November 2013

BUILDING DIRECTION FOR FAMILIES Serving Buchanan, Delaware and Fayette Counties All children, beginning at birth, through age 18, will be healthy and successful.

Family/Community Violence and PTSD in Children Families, Inc. is sponsoring this seminar which will:  Explore the effects of exposure to family/ community violence on children  Identify the symptoms of PTSD in children from age 1 to 18  Address other mental health issues that might be associated with survivors of family/community violence and other trauma  Identify realistic treatment approaches when addressing PTSD in childhood trauma by family/community violence  Discuss the effects of repeated exposure of children to vicarious violence (video games/television programs/movies) Presenter: Virgil A. Gooding, Sr., MA, MSW, LISW Thursday, November 7, 2013 8:30 a.m. – 4:30 p.m. Human Services Campus Conference Center 317 7th Avenue S.E. Cedar Rapids, IA 52401 $80 by 10/31/2013 or $95 after 10/31/2013 CEU’s available for Social Work, Substance Abuse, and Mental Health To have a registration form emailed to you, please contact Building Direction for Families at 319-334-5105 or [email protected].

Oh the Weather Outside is

Frightful…

November 1 is the date community action agencies begin accepting applications for the Low Income Home Energy Assistance program or LIHEAP. Applications for elderly or disabled persons are accepted beginning October 1. For those who qualify (provided funding is available), LIHEAP can assist with bill payment assistance, energy crisis assistance, weatherization and energy related home repairs. The following agencies can assist with LIHEAP information or applications: Buchanan County Operation Threshold 1707 1st Street East – Independence 319-334-6081 Delaware County Operation: New View Outreach Center 721 South 5th St., Suite B – Manchester 563-927-4629 Fayette County Northeast Iowa Community Action Agency (2 locations in Fayette Co.) 297 5th Avenue SW – Oelwein 319-283-2510 Or Basement-Fayette County Courthouse 114 N. Vine Street – West Union 563-422-3354

“As we express our gratitude, we must never forget that the highest appreciation is not to utter words, but to live by them .” ~ John F. Kennedy

November 2013

Domestic Violence Services Buchanan & Delaware County Waypoint Services 319-363-2093 or 800-208-0388 www.waypointservices.org Fayette County Helping Services 800-383-2988 www.helpingservices.org

Sexual Assault Services Buchanan, Delaware and Fayette Counties Riverview Center 563-557-0310 or 888-707-8155 www.riverviewcenter.org

Happy Thanksgiving!

Upcoming Events  November 4 – Early Learning & Early Childhood Work Group 9:00, BDF Office  November 4 – Buchanan Co. Homeless Council 12:00, St. James Church  November 5 – Election Day  November 5 – Buchanan Co. Interagency 1:30, Healthy Lifestyles Ctr, Independence  November 6 – CPPC Statewide Conference, Des Moines  November 7 – Delaware Co. Mobile Food Pantry 5:00-6:30, New Life Assembly of God Church, Manchester  November 8 – CPPC Work Group 9:00, BDF Office  November 8 – Parent Ed Work Group 10:30, BDF Office  November 9 – Fayette Co. Mobile Food Pantry 10:00-noon, Valleyview Wesleyan Church, West Union  November 12 – Delaware Co. Interagency 12:00, Pin Oak, Manchester  November 12 – Advisory Council 4:30, BDF Conference Room  November 21 – Cedar Valley Homeless Council 9:00, CVFF Office, Waverly  November 23 – Buchanan Co. Mobile Food Pantry 12:30-2:30, Living Water Church, Independence  November 26 – Delaware Co. Drug Abuse Coalition (DDAC) 11:30, Fireside Restaurant, Manchester  November 26 – BDF Board Meeting 5:00, Oelwein Public Library  November 28 – Thanksgiving Day  November 29 – BDF Office closed

“Not what we say about our blessings, but how we use them, is the true measure of our thanksgiving.” ~ W.T. Purkiser

November 2013

HealthCare.gov – Don’t Panic If you have tried to access the Health Insurance Marketplace to get an idea of what healthcare insurance will look like as of January 1, 2014, no doubt you’ve experienced some frustration. The following is courtesy of the Iowa State University Extension Office and provides some helpful information for navigating the Health Insurance Marketplace.

The launching of the new federal Health Insurance Marketplace at www.healthcare.gov has not gone smoothly. The technology wasn’t prepared for the tremendous volume, and it appears there are also some programming glitches. (That’s what the call center representative told me when I called, trying to figure out if I had forgotten my password and my secret questions. He said “It’s not you; we have some glitches.”) There’s Time. Keep in mind that even if you had gotten signed up for health insurance on October 2, the coverage would not go into effect until January 1. So if you wait till November (or even early December) you can still apply and have your coverage in effect on January 1. I tend to be optimistic, and am therefore hopeful that the system will be working much better within a few weeks. Sources of Help. Helpers, knows as Navigators and Certified Assistance Counselors, continue to be trained to provide one-on-one application assistance to those who aren’t comfortable going through the process on their own. Find a list in your area by going to https://localhelp.healthcare.gov/. New helpers are being added to this resource base over time, so it’s worth checking back periodically if you are seeking help near you. Insurance Agents. In Iowa, and probably elsewhere, many insurance agents are becoming certified assistance counselors. This is logical, since they are familiar with insurance issues. So a local agent may be a good source of help for you. When seeking help from a commerical insurance broker, however, keep in mind these key principles: 1.

If you’re eligible for reduced costs (premium tax credit or cost-sharing reductions), you can only benefit

from those if you buy your coverage in the official Health Insurance Marketplace (found at www.healthcare.gov). Even if you’re working with an agent, make sure your application and enrollment is done in the Marketplace. 2. Be a smart consumer – choose the policy that’s best for you, not the policy that’s best for the agent. It is appropriate to ask whether the agent is compensated for helping you, and whether his/her compensation is different depending on which policy you choose. Make sure you clearly understand why the agent is recommending a particular policy. For information and tools to help you make a well-informed health insurance decision, look for an ISU Extension “Smart Choice” workshop near you.

“Sometimes the questions are complicated and the answers are simple.” ~ Dr. Suess

November 2013

Mobile Food Pantry Times & Locations Buchanan County 4th Saturday of the month (not always the last Saturday)

12:30 – 2:30 p.m. Living Water Church 113 2nd Avenue N.E. Independence

Delaware County 1st Thursday of the month 5:00 – 6:30 p.m. New Life Assembly of God Church 1208 East Main Street Manchester

Fayette County 2nd Saturday of the month 10:00 – 12:00 p.m. Valleyview Community Wesleyan Church 107 W. Franklin St. West Union

Follow these agencies & the great work they are doing on Facebook: Buchanan County Volunteer Coop https://www.facebook.com/pages/BuchananCounty-Volunteer-Co-op/421359447979342 Cedar Valley Friends of the Family https://www.facebook.com/pages/CedarValley-Friends-of-the-Family/168119284827 Operation Threshold https://www.facebook.com/pages/OperationThreshold/124797570911210 If your agency or business has a social media page you’d like us to share, email your information to us at: [email protected]

Building Direction for Families 105 2nd Avenue Independence, Iowa Ph. 319-334-5105 Fax 319-334-5106 [email protected]

www.bdfempowerment.org