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CHW 102: Communication, Advocacy and Community Resources
102.5 Navigating Resources and Benefits
211, closed-loop referrals, and Ohio help for food, health, utilities and housing
Your materials
Slides (PowerPoint) Handout (Word)
For instructors
Facilitator guide Printable pre and post tests Quiz (LMS import)
What you will learn
- Use United Way 211 and closed-loop referrals to connect clients
- Explain the main Ohio benefit programs and where to apply
- Match client needs to food, utility, housing and transportation help
- Prepare clients with the documents and steps they need to apply
Start here
Think of a time you got passed from office to office for help. What would have made it easier?
Lesson
Our front doors to help
Start with these, then add the assets you know on your block.
- United Way 211: Dial 211, any hour, any day. Free and confidential navigators find local help for food, rent, utilities and more.
- Ohio Benefits: Apply, renew or report changes for Medicaid, SNAP, cash help and child care at benefits.ohio.gov or (844) 640-6446.
- Food Bank Help Center: Call 216-738-2067 on weekdays. Staff take SNAP and Medicaid applications by phone and find nearby pantries and hot meals.
- Your library: Cuyahoga County works with local libraries on benefits navigators who help people apply for food, medical and cash help.
Closing the loop on a referral
A closed-loop referral means we check that the person really got the help.
- Ask and listen: Learn what the person needs most right now, in their own words.
- Find the right fit: Check eligibility, hours, location, language and cost before you suggest a place.
- Connect warmly, with consent: Call together or send an introduction, only after the person agrees.
- Set a follow-up date: Agree on when you will check in and how to reach them.
- Check back: Ask: did you get the help? If not, what got in the way?
- Write it down: Record the referral, the outcome and next steps in your notes.
Benefits at a glance
| Program | Who it helps | Where to start |
|---|---|---|
| Medicaid | People who meet Ohio's income and household rules | benefits.ohio.gov or (844) 640-6446 |
| SNAP (food help) | Households with low income buying groceries | benefits.ohio.gov or Food Bank Help Center |
| WIC | Pregnant, postpartum and breastfeeding women; children up to 5 | Call (800) 755-4769 for a local clinic |
| SSI | Low income and age 65+, blind or disabled | Social Security, 1-800-772-1213 |
| SSDI | People with disabilities who have enough work credits | Social Security, 1-800-772-1213 |
| HEAP (heat help) | Households at or below 175% of poverty guidelines | energyhelp.ohio.gov or local energy provider |
Heat help: HEAP or Winter Crisis
Regular HEAP
- One-time credit toward the main heating bill
- Income at or below 175% of federal poverty guidelines
- Apply July 1, 2026 to May 31, 2027
- Online at energyhelp.ohio.gov or with a local provider
Winter Crisis Program
- For a shutoff notice, disconnection, or low bulk fuel
- Runs November 2, 2026 to March 31, 2027
- Must finish with an appointment at the local provider
- Booking can delay a regulated utility shutoff 30 days, once a year
Housing and getting there
- CMHA vouchers: Apply online any time with an email address. The preliminary application lasts 18 months. Call 216-431-1471, option 6.
- Free eviction help: Right to Counsel gives Cleveland tenants with a child, at or below poverty, a free lawyer. Call 216-861-5835.
- Medicaid rides: Medicaid plans cover rides to care. Most plans need two business days notice. Call the plan's member services.
- County backup: For Medicaid visits beyond the plan's ride benefit, contact the county Job and Family Services office.
Why benefits are hard to reach
- What we see: Mr. Reyes in Clark-Fulton skips meals to pay the gas bill. His blood sugar numbers keep climbing.
- Why it happens (upstream): Wages that do not cover energy costs, help split across many offices, long forms, and few materials in Spanish.
- What we can build on (assets): 211 navigators, the Food Bank Help Center, library benefits navigators, his parish pantry, HEAP, and a bilingual neighbor who has applied before.
Situation: everything at once
Situation: Tanya Brooks in Slavic Village has two kids, a gas shutoff notice, and an eviction hearing next week. She says, "I called everybody. Nobody helps."
Where do you start, and how do you close the loop?
- Listen first, then name the most urgent need with her
- With consent, call Right to Counsel together about the hearing
- Book an energy assistance appointment for the shutoff notice
- Set a check-in date and confirm each referral worked
Talk it over
- Which benefit office has been hardest for you or your family to reach, and why?
- What community asset helped you when a system did not?
- How will you know a referral really worked?
Study sheet
The big idea: We help people reach the benefits they have a right to, and we follow up until the help arrives.
Key points
- Start with 211 when you are not sure where to send someone, then add local assets you know.
- A closed-loop referral means you check back to confirm the person got the help.
- Medicaid, SNAP and cash help start at benefits.ohio.gov or (844) 640-6446.
