OACAC income limit to apply for benefits increased, how it will help families in the Ozarks

SPRINGFIELD, Mo. (KY3) — Ozarks Area Community Action Corporation, or OACAC, is celebrating after a statewide increase in income benefits limits. Now, the organization can help more families in the Ozarks.

Previously, OACAC’s Community Services Block Grant, or CSBG, Program only provided rental and utility assistance, classes, and other helpful benefits to families making 125% of the federal poverty line. That means benefits were only accessible to families making $25,550 a year or less. The state recently increased that limit to 200%, meaning families making $40,880 or less can apply for benefits.

“They can get case management. They can get help with rental and utility assistance and get referred to all of the other programs we offer within OACAC,” said Bridgette Allen, assistant director for the CSBG program.

Many other states have already done this. Missouri followed suit after being pushed by community action programs like OACAC.

“Missouri was kind of a holdout state, but because of all of the community actions really pushing for this, we’ve all kind of come together, worked together really hard to present a narrative, and it got passed to be able to provide that service for our state as well,” said Allen.

Part of this will help with the high cost of living now, as more people are in need.

“This will be able to help some of those folks whose rent is their biggest issue when it comes to their finances. This might be something where they can come in, get a little bit of supplemental help, and really be able to kind of make those finances a lot more stable,” said Allen.

More than that, though, Allen says they see families encounter what they call the “cliff effect.” This income limit increase will help provide financial stability to families for longer.

“We see that they encounter what we call the cliff effect. So essentially, you have raised the income of your family, and now you are a little more self-sufficient, which is amazing, but because of that, you’re no longer able to seek services. Because of that, a lot of times, people still have trouble meeting and making ends meet. So with this being implemented, we hope to kind of help some of those families that are experiencing the cliff effect to be able to continue on their self-sufficiency journey,” said Allen.

This means that OACAC’s benefits will be available to even more families.

“Those families can also come in; they’ll be able to access rental assistance and utility assistance, and they’ll be able to access a lot of the life skills classes that we offer. Food will be a lot more accessible to a lot of those folks as well. So there’s all kinds of things that will be a lot more accessible to those folks,” said Allen.

OACAC receives its funding primarily from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, though some come from grants. It’s passed down through the state.

Allen hopes that this will allow more families to get the help they desperately need at a time when the cost of living is higher than ever.

“Once they run into that cliff effect, they’re kind of back where they started, maybe just a little bit more income. So we think that this is going to be very impactful for helping those families get the services they need and, in turn, help strengthen the community. Let those families know that they’re not without support, that they do have somewhere to go,” said Allen.

Those who need financial assistance from an organization like OACAC can visit here to get help.

To report a correction or typo, please email digitalnews@ky3.com. Please include the article info in the subject line of the email.

Copyright 2024 KY3. All rights reserved.