shriver Center that residents (1) were having trouble obtaining timely processing of TANF and Crisis Assistance applications, (2) were being discouraged from transferring their active benefit cases to Western, and (3) were in need of child care assistance and supportive services to enable them to look for work or enroll in courses to bolster their basic skills. All three areas were discussed at the meeting, and the IDHS staff helped brainstorm solutions to meet the shelter residents’ needs better.

Processing applications in a timely manner

Families who are forced to flee their homes due to domestic violence often must leave all their belongings behind. They arrive at the shelter with little or nothing more than the clothes they are wearing. Many are mothers who have young children and cannot work or had to leave their jobs to escape their abusers. They may stay in the shelter only for a short time. They need rent money, furniture, clothing, and household supplies in order to establish a new home. They also often need TANF if they have no other income, in part to enable them to apply for transitional housing. TANF applicants and active TANF clients may apply for Crisis Assistance to meet these basic needs. As we explained in earlier Let’s Get It Right! columns, w hen a TANF applicant requests Crisis Assistance, the TANF application is to be processed along with the Crisis Assistance application within expedited time frames and without a thirty-day wait for approval. This means that a decision must be made within five work days, a written decision notice issued within the subsequent two days, and a payment approved within two days after the notice (PM 06-03-01c). This is a very tight timeline for understaffed IDHS offices, but typically there are not many requests for Crisis Assistance. Perhaps because such requests are not routine, some IDHS staff members are not fully aware of Crisis Assistance policy and procedures.

Mr. Rosario assured us that shelter residents who came to the local office to apply for TANF or to swap their Medical Only cases for TANF would be seen that same day. If that is not possible for any reason, the shelter resident would be given an application to sign immediately and offered an interview appointment for the following workday. This is especially important when the applicant is also requesting Crisis Assistance. Clients who have active TANF cases and need Crisis Assistance would also have their requests processed timely, Mr. Rosario assured us. To fulfill these assurances, Mr. Rosario and his administrative staff need to convey accurate information about the Crisis Assistance program to all local office staff, especially those who work at intake.

Transferring active benefit cases

Shelter residents reported difficulty in getting their cases transferred to Western from other IDHS offices in Chicago and around the state as well as problems in applying for benefits for the first time at Western. When traveling back to an office in an old neighborhood, domestic violence victims, who must relocate to escape abuse, may be exposed to danger, not to mention the traveling time and expense involved. Despite their need, some shelter residents have been discouraged by Western staff from transferring their case to Western; others have been told that they are ineligible for a transfer. Under IDHS policy, clients who live in a shelter for at least 90 days with no immediate plans to move have a right to have their IDHS case transferred to the local office closest to the shelter (PM 06-04-06 ). For clients who are applying for benefits for the first time or applying for TANF because they receive only food stamps or Medicaid, IDHS policy is even more favorable. Such clients “must apply for benefits at the local office serving the area where the shelter is located” (PM 06-04-06 ).Mr. Rosario and his staff agreed that helping victims of domestic violence transfer their cases to the office nearest to their shelter was advisable and suggested that clients report to the Western service desk to request that their case be transferred. He agreed that Western staff would take steps to obtain their records.

Providing child care and services for self-sufficiency

Shelter staff explained that, in some cases, a resident might appropriately start looking for a job or enroll in a class designed to increase basic skills. The shelter, however, does not provide child care and has very limited resources for transportation. However, IDHS staff may issue child care payments for active TANF cases (Front Door Provider for intake cases) for 30 days or less to enable a participant to seek employment (PM 06-16-02b, 06-16-05b). Such payments would be redirected to the child care provider (PM 06-16-05c). An application for child care assistance for more than 30 days must be filed with the appropriate Child Care Resource and Referral Agency. A job search allowance might also be issued to help with transportation costs (PM 21-05-06 ).

Shelter staff agreed to refer residents to the local office to facilitate their employment. These are residents who are TANF recipients or applicants and who are interested in seeking employment, ready to attempt job search, and in need of supportive services. Obtaining child care and supportive services do not in any way stop or remove the shelter resident’s Domestic Violence Exclusion. The Domestic Violence Exclusion ensures that the TANF counter is stopped and excuses the client from having to participate in work and training activities (PM 21-01-05 ). If the shelter resident has to discontinue job search due to barriers related to the domestic violence, no sanction penalty is to be imposed (PM 21-01-03 ). Western staff agreed to help interested shelter residents in their efforts to attain economic self-sufficiency.

As the results of this meeting show, collaboration between IDHS local offices and nearby community service organizations can greatly improve service delivery to IDHS clients. We are encouraged by the results and hope to see more collaboration of this type across the state.