Advocacy and Assistance

Results: 18

• Advocacy (10)
  FP-0500

  Advocacy

  FP-0500
  
  Programs that intercede on behalf of individuals and/or groups to ensure that they receive the benefits and services for which they are eligible and that organizations within the established service delivery system meet the collective needs of the community; that attempt to marshal public support for a particular issue or cause; or that seek to influence legislation, local ordinances or administrative rulings in order to benefit specific interest groups or achieve specific social, political or environmental goals.
• Benefits Assistance (2)
  FT-1000

  Benefits Assistance

  FT-1000
  
  Programs that provide assistance for people who are having difficulty understanding and/or obtaining grants, payments, services or other benefits for which they are eligible. The programs may help people understand the eligibility criteria for benefits, the benefits provided by the program, the payment process and the rights of beneficiaries; provide consultation and advice; help them complete benefits application forms; negotiate on their behalf with benefits administration staff; and/or represent them in administrative processes or judicial litigation. Included are benefits counseling organizations that offer a range of advocacy services and legal aid programs that offer more formalized legal assistance.
• Community Action/Social Advocacy Groups (2)
  TD-1600

  Community Action/Social Advocacy Groups

  TD-1600
  
  Organizations whose members have joined together on a voluntary basis to promote a particular cause or work for the realization of a specific social or political goal.
• Consumer Complaints (3)
  DD-1500

  Consumer Complaints

  DD-1500
  
  Programs that provide mechanisms through which consumers can register complaints regarding specific problems they are having with consumer goods and services, and obtain assistance in achieving a satisfactory resolution.
• Consumer Education (1)
  DD-1800

  Consumer Education

  DD-1800
  
  Programs that utilize a wide variety of informational materials and techniques to increase the public's awareness of their rights and responsibilities as consumers of goods and services. The services may include information concerning federal and state consumer protection laws and regulatory agencies; advice regarding comparison shopping, use of consumer reports and buying guides, and other practices that help consumers make informed decisions and avoid problems before they occur; and education regarding the steps that need to be taken to resolve problems with unfair credit practices, defective products, shoddy repairs or workmanship or incompetent services.
• Government Complaints/Government Ombudsman Offices (3)
  DD-1500.4150

  Government Complaints/Government Ombudsman Offices

  DD-1500.4150
  
  Programs such as governmental, departmental or nonprofit ombudsman offices that provide assistance for people who want to register complaints about or have other issues which relate to the activities, actions or lack of action by public officials or civil service employees in local, county, state or federal government offices or the agencies they regulate and/or fund. Also included are programs that handle complaints about the availability and quality of services provided by any of these levels of government. The program provides an objective, neutral and independent review of complaints; offers reasonable remedies when complaints are substantiated; and uses information from the complaints and the investigations they trigger to identify and resolve problems within the agency or department and improve services.
• Health Related Advocacy Groups (1)
  TD-1600.2570

  Health Related Advocacy Groups

  TD-1600.2570
  
  Organizations that are dedicated to protecting and improving the quality and affordability of health and long term care for all individuals and advocating for changes in the health care system that will achieve these goals; or which advocate more broadly for legislation and other measures such as bans on smoking that have a positive impact on public health. Specific issues may include extending the reach of childhood immunization programs, expanding services for people with specific disabilities or health conditions, funding medical research, supporting or opposing stem cell research, establishing the liability of managed health care organizations and nursing facilities for the consequences of their decisions, providing a prescription drug benefit for the elderly, passing a powerful patient's bill of rights, advocating for universal health care or taking a position on the merits of specific medical procedures or forms of treatment.
• Housing Advocacy Groups (1)
  TD-1600.2800

  Housing Advocacy Groups

  TD-1600.2800
  
  Organizations that advocate for constructing, renovating or otherwise improving the availability of safe, affordable rental and purchasable housing for low-income individuals and families, older adults, people with disabilities, migrant workers and others who are unable to purchase a home or rent a home or apartment under current market conditions or who are forced to spend an excessively large proportion of their income on housing to the detriment of other necessities.
• Language Interpretation (1)
  PH-3500.4500

  Language Interpretation

  PH-3500.4500
  
  Programs that offer the services of trained bilingual individuals who are usually proficient in English and one or more foreign languages to help people whose command of English is inadequate to communicate their needs.
• Legislative Advocacy (5)
  FP-0500.4500

  Legislative Advocacy

  FP-0500.4500
  
  Programs that attempt to influence the introduction or review of pending bills, ordinances or administrative rulings with the objective of having an impact on the passage or defeat of such legislation or its content.
• Occupational/Professional Associations (4)
  TN

