Join a new computer system with an old idea and what do you have?<!—->.

Wednesday, August 23, 2000

Join a new computer system with an old idea and what do you have?

A bigger helping hand for Welfare to Work recipients facing the end of state cash assistance next month, said Buddy Martin, director of Lawrence County Department of Jobs and Family Services.

Under a state contract, the county has started a pilot program – the Integrated Client Management Services or ICMS – that not only allows case workers to track clients’ needs better but also gives them more information about where they can find help, Martin said.

Whether it’s a little extra food this week, diapers the next week or help with the heating bill this winter, anyone can ask the department to search out where it can be found.

"The resource directory we had was about 10 years old, in a booklet," Martin said, adding that the printed information was often out of date. "This computer system will do a lot of good."

The computer lists 280 service providers that serve Lawrence County – CAO programs, church food pantries, homeless shelters and others, said Terry Drent of the Ohio Department of Jobs and Family Services, who is training workers in Ironton this week.

Those on public assistance now or area residents looking for information may call or visit the department. With a few clicks on the keyboard, an employee can pull up the lists.

For example, type in "food" and 32 food pantry listings within Lawrence and Scioto counties flick to life on the screen, complete with phone numbers and maps.

The same happens when searching for domestic violence shelters or daycare centers.

It’s all part of prevention, said Janet Jones, the department’s program administrator.

Welfare to Work means giving people the tools they need to move away from public assistance and succeed on their own, and this is another tool, Mrs. Jones said.

"We see this as a beginning for us," said Chris Prater, assistant social program administrator.

Clients leaving the assistance roles this fall might need help making ends meet. Other needy families who might not want the public assistance also need help, Mrs. Prater said.

"That is our goal if we can put up a list of several items they may need, it will be more helpful for them."

The resource directory portion of the case management system is just the first stage, Drent said.

It will expand to more uses and become accessible through the Internet in the future, he said.

For now, case managers can throw away their outdated booklets and give the public more access to helping hands, he added.

For more information about the resource directory, call the Lawrence County Department of Jobs and Family Services at 532-3324.