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Human services: Clothing voucher distribution ongoing; 16,728 applications submitted and 26,656 eligible entries approved
Summary
Jennifer Kirby of Human Services told the council the clothing voucher program received 16,728 individual applications and approved 26,656 eligible entries; staff said batches of cards are still being sent and respondents should contact the department if they have not received assistance.
Jennifer Kirby of the Cherokee Nation Human Services Department told the council the agency received 16,728 individual applications for the clothing voucher program and reported 26,656 eligible and approved entries. She said distribution is ongoing and another group of vouchers was expected to be mailed midweek.
Kirby said some applications remain incomplete and staff are working through uploaded documents and email inquiries; she asked councilors to send constituent concerns to the department so staff can look up specific cases. “There are some that we maybe need to go back and and look at their documents that they've uploaded,” she said.
Councilor Cody Poindexter and another councilor raised questions about the program window and whether the application period could be extended. One councilor asked whether moving from a one-month application period to two or three months would be feasible for staff. Kirby said the program’s scope and staffing would determine whether a longer application window was feasible and noted the program’s origins as school-clothing assistance.
On general assistance (GA), Kirby described the program as a BIA-administered benefit used when a household has no income. She said the standard GA payment is typically $180 per month and that, in some low-expense cases, it can be as low as $135. “But right now, the the standard is usually 180 a month,” Kirby said, adding that GA has not been changed in many years and that the same fund also supports emergency assistance and burial aid.
Councilors expressed concern about potential federal budget cuts and how that could affect local programs that rely in part on federal funding.
Ending: Kirby asked councilors to allow staff time to process remaining applications and to send constituent inquiries to the department for follow-up; she offered to remain after the meeting to speak with any councilors who had additional questions.
