Our main responsibility at Family Support Services (FSS) is to provide temporary assistance and comprehensive services to families in need who may be experiencing short-term difficulties.

We provide help for families through a federal program - Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF), known in Ohio as - Ohio Works First (OWF). Under OWF, case managers have two programs to assist clients: OWF Cash and Prevention, Retention, and Contingency (PRC).

OWF Cash provides temporary, time-limited cash assistance to families in need who are striving for self-sufficiency. PRC provides assistance to families to help them attain and retain employment, prevent dependency, and promote family stability within the context of community priorities and needs. Families may also receive additional assistance in the form of food stamps, medical coverage, child care, and transportation.  

Each of these programs has set federal and state eligibility guidelines and requirements. In general, eligibility is based on the family's income, residency and citizenship.

As you can see, there's been a change in thinking about public support programs. The old view focused on benefits as entitlements. Now we are focusing on personal responsibility and self-sufficiency. We are determined to help the client prepare for employment and self-sufficiency - then to find a job and stay employed.

In Summit County we are also determined to be more caring and supportive. We are working to see each client's needs more clearly. We are becoming more personally involved in helping each client. For example, we have longer office hours from 7:00 AM to 5:30 PM daily. We also have a customer service telephone line (330) 643-78ll - to provide clients with general information and to direct them to needed services.

Transportation and child care are two of the most frequently cited barriers to self-sufficiency. We have streamlined the child care referral process which you can read more about under the Children and Adult Services Department section. We have also contracted with Metro Transportation for a brokerage system, which allows us to customize transportation services to match the needs of our clients.