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Otsego County United Way |
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Give. Advocate. Volunteer. Live United. |
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Otsego County United Way 116 East Fifth Street Gaylord, MI 49735 |
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To contact us: |
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Otsego County United Way |
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Give. Advocate. Volunteer. Live United. |
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First Call for Help |
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What is First Call For Help? First Call For Help is a service provided by a group of health and human service agencies and local churches. Our mission is to provide a centralized location for Otsego County families to locate emergency assistance. We are dedicated to assisting families with temporary emergency needs such as food, clothing, shelter, counseling, and/or referrals to assist their individual needs. |
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What are the requirements? 1. The request must be for an emergency need. (For example: clients have a utility shut—off or service is already off; fuel oil or propane is out; the family is being evicted from their residence; the family is homeless.) 2. In most cases, assistance is limited to one-time help per year. 3. Clients must have the ability to resume the payments on housing or utilities after the help is given. 4. Clients must have applied for the State Emergency Relief Program at the Department of Human Services agency and either have been denied or have received an insufficient amount of assistance to resolve the problem. 5. Clients must live or work in Otsego County. Utility assistance and rental/mortgage assistance usually requires a minimum six-month residency. 6. Generally, clients should be able to show that they have made a good faith effort to pay the debt on their own, or show good cause why this has not been possible. Payment history will be considered. 7. In most cases, clients will be expected to contribute towards their own need.
How is First Call For Help funded?
Most of the funds used to help First Call For Help clients come from our participating agencies , churches., and grants. Agencies and churches raise the monies through donations from private individuals and fundraisers. This money is mostly donated by Otsego County residents. Keep in mind that First Call For Help acts as a central intake for a variety of programs, many of which have their own requirements. |