Essentials For Life

Mission: Helping vulnerable people meet their basic needs and achieve their highest levels of independence.

The goal of Essentials for Life is to ensure that people with barriers to independence have food to eat, a roof overhead, and safe, healthy lives. It also ensures people with barriers to independence are building skills and can life with dignity.

Community investments are provided to a range of Essentials for Life programs. Click here for a listing of Essentials for Life partner agencies and programs.

2-1-1 Lane
This on-line information and referral website is Lane County’s most comprehensive human service directory. This database will eventually serve as the foundation for a local 211 call center. A project is currently underway to train front line responders (case managers, public safety, etc.) on how to use 211Lane to best serve the emergency and human care needs of the populations they serve.
www.211Lane.org

Earned Income Tax Credit
Over $30 million dollars worth of tax relief goes unclaimed in the State of Oregon. In Lane County, United Way, AARP, the City of Eugene, and a host of partners work to encourage qualifying residents to apply for the Earned Income Tax Credit and Child Care Credit. Tax-Aide Sites provide free assistance in filing tax returns and applying for tax benefits. Free tax assistance sites for filing 2007 returns will be posted here in December, 2007.

Lane County Emergency Food and Shelter Board
The Emergency Food and Shelter Program was created nationally in 1983 to supplement and expand the work of local social service agencies, both nonprofit and governmental, in an effort to help people with economic but not disaster-related, emergencies. The EFSP funding is open to all organizations helping hungry and homeless people. The funds must be used to supplement feeding, sheltering, and rent/mortgage and utility assistance efforts only. The local Board is governed by a National Board that selects jurisdictions like Lane County for funding. Our mandate is to determine the highest need and best use of funds and to select Local Recipient Organizations (agencies) that will provide emergency food and shelter services.

Personal Assistants Task Force
What do people with disabilities do when emergency strikes? The Personal Assistants Task Force has this question at the core of its work – which is to research, identify, and initiate appropriate local action to provide emergency and respite Personal Assistants for people with disabilities. The current project of this Task Force involves prevention of hospital and nursing home admissions for people with disabilities who unexpectedly lose their home care.

Project Homeless Connect
Part of a nationwide 10-year plan to end homelessness, Lane County’s Project Homeless Connect was held Feb.