THE DANDELION CONNECTION
Ellicott Square Building., 295 Main Street Room 495, Buffalo, New York 14203
(716) 847-0655 ext. 402  www.nls.org

in this issue
Public Assistance Regulation Changes
Car Purchasing and Car Loans
Everywoman Opportunity Center, Inc.
Nontraditional Jobs for Women

      In July, 2003, several public assistance regulations were changed that will likely affect your temporary assistance grant. You will probably see your public assistance grant increase (although modestly) for the first time in a long time! This is because in many instances the shelter allowances have been increased.

        In the past DSS has paid different shelter allowances (or rent) depending on if heat was included in your rent or not. Now, it will no longer make a difference whether you pay for heat or not. Instead, DSS will pay different shelter allowances depending if you have children in your household or not. The increases in your grant will be budgeted beginning November 1, 2003.

    There are now 2 shelter allowance rules:

Shelter allowance with children: *In Erie County, the new maximum shelter allowance for households with children is:

        1                  2                  3                  4                  5                  6                  7

    $209            $214            $301            $339            $377            $395            $411

Shelter allowance for households without children: In Erie County, the new maximum shelter allowance for households with children is:

        1                  2                  3                  4                  5                  6                  7

    $169            $201            $215            $234            $254            $262            $273

*For shelter allowance purposes, children are individuals under 18 years of age, or under 19 and a full-time student regularly attending a secondary school or the equivalent level of vocational or technical training, or a pregnant woman whose pregnancy has been medically verified.

Other Changes

    Local districts may provide a shelter supplement in addition to the shelter allowance for special populations like victims of domestic violence and/or the homeless. Erie County has chosen not to request any shelter supplements.

    DSS can now voucher Family Assistance recipient cases (e.g ., a minor child is in the case) if they decide that it is administratively easier for them to do so. They no longer need mismanagement or a client request to voucher payments for rent and utilities. This was always true for Safety Net recipients (singles and childless couples), but is new for Family Asistance recipients.

    DSS can no longer co-op shelter payments when there is no legal line of responsibility. It used to be that if two public assistance households lived together, DSS would prorate the shelter allowance. DSS can no longer do this. DSS must provide the full rent to both families up to the actual rent (if there is no legal line of responsibility between households, like a parent and a child).

    Applicants and recipients can no longer have “parent only” cases. It used to be that if a mother or father wanted to apply for themselves without their children, they could do so. The new rules do not allow a parent to apply for him or herself but not for the children. The new rules require the children to be included. There are some exceptions. Some exceptions to this rule include:

        Individuals who will not have to apply with their children include:

• Parents and children who are SSI recipients
• Stepbrothers, stepsisters and stepparents of your child
• Ineligible sponsored aliens
• Aliens who failed to meet the citizenship and alien requirement
• Individuals who are ineligible due to the previous receipt of a lump sum
• Some children who are getting adoption subsidies

    There is now a limit on shelter arrear payments! DSS can limit shelter arrear payments to one payment of up to six months shelter arrears in a five-year period. The six-month period cannot be split up and used at different times. The Erie County Department of Social Services does have the discretion to pay more often than once in a five-year period. Prior to this change, there was no limit on how many months of shelter arrears that DSS could pay or how many times that DSS could pay for shelter arrears. We will keep you posted to see if Erie County limits the shelter arrears payments to one payment in a five- year period, or if it will allow any exceptions.

        This will only effect new applicants for emergency rent assistance as of November 1, 2003. If you received emergency rental assistance prior to this time, you can still be eligible for the shelter arrear payment.

        If you are seeking financing for a new or used car, you have many options for financing. However, late payments and other credit problems signal lenders that you are a risky customer, which will increase the interest rates on loans available to you. There are differences between lenders–so find the best deal by shopping around.

About Car Loans

        Car loans can be obtained from a variety of sources: credit unions, banks, online direct lenders, loan brokers and auto finance companies. Manufacturer-related auto financing companies are prohibited by law from selling loans directly to borrowers, so their loans usually are transacted at auto showrooms and are known as dealer financing.

        Dealers advertise special loans that seem too attractive to pass up. However, only people with the best credit can qualify for “zero percent” financing and other attractive dealership loans.

        Interest rates for loans for people with so-so credit can be 60% higher than the rates available to people with excellent credit. People with poor credit may be asked to pay a rate that is two to four times higher.

