Kinship Caregivers Support Services Program provides financial assistance to kinship caregivers (grandparents and relatives raising children) and assists them in obtaining resources necessary to help stabilize the family.   We can help pay for the cost of emergent needs incurred by grandparents or other relatives at the time a child comes to live with them, such as:   Clothing purchase   Food   Basic Supplies   Housing   Childcare   Relocation costs   Utility assistance

Kinship Navigator Program offered at Kitsap Community Resources - Main

Provides financial assistance to kinship caregivers (grandparents and relatives raising children) by assisting them to obtain resources necessary to help stabilize the family.

Programs that provide assistance for people who have been displaced from their current homes or rental housing by urban renewal, redevelopment, conversion or demolition of condemned housing. Also included are programs that provide relocation assistance for people whose homes have been damaged or destroyed by a fire, flood, earthquake, hurricane, tornado or other disaster; or for individuals in other situations covered by the program.

Relocation Assistance

Programs that provide one-time transitional monetary support and/or an ongoing maintenance subsidy to help meet the needs of children who are in the custody of grandparents, aunts and uncles or other relatives, members of a child's tribe or clan, godparents, stepparents, neighbors, friends of the family or other kinship caregivers. The programs have different eligibility requirements for children and caregivers which may relate to the child's age, the legal status of the caregiver relative to the child, the length of time the child has been in the caregiver's custody, the relationship of the family with the child welfare system and the prospects for adoption or family reunification. Criminal background checks and home studies may be required, and income requirements (for the caregiver) may apply. Included are subsidized guardianship programs that provide financial assistance and supports that are limited to situations where the caregivers are legal guardians and those that have broader criteria that include less formal relationships.

Kinship Care Subsidy Programs

Programs that supply coupons that can be exchanged in designated thrift shops or nonprofit organizations for clothing.

Clothing Vouchers

Programs that cover all or part of the cost of child care in public and licensed private child care centers or private family child care homes, usually for low-income families or families which include children with disabilities in situations where parents are working, in school or in a training program. Also included are programs that pay the costs of in-home or out-of-home child care when the parent is receiving diagnostic tests, undergoing medical treatment, is hospitalized or needs to be out of the house for other reasons; and those that provide financial assistance to families with young children to help cover some of the costs of a parent staying home to care for their child.

Child Care Expense Assistance

Programs that pay all or a portion of the electric service expenses of people whose electricity has been or is at risk of being shut off including any reconnection fees that may apply. Also included are non-emergency programs like those funded through the federal Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP), also referred to as LIEAP or HEAP in some states, that provide home energy assistance, generally in the form of a credit, for low-income households that apply. The assistance is usually available once per calendar year (or heating season). Electric service payment assistance programs may have age, income, disability, need or other eligibility requirements.

Electric Service Payment Assistance

Programs that pay for or provide new or secondhand clothing for children and/or adolescents.

Children's Clothing

Programs that supply food coupons which can be exchanged in designated grocery stores, supermarkets and/or farmers markets for food products. The vouchers are generally provided to low income individuals and families on an occasional or ongoing basis, but may also be available to other specified populations; and may be issued in paper or electronic formats.

Food Vouchers

Programs that provide information, guidance and assistance that supports the ability of family members and other informal caregivers to make decisions and solve problems relating to their caregiving role. The service helps the caregiver find practical solutions to concerns about the health and wellbeing of the care recipient; and may be provided via an advice line or an online chat service as well as in in-person settings.

Caregiver Consultation and Support

Programs that pay all or a portion of the home heating fuel expenses of people who are unable to purchase the resources to heat their homes without assistance. Also included are non-emergency programs like those funded through the federal Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP), also referred to as LIEAP or HEAP in some states, that provide home energy assistance for low-income households that apply, usually once per calendar year; and programs that pay for firewood, propane, butane, kerosene, coal or other bulk fuels that are used for heating or cooking purposes in situations where people have no other means of acquiring them. Heating fuel payment assistance programs may have age, income, disability, need or other eligibility requirements.

Heating Fuel Payment Assistance

Programs that pay all or a portion of the gas service expenses of people whose gas has been or is at risk of being shut off including any reconnection fees that may apply. Also included are non-emergency programs like those funded through the federal Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP), also referred to as LIEAP or HEAP in some states, that provide home energy assistance, generally in the form of a credit, for low-income households that apply. The assistance is usually available once per calendar year (or heating season). Gas service payment assistance programs may have age, income, disability, need or other eligibility requirements.

Gas Service Payment Assistance

Programs that pay all or a portion of the water service expenses of people whose water has been or is as risk of being shut off including any reconnection fees that may apply. Included are programs that provide assistance with combined water/sewer bills in communities where sewer payments are bundled with payments for water services. Water service payment assistance programs may have age, income, disability, need or other eligibility requirements.

