Iowa State University Extension

Problem:
For elderly and disabled recipients of Social Security or Supplemental Security Income benefits, the ability to live independently and securely is often threatened by an inability to mange routine finances. In Humboldt County, social service agencies frequently faced the need for such assistance; however, with no established program in place, agency staff often took on that role themselves, at significant cost, or relied on informal support systems (family or friends) whose effectiveness varied greatly. They sought to establish a Volunteer Representative Payee program, sponsored nationally by the American Association of Retired Persons (AARP), to address this issue effectively and at low cost.

Response:
The ISU Extension Family Resource Management Field Specialist, already familiar and experienced with such programs, assisted Humboldt County Community Services in a variety of ways when the program was first established about 2001. Now that the program is operating well, she continues as a member of the advisory committee, provides training for new volunteers, and offers technical assistance with special needs.

Impact:
At the 2008 volunteer recognition event, the program’s impact and success was evident in a number of ways:

• Fourteen clients are currently being served by ten volunteers.
• Program volunteers managed $135,300 in the past year, ensuring clients’ health, safety and financial stability, and contributing to community-wide financial stability.
• The annual client survey revealed clients’ overwhelmingly positive feelings about the assistance that volunteers provide.
  
  Success at the personal level:
• Working with the volunteer payee, one client had saved enough to take a vacation – her first vacation ever.
• One client, after working with the volunteer for a few years, has gradually increased his skill level to the point where he no longer needs a volunteer payee – he is able to manage his finances on his own!
  
  

Additional Team Members/Community Partners:
Humboldt County Community Services, 515-332-5205

Contact:
Barb Wollan
Hamilton County Extension
311 Bank Street
Webster City, IA 50595
515-832-9597
bwollan@iastate.edu