- HEAP helps with heat bills; the Winter Crisis Program helps with shutoff notices from November to March.
- CMHA voucher applications are open year-round online and last 18 months.
- Rules change often, so always check the official source before you advise a client.
Remember
- 211: free, confidential, 24 hours
- Food Bank Help Center: 216-738-2067, weekdays
- Social Security (SSI and SSDI): 1-800-772-1213
- HEAP income limit: at or below 175% of federal poverty guidelines
- Medicaid rides: book at least two business days ahead with most plans
Ask yourself
- Which offices in my community do people find hardest to reach?
- What would it take for me to follow up on every referral I make?
Vocabulary
| Word | What it means |
|---|---|
| United Way 211 | A free, confidential phone line and website that connects people to local help, any time of day. |
| Referral | Connecting a person to another service or professional who can help them. |
| Closed-loop referral | A referral where the CHW follows up to confirm the person actually got the help. |
| Eligibility | The rules a person must meet, such as income or age, to get a benefit. |
| Medicaid | Public health coverage for people who meet income and other rules. |
| SNAP | Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program: monthly help buying groceries for households with low income. |
| WIC | A nutrition program for pregnant, postpartum and breastfeeding women and young children, with healthy foods and counseling. |
| SSI | Supplemental Security Income: monthly payments for people with very low income who are 65 or older, blind or disabled. |
| SSDI | Social Security Disability Insurance: monthly payments for people with disabilities who worked long enough to earn credits. |
| HEAP | Home Energy Assistance Program: a once-a-year credit to help income-eligible Ohio households pay for heat. |
| PIPP Plus | Percentage of Income Payment Plan Plus: an Ohio utility payment plan based on household income. |
| Right to Counsel | A Cleveland program that gives eligible tenants with children a free lawyer in eviction cases. |
Real-life situations
The ride to dialysis
Mr. Earl Simmons, 67, lives in Hough and has Medicaid. His daughter used to drive him to dialysis, but she took a new job. He is afraid he will miss treatments.
What to do
- Find the member services number on his Medicaid plan card
- Call together and ask how to set up regular rides to dialysis
- Ask whether dialysis rides count against a trip limit
- Make a backup plan with a neighbor or church van
- Check after the first ride to make sure it came on time
Why: Ohio Medicaid plans cover rides to care, and many plans do not limit dialysis trips. Missing dialysis is dangerous, so a reliable ride is a health need.
New baby on the way
Keisha Moore, 24, lives in Glenville and is four months pregnant. Her hours at work were cut and she is running out of food before payday.
What to do
- Help her call (800) 755-4769 to find the nearest WIC clinic
- Help her apply for SNAP and Medicaid, or call the Food Bank Help Center together
- Share nearby pantries and hot meal sites for this week
- Set a date to check that her WIC appointment happened
Why: WIC serves pregnant women and young children with food and nutrition help. SNAP and pantries cover the gap right now.
Hurt and out of work
Darnell Price in East Cleveland hurt his back on a warehouse job and cannot work. He worked for 15 years and has no savings. He asks about disability.
What to do
- Explain the difference between SSDI (work history) and SSI (need-based) in plain words
- Help him call Social Security at 1-800-772-1213 or start online
- Help him gather medical records and a list of his doctors
- Let him know that if his application is denied, he can appeal
- Connect him to food and utility help while he waits
Why: Disability applications take months. CHWs help people apply well and meet basic needs during the wait, without judging whether they qualify.
Activity: My neighborhood resource map
About 30 minutes.
- Pick one neighborhood you know well.
- List one resource for each need: food, health coverage, heat and utilities, housing, transportation.
- For each one, write the phone or website, the hours, and one thing a person must bring.
- Call or check the website for one resource to confirm the information is current.
- Post your map in the course discussion so we build a shared, living resource list.
Post-test
Ten questions. You need 75% to pass, with one retake. Your result is saved in this browser.
Sources
- United Way of Greater Cleveland, United Way 211
- Cuyahoga Job and Family Services, Applying for SNAP, Medicaid or Cash Assistance
- Greater Cleveland Food Bank, Help Center
- Ohio Legal Help, WIC for Women and Children
- National Council on Aging, SSI vs. SSDI
- Office of the Ohio Consumers' Counsel, Home Energy Assistance Program (HEAP)
- Office of the Ohio Consumers' Counsel, HEAP Winter Crisis Program
- CMHA, Housing Choice Voucher Applications
- Ohio Legal Help, Right to Counsel Cleveland
- Ohio Department of Medicaid, Managed Care Transportation Resource Guide
- CareSource Ohio Medicaid, Transportation
- Ohio Administrative Code 4723-26-13, Standard curriculum
- Office of the Ohio Consumers' Counsel, Percentage of Income Payment Plan (PIPP Plus)
- Social Security Administration, What is the SSI program and how can I apply?
- SAMHSA SOAR, About Appeals