“Modest Needs' hallmark grant is our Self-Sufficiency Grant. We make Self-Sufficiency Grants in an effort to assist individuals and families who, because they are working and live just above the poverty level, are ineligible for most types of conventional social assistance but who, all the same, are living one or two lost paychecks away from the kind of financial catastrophe that eventually leads to homelessness.

We have designed our programs to help those who work hard and have nowhere else to go for assistance, as well as those who give back to our communities and country such as public school teachers, first responders, veterans returning from service abroad and active duty military members. Our aim is to support those who don't generally qualify to receive assistance from conventional agencies so that they don't find themselves losing everything because of a short-term crisis.

Generally, Modest Needs offers Self-Sufficiency Grants to qualified individuals / households who need help to afford two specific types of expenses:

• Unexpected or emergency expenses that an individual or family living paycheck-to-paycheck could not possibly afford without a short-term hand-up.

Examples of expenses of this type with which Modest Needs has helped in the past include everything from the cost of medical care not covered by insurance to the cost of repairing or replacing a major appliance to the cost of required work tools or uniforms to the cost of legal fees to complete an adoption to - tragically - the cost of burying a family member that has unexpectedly passed away; and

• Monthly bills that an individual or family living paycheck-to-paycheck cannot afford to pay at the time of their application because of a documentable extenuating circumstance that occurred within the past year.

For example, if you were required to take unpaid leave from work because your child was ill and now cannot afford the cost of your auto insurance, or if you were in an auto accident and cannot afford this month's rent or mortgage payment because you had to pay a deductible to repair your car - under these kinds of documentable emergency situations, Modest Needs would consider paying a regular monthly bill on behalf of your household on a one-time basis.”

Go to the website to read more about the limitations and requirements of the grant.

The Deposit Foundation offers educational programs, such as: wellness planning, budgeting, energy conservation, and more. A minimum fee may be charged depending on the program.

Community Habilitation is a goal oriented program that can include assistance and guidance in such things as personal care, cooking, cleaning, or money management.

Power of Money Tuesday 12:30pm - 1:15pm for those struggling with budgeting and making ends meet

Provide practical budget counseling services and debt consolidation services to work with you and your creditors to build a budget. Then we manage the repayment of your debt. You make one monthly payment to us and we distribute the money to your creditors. Does not include a debt consolidation loan.

The debt management plans at CCCS of Rochester include:

One monthly payment

Lower interest rates

Improved credit score over time

Help from a certified debt management counselor

This program provides free and confidential financial coaching to help individuals and families manage their money and improve their financial future. Trained volunteers will work one-on-one to help them learn to pay bills on time, set up and follow a budget, and achieve personal financial goals.

Clients who are experiencing debt problems are served by VLSP's Debt Management Advice Clinic. This clinic is divided into two sessions and is held every other month between the hours of 4:30 p.m. and 6:00 p.m. The first clinic is the group teaching session. Approximately two weeks after the teaching session, the individual counseling session takes place at VLSP's offices

“Our resident programs are intended to serve all our tenants enabling them to become self-sufficient and develop the necessary skills to achieve employment for purposes of no longer requiring housing and/or other government subsidies. These programs are developed based on needs assessments made on the different profiles of tenant populations we serve.”

The Resident Associations program: “The Family Self-Sufficiency (FSS) program is an employment and savings incentive program for low-income families who live in public housing. It provides case management services that help participants find employment and reach other goals. The program also offers escrow accounts into which the housing authority deposits the increased rent that a family pays as its job earnings increase. Families that complete the program may withdraw funds from these accounts after five years.

The Family Self-Sufficiency Program (FSS) helps the residents of our Conventional Public Housing Program and HOPE VI residential developments to achieve self-sufficiency. Through coordinated job training, housing, childcare, and supportive services, the FSS program will assist families toward self-sufficiency and economic independence.”

• Assistance with insurance applications and navigating health insurance enrollment

• Help understanding healthcare charges, copays and deductibles

• Assistance interpreting medical bills and statements

• Financial hardship agreements, sliding fee applications and payment plans

Foothills Rural Community Ministry hosts various giveaways throughout the year. Check the website for the latest information. Examples of giveaways below.

BACK TO SCHOOL: "Foothills Rural Community Ministry will be collecting school supplies for students in the Holland Patent Central and Remsen School Districts, whose families are facing difficult financial circumstances."

CHRISTMAS: "Each family will receive the food basket and one toy or special gift for each child living with you, that is 17 years of age and younger. We will also be giving hats and mittens or gloves to those in need if they are available."