Replacing
food lost during Nemo, helping the unemployed start their own businesses
By
Will Collette
Charlestown’s
unemployment rate remains high at 9.7%, which translates into 451
Charlestown workers who are out of work and actively seeking work.
Charlestown
also has several hundred families who receive Supplemental Nutritional
Assistance (formerly known as Food Stamps). 217
of them are children.
There
are a couple of new developments that can help.
New option for
the unemployed
For
the long-term unemployed, especially
those in their 50s, getting a new job becomes less and less likely.
Employers are less interested in older workers especially when they can draw on
a large pool of young people who generally cost less to hire.
The
Rhode
Island Department of Labor and Training just received a federal grant of
$159,734 to help long-term unemployed Rhode Islanders figure out how to
start their own businesses as an option. Under the grant, you can receive
training, help in developing a business plan and directions on how to find
resources to start a new business (e.g. state and federal small business
funding, of the type that was recently discussed at the Charlestown Economic
Improvement Commission’s forum – click here).
Though
this is an idea that may not work for everyone, it might help some. One obvious
problem is that you will have to figure out how to find and talk to the right
person at RIDLT and, lately, getting through to the woefully understaffed RIDLT
has been a nightmare. But it’s worth a shot if you think this is the right road
for you. You may want to start out by e-mailing the
Unemployment Compensation Division to ask them about the Self-Employment
Assistance Program.
Did you lose
food during Nemo?
Senator
Jack Reed announced that Rhode Island has received an additional $2.1
million to help qualified families replace food that was lost during the long
power outages after our area was hit by Winter Storm Nemo.
If
you are receiving SNAP benefits and lost food because of the storm, you may qualify for additional SNAP benefits to replace what was lost.
Even though many families either had to seek shelter or shiver in the cold when the electricity was cut off, you should contact the RI Department of Human Services (click here).
Even though many families either had to seek shelter or shiver in the cold when the electricity was cut off, you should contact the RI Department of Human Services (click here).
Act
soon
If
you think you and your family could benefit from either the Self-Employment
Assistance Program or replacement food under SNAP, do not delay. The state only
received relatively small amounts of one-time funding and the opportunities
aren’t going to last forever.