  Occupational/Professional Associations

  TN
  
  Programs that promote the interests of a specific trade or profession and provide informal educational and professional development opportunities under the auspices of a membership professional or occupational group or association, often through the medium of journals, periodicals, professional conferences, trade shows and expositions and other similar gatherings. Some of these programs may also establish standards which relate to the qualifications and performance of members and may accept and investigate complaints from the public concerning the practices of members; may maintain a service which refers the public to member individuals, groups, agencies or businesses; and may act as advocates for their own members, for association goals and/or for the recipients of their services.
• Outreach Programs (5)
  TJ-6500.6300

  Outreach Programs

  TJ-6500.6300
  
  Organizations that make an effort to increase the availability and utilization of community services by specific target populations by providing direct services for targeted individuals in their homes or other convenient locations or by making special efforts to ensure that a particular group is aware of available services and encouraged to participate. Included are programs that do outreach regarding their own services as well as those which encourage a target population to use a wide variety of services.
• Planning/Coordinating/Advisory Groups (3)
  TD-6500

  Planning/Coordinating/Advisory Groups

  TD-6500
  
  Governing boards, advisory boards, commissions, committees and other groups that provide advice, guidance and, in some cases, formal oversight, for public and private organizations that are responsible for the provision of services to the community; that assess existing social conditions and problems and develop and assist in the implementation of specific strategies for meeting the human service needs of the community; and/or which assist community agencies and organizations to coordinate the provision of services in an efficient, nonduplicative way. Also included are entities that are composed of community agencies which have an established networking relationship that provides a collaborative approach to addressing specific identified community needs and problems.
• Protection and Advocacy for Individuals With Disabilities (7)
  FT-1000.6600

  Protection and Advocacy for Individuals With Disabilities

  FT-1000.6600
  
  Programs that provide assistance for individuals with disabilities who are having difficulty understanding and/or obtaining the full benefits and services to which they are entitled by law. Included are federally mandated programs that are part of the formal protection and advocacy system which includes Protection and Advocacy for Persons with Developmental Disabilities (PADD), Protection and Advocacy for Individuals with Mental Illness (PAIMI), Protection and Advocacy for Individual Rights (PAIR) and the Client Assistance Program (CAP); and independent organizations that provide the same types of services. Protection and advocacy programs provide legal representation and other advocacy services, under federal and state laws, for all people with disabilities and endeavor to ensure full access to inclusive educational programs, financial entitlements, health care, accessible housing and productive employment opportunities. The programs maintain a presence in facilities that care for people with disabilities where they monitor, investigate and attempt to remedy adverse conditions. CAP agencies (many of which are housed within protection and advocacy offices) provide information and assistance for individuals seeking or receiving vocational rehabilitation services under the Rehabilitation Act, including assistance in pursuing administrative, legal and other appropriate remedies.
• Refugee Resettlement Services (1)
  PH-1450.7000

  Refugee Resettlement Services

  PH-1450.7000
  
  Government-appointed nonprofit organizations, frequently associated with the faith community, that provide resettlement services through a network of local affiliates for refugee populations designated by the U.S. Department of State. These organizations take the lead in helping newly arrived refugees or refugee families make an adjustment to their new home and community. Services provided by local affiliates may include reception for arriving refugees; provision of a "welcome kit" of immediate necessities; periodic visits with the family during the early days of their transition; collection and provision of household goods; cultural orientation and ESL classes; and assistance in locating housing and employment, using public transportation and identifying other needed services.
• Senior Advocacy Groups (1)
  TD-1600.3100-800

  Senior Advocacy Groups

  TD-1600.3100-800
  
  Organizations that support the passage and enforcement of laws and other social measures that protect and promote the rights and interests of older adults.
• Veteran Education Benefits (4)
  HL-8000.1800-900

  Veteran Education Benefits

  HL-8000.1800-900
  
  Programs administered by the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs or other organizations that provide educational financial assistance for veterans and service personnel and their eligible dependents. Veterans and service personnel who served on active duty between January 31, 1955 and January 1, 1977 for specified periods of time are eligible for a variety of education benefits under the GI Bill including a stipend for tuition assistance at approved educational institutions. Veterans and service personnel who entered active duty after January 1, 1977 may participate in a voluntary contributory plan in which the individual's savings for a future education are administered and augmented by the government. Partial educational assistance is also available to the survivors of deceased or disabled veterans whose death or permanent and total disability was service-connected; and to the spouses and children of servicemen and women who have been listed for more than 90 days as missing in action, captured in the line of duty or forcibly detained by a foreign power.
• Women's Advocacy Groups (2)
  TD-1600.3100-950

  Women's Advocacy Groups

  TD-1600.3100-950
  
  Organizations that support the passage and enforcement of laws and other social measures that protect and promote the rights and interests of women.