Water Service Payment Assistance

Programs that pay for or provide soap, shampoo, toothbrushes, toothpaste, mouthwash, combs, brushes, cotton swabs, deodorant, facial tissue, toilet paper and other personal hygiene/grooming supplies for homeless people and other individuals who need them.

Personal/Grooming Supplies

Life Skills education programs teach concepts and principles relevant to a healthy lifestyle. Workshops and classes or consultation is available in the following areas.         Employment Assistance Program -  Employment and Career Workshops, Local and National Employment Information, Individual Career Counseling, Resume Assistance, Federal Employment Application Information  Financial Assistance Program - Personal Financial Management Workshops, Individual Financial Counseling  Relocation Assistance Program - Relocation Workshops, Welcome Aboard Information, Hospitality Kits and Loaner Items, Individual or Family Consultation, Exceptional Family Member Resources  Transition Assistance Program -  Career Development Workshops, Preparation for Leaving the Military                      Support and Counseling - Relationship Workshops, Anger and Stress Management Workshops, Individual and Marital Counseling; Child Counseling  Special Interest Program - Courses and Individual and Group support activities

Work and Family Life Programs offered at Naval Base Kitsap - Fleet and Family Support Program at Bangor Blue Building

Offers an education program which teaches concepts and principles relevant to a healthy lifestyle.  Workshops and classes include employment, financial, relocation, and transition assistance.

Programs that provide opportunities for people to investigate their occupational interests through simulated job experiences such as role playing; career mentoring, i.e., pairing professionals and people interested in that occupation; and job shadowing, a work-based learning experience that allows a visitor to follow a host during a typical day (or other period of time) observing and asking questions about a particular career. Also included are police explorer programs, fire cadet explorer programs, and other similar groups which provide opportunities for youth who may be interested in pursuing a career in these fields as adults to gain experience in the area.

Career Exploration

Programs that provide a variety of short-term, intensive, home-based intervention services for families experiencing a crisis that is so severe that children are at imminent risk for placement outside the family setting. Services, which are aimed at ameliorating the underlying causes of family dysfunction, are generally time-limited, of fairly short duration and available on a 24-hour basis. Also included are other family preservation program models whose programs vary in terms of the population served, the level of intensity of services provided and the length of services. The objective of family preservation programs is to preserve the family as a unit and prevent unnecessary placement of the children in foster care, a group home, an inpatient substance abuse or mental health treatment program, a residential training school or other alternative living arrangement.

Family Preservation Programs

Programs that provide a wide variety of social services that are designed to support the healthy development of families, improve family interaction skills and help fragile families to resolve their problems at a pre-crisis stage before they become unmanageable.  Services may be center-based or provided on an outreach basis to families who are initially reluctant to seek support and generally target the specific needs of a particular community.  Included may be self-sufficiency programs which help families break the cycle of poverty by addressing the barriers to self-sufficiency; early child development and school success programs; programs which address the needs of teen parents; programs which target parents at risk for becoming abusive; programs for families with children who have special developmental needs and programs that focus on the maternal and child health care needs of first-time, expectant women whose babies are at high risk for low birth weight and infant mortality.

Family Resource Centers/Outreach

Programs that introduce people who are in the process of choosing an occupation to a variety of career and vocational options. These programs provide information about the knowledge and skills that are required for specific positions in specific industries and professions; data regarding the current labor market, training and educational options, major employers, and small business development; and other reference material that is related to career planning.

Career Awareness

Public or private organizations like the USO that provide adjunctive supportive services for military personnel throughout the world which may include information, opportunities for recreation and socialization, entertainment, emergency leave assistance, lost baggage assistance, travel information, visa and passport assistance and rest facilities for individuals in transit.

Social Services for Military Personnel

Programs that provide information and guidance for people who want to develop skills in a different occupational area than the one in which they have been working and who need to re-evaluate their aptitude, abilities and interests to select the most appropriate new option.

Career Change Counseling

Programs located at military installations throughout the world that handle inquiries from military personnel, retirees, reservists and their family members, do an assessment of their needs and refer them to sources of help available at the installation or in the local community. The centers may provide relocation assistance, transition assistance, family life programs (e.g., parenting, stress management), individual and family counseling, employment assistance, and financial management services as well as emergency assistance.

Military Family Service/Support Centers

Programs that explore the meaning of contemporary relationships; the attitudes, feelings and interpersonal behaviors that can facilitate or hinder the development of intimate relationships; and strategies for letting go of past relationships, leaving present relationships that cannot work, enhancing current relationships that have potential for success, and entering into new relationships that are personally satisfying. Workshops may focus on evaluating past relationships, developing the confidence to approach potential partners and initiate new relationships, learning to love and maintain commitments, developing sexual intimacy, problem solving and communication in relationships and other similar topics.

Relationship Workshops

Programs that provide information and guidance for people who need to evaluate their aptitude, abilities and interests in order to choose a vocation or career and select the type of training that will enable them to obtain and progress in positions in the public or private sector that are productive and fulfilling.