        The time you can take to pay back a car loan varies–usually you can choose terms of 36 months (three years), 48 months (four years) or 60 months (five years). You can lower your monthly payments by taking a longer loan period. However, the longer the loan period the higher the total interest you will pay over the life of the loan. Check the weekly interest rate roundup on Bankrate.com to find national averages on auto loan rates.

Getting Pre-approved

        It’s a good idea to get pre-approved for a loan before looking for a car. This allows you to compare the rates you found with what the dealer might offer. At the very least, you should check your credit score and get quotes from online lenders before venturing into a dealership. (E-Loan.com provides free credit scores and individualized interest rate quotes online.)

        A negative item on your credit report may cause a dealer to raise the interest rate of a loan even after you’ve signed a contract for the car.

        When you are pre-approved, many lenders give you a blank check to take to the dealership when you shop. The check has a price limit and an expiration date. Dealers like to complete a transaction the same day and may give you a lower price if you can close the deal immediately.

        If you don’t get pre-approved and you don’t want dealer financing, ask the salesperson for a purchase order that you can take to the bank or credit union to apply for a loan. You will have to wait for your loan to be approved before you can buy the car.

Choose the Right Car

        If you are going to finance a vehicle, look for one that will retain its value over time. You can find historical information on specific models online at Kelley Blue Book or in Consumer Reports magazine at the library.

        Auto insurers don’t publish the fact, but they have a rating system to determine how much it will cost you to insure different makes and models. Since you will be required to carry expensive collision insurance coverage on your financed vehicle, contact your insurance company in advance to ask about differences in premiums for the cars you are considering.

Buy or Lease

        Leasing rarely makes as much financial sense as buying a car, especially a good used vehicle. Leasing is like a long-term rental, but car leases come with strict rules about how many miles you can drive and keeping the car in excellent condition.

        Leasing costs you more in the long run, because at the end of the lease you don’t own the car, but it still attracts many car shoppers because on the same car monthly leasing fees are lower than monthly financing payments. When the lease term expires, you can return it, buy the car from the dealership for an additional sum or trade it in on a new leased model.

        Lease agreements usually allow you to drive 12,000 to 15,000 miles per year. For additional miles, you’ll pay between 10¢ to 25¢ per mile.

Rebates

        Rebates are widely advertised price reductions offered during slow sales periods or on overstocked models. Often, however, dealers will offer you the option of low cost financing instead. If you get outside financing, you may be able to get both the rebate and a low interest rate. To make it easy to determine the better deal, use one of the many free online calculators. To find them, search on the Internet for “auto financing calculators.”

Dealer Incentives

        On some models, dealers may offer incentives that are not advertised to the public. Dealer incentives are passed on to the dealer by manufacturers. Dealers don’t have to pass the savings on to the customer and sometimes salespeople are not even aware of them. Ask to speak to the sales manager about dealer incentive programs. It can help you negotiate a better deal if you know that the dealership often will adjust its profit margin to make a sale. Check auto magazines and web sites such as Edmunds.com for information on incentive programs.

Check Your Credit

        Your credit is the biggest factor in determining whether you will be approved for a car loan and what the interest rate will be. If you have a poor credit rating, you’ll be asked to pay a higher than average annual percentage rate (APR) to finance your loan.

        Don’t go shopping for a car loan or a car until you’ve ordered a copy of your credit report. Errors on credit reports are common and by checking your report ahead of time, you’ll be able to contest inaccurate information. It can take time to dispute mistakes on your credit report.

        If you know what’s on your credit report, you’ll be prepared to deal with unscrupulous dealers who may claim that your credit is poor in order to justify a higher interest rate.

        You can get your credit report (about $9 each) from one or all of the three major credit reporting companies:

        Your credit can be affected by how often you have moved, how steady and how verifiable your employment history is and how many credit applications you have filled out recently. If you’ve never had a car loan before, or if your current debt is high despite a good credit rating, you may be quoted higher rates.

Refinancing Your Loan

        Just because you’re paying 16% on your car loan doesn’t mean there isn’t a better deal to be had. Most car loans can be refinanced without a lot of added costs and you might be surprised at your savings from a new loan. Before you try to refinance your loan, ask if your current loan has a penalty for early pay off. When shopping for a new loan, ask about hidden fees or processing charges before you apply. You will be required to pay a title transfer fee because during refinancing you will replace the name of your new lender for your old one on your car’s title.

Everywoman Opportunity Center, Inc
Main Office
237 Main Street – Suite 330
Buffalo, New York 14203
Phone 847-1120/Fax 847-1550

What IS a Displaced Homemaker?

