VOICE OF THE TOWNSHIP
Summer is almost over, and the Labor Day holiday is quickly approaching. This time of year also means it is time again for the annual Waynedale Neighborhood Picnic.
The picnic is especially nice because it is planned by neighbors for neighbors and is supported by local businesses and community organizations. I had a great time last year seeing many of you at the picnic and hope to be there again this year.
Last column, I wrote about some of the issues we are facing with our Wayne Township budget and about steps we have taken to reduce costs at the Township, while still being able to help clients. One program we have to help our clients and to reduce our costs sometimes escapes notice.
That program is our Wayne Township Payee Program. This is the program in which Wayne Township serves as the representative payee for persons who have trouble managing their money on their own.
We have over 100 persons we are helping now as part of our Payee Program. The Payee Program mainly assists persons who are receiving Social Security, either SSD or SSI, because of a disability. However, the program is open to anyone who needs help managing his or her finances, and we are encouraging other clients to join the program.
The way the program works is the client’s income is deposited in a special Wayne Township Payee bank account. The Township pays the client’s bills for him or her from the client’s own money. The client also receives a weekly check from his or her leftover money. The Payee Program is voluntary and is offered free for the clients.
At first thought, the Payee Program may not appear to be a program that saves the Township money. The program requires staff time to pay bills for the clients and to interact with clients and help them with their budgets.
However, in the long run, it saves the Township money in Township Assistance payments. Payee clients rarely need Township Assistance because their bills for basic necessities, such as rent, utilities and food, are being paid on a routine basis.
The Payee Program protects our clients from being evicted from their homes and has the added advantage of protecting vulnerable clients from unscrupulous persons who might try to defraud them.
I was very saddened to learn about the sudden passing of one of our neighbors, Mrs. Beulah “Boo” Stephens, who lived in the Elmhurst Neighborhood. Boo walked with the Wayne Township unit in the Waynedale Memorial Day Parade this past spring as a “Friend of the Township.”
Mrs. Stephens was a dedicated volunteer in our community for the causes in which she believed. Please remember her family in your prayers. Boo will be missed by all of us.
Richard A. Stevenson, Sr.
Wayne Township Trustee
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