Career Counseling

Programs that offer training which focuses on the knowledge and skills an individual may need to live independently or make a successful transition to independent living. Participants may include runaway youth who are living on their own, youth who because of age can no longer be maintained in foster care, new widows, victims of domestic abuse, people who have previously been homeless, and others who have lived in an environment in which decision making and responsibilities of daily living have been handled by another as well as people currently living independently who want to be more effective. Training may address job search and retention, money management, insurance, taxes, rental agreements, vehicle purchase, nutrition, home management, health care, legal emancipation for teens and other similar topics.

Life Skills Education

Programs that administer tests which measure an individual's skills, abilities, interests, personality traits and other attributes for success in different occupational areas or specific positions. Also included are programs that allow people to "try out" jobs in the community for short periods of time to determine whether there is a fit and, in the case of people with disabilities, to determine the type of supports the individual might require to succeed if hired for that type of job.

Vocational Assessment

Programs that teach skills that enable parents to deal constructively and consistently with a broad spectrum of child rearing problems which may include sibling rivalry; school behavior and performance; poor self-esteem; shyness; drug use; sexual promiscuity; and the whole range of negative, acting-out behaviors including whining, temper tantrums, disobedience, insolence and destructiveness. Some parenting skills development programs utilize a step-by-step approach for managing specific problems and may incorporate application at home of techniques that were discussed and practiced in the classroom setting. Other programs may offer participatory family workshops which provide opportunities for parents and children to learn and practice methods for dealing with one another under the guidance of a trained facilitator. Most training programs teach the parent a particular way of talking and relating to their children that reinforces positive behaviors and communication and decreases negative behaviors while supporting the development of a relationship that is built on fairness, mutual caring and respect.

Parenting Skills Classes

Programs that provide instruction for people who need to acquire the basic "soft skills" and tools that are required to successfully apply for and secure employment, and retain a position once they have been hired. These programs provide information and guidance regarding preparing a resume, writing job application letters, completing job application questionnaires, responding to job ads and taking employment tests; offer tips regarding appropriate dress, personal appearance and interview techniques; and address other similar topics.

Prejob Guidance

Programs that provide educational and/or therapeutic opportunities for people who are interested in or who need to learn how to deal with their anger in a positive, functional way. Participants may include people who internalize their anger as well as those who act it out verbally or in behavior toward friends, family, children, employers or other people in their lives. Included are court-ordered and voluntary programs for people who are involved in domestic violence or child abuse as well as general workshops for people who are uncomfortable with the way they express their anger.

Anger Management

Programs that offer educational workshops that cover a range of family-living issues and help participants develop the knowledge and skills they will need to better handle life transitions and crises, improve overall self-esteem, promote growth, strengthen coping mechanisms and avert situations that can lead to family dysfunction. Topics may include parenting and step parenting skills, human growth and development over a life span, the physiological and psychological aspects of human sexuality, communication skills, couple and family relations, stress management, intergenerational issues, elder care, family and community relations, family and work relations, the impact of money and time management on daily family life, personal development, self-discovery and self-motivation. Family life education programs are offered by a wide variety of organizations including social and community service agencies, hospitals, schools and after-school programs, employee assistance programs or wellness programs in business organizations, learning centers and religious institutions.

Family Life Education

Programs that utilize a variety of techniques including demonstration, exercise and discussion to help participants increase their understanding of the conditions and habits that lead to stress, to learn more about the effects of stress on the body, to identify the stressors in their own lives, and to develop better ways of reducing or managing stress in their personal relationships and work environment. The program may include instruction in and practice of physical exercises, relaxation techniques and other mechanisms for coping with stress.

Stress Management

Programs that help people who want to purchase a home evaluate their readiness for homeownership, shop for housing that meets their needs, resolve potential credit problems, analyze specific home purchase offers, obtain a mortgage loan with advantageous interest rates and an affordable monthly payment, and complete the paperwork to close the loan and complete the sale. Also included are programs that provide assistance for people who want to refinance a home.

Homebuyer/Home Purchase Counseling

Programs that provide guidance and information regarding benefits, services and outplacement assistance for active duty separtees and retirees and their family members returning to civilian life with the objective of making the transition as smooth and stress-free as possible. Services may include benefits counseling, employment search and placement assistance, relocation services, financial planning assistance, eligibility information regarding medical and dental insurance coverage and other forms of assistance to facilitate adjustment to civilian life. Special employment transition assistance includes certification of job skills and experience; information about applying active duty job skills and experience to private sector employment; information about geographic areas of relocation including the labor market and cost of living; identification and location of employment and training opportunities; instruction in resume preparation, job analysis and interview techniques; and information about loans and grants to facilitate acquisition of employment. Also included are programs that help National Guard and Reserve personnel who have been activated for deployment resolve issues pertaining to duty requirements and employment benefits.