        "Displaced Homemaker" conjures up different images for many people. A "displaced homemaker" is an individual who has been primarily supported by someone else’s income or by the government while providing unpaid services in the home – like raising children – AND has recently lost all or a significant portion of that financial support due to divorce, separation, abandonment, widowhood, disability of a spouse or their spouse’s loss of employment. For example:

• Martha had been married for 30 years and her husband provided most of the household income. Her husband has now become disabled and Martha needs to re-enter the workforce.
• Anna's husband recently passed away. His social security benefits are not going to be enough for her to support herself.
• Cynthia had been married for 15 years when she finally got up the courage to leave her abusive husband.

        Everywoman Opportunity Center, Inc. currently administers the largest Displaced Homemaker Program in the United States. Everywoman provides employment services at six centers and multiple outreach sites in Erie, Niagara, Cattaraugus and Chautauqua counties. Everywoman’s unique “one stop” individualized approach has been successful in providing comprehensive resources to women from a variety of educational and economic backgrounds. Their many individual and group services include: Individual Career Counseling, Career Exploration, Career Assessments and Skills Identification, Educational & Training Referrals, Keyboarding & Computer Skills, Professional Image Consultation w/ FREE Interview Clothing and much more.

        Selected in 1977 by the New York State Department of Labor to develop and implement the program, it has been replicated across the US and is the model for the 23 centers in New York State. Everywoman has helped over 53,982 women in WNY to move to economic self- sufficiency and in the last 16 years alone has helped over 11,500 enter the paid workforce. During 2001-2002, over 699 women either entered employment or were placed in an educational or training program to prepare for jobs that will pay a living wage.

Do you know a displaced homemaker? Refer her to one of Everywoman’s six sites in Western New York.

Buffalo 237 Main St. 847-1120

Buffalo/Westside 583 Niagara St. 886-2050

Tonawanda 2440 Sheridan Drive 837-2260

Niagara Falls 1316 Main St. 282-8472

Olean 132 N. Union St. 373-4013

Dunkirk 10825 Bennett Road 366-7020

GREAT PAYING NON TRADITIONAL JOBS FOR WOMEN
THE BUFFALO BUILDING TRADES (BBTDP)

        The Buffalo Building Trades Development Partnership (BBTDP) has created a construction industry preparatory program that allows people who are interested in learning a skilled craft entry into unionized work in the local construction field. After an initial training period, graduates earn anywhere between $11-$14/hour for the first three years and up to $25-30/hour after that. BBTDP is a great resource locally because it provides an opportunity to end the cycle of low wage employment for people who live in the City of Buffalo.

        If you are interested in union work in the construction industry, you must be 18 years of age, have a GED, have a driver’s license (in most instances), and a willingness to learn a trade.

        Here’s how it works: First you have to contact EOC. At EOC you will be tested to make sure that you have a 9^th grade reading level and 7^th grade math level. You will then be referred to an interview where you will discuss your career goals. If you are brought into the program, your first 5 weeks will be spent at EOC where you will learn the soft skills that are necessary for the work place. After two weeks you will have an assessment and be tested for aptitude and IQ. You are given many tests while you are at EOC so that you get used to the tests that the trades use and you won’t be caught off guard! After that 5 week period, you get introduced to terms of the trade and helped with resume writing and computer skills. Once you have completed this portion of training, you will go on site to Clyde Ave. (BBTDP is housed on Clyde Avenue on the grounds of the former Harrison Radiator Division complex off Kensington Avenue). You will then spend 2 weeks in each trade. You will be introduced to everything having to do with the trades like pay, time of year when work is available, and what the union is offering. During training you will be looked at for punctuality, attendance, work ethic and temperament. In all, the course takes between 14-18 weeks and this is a non-paid training. But, once you complete the training the opportunities to make a living wage or start your own business are greatly improved.

        To apply contact EOC at the number below and ask for the “Preparation for Building Trades Program.” You can also ask about other programs for inner city high school kids and residential programs as well. For more information on any of these programs please call:

Do you need help with student loans?

Did you pay for a vocational school, and never complete the course? Are you delinquent with your payments? Are you in default? Project Dandelion can help.

Income eligible clients can get free advice and assistance. Call to register for one of our free clinics. Clinics are held on the first TUESDAY of every month. Register today. We meet at 2:00 p.m. Call 847-0650 for more information.

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