The Times - Serving Waitsburg, Dayton and the Touchet Valley

DAYTON - Columbia County and Waitsburg area residents have a new source of help when applying for state aid.

Pastor Marj Johnston, of the First Congregational Church in Dayton, received a grant in July to purchase computer equipment that will allow her and other volunteers to assist clients when they apply for pro- grams offered by the Wash- ington State Department of Social and Health Services.

Using the new laptop or tablet computer, and with a volunteer's help, applicants can access DSHS programs through WashingtonCon- nection.org, the agency's web portal. DSHS programs available through Wash- ington Connection include SNAP (food stamps), emer- gency cash grants, Medic- aid, drug and alcohol treatment and childcare services.

Johnston learned of the program through her af- filiation with the Coalition for Youth and Families in Columbia County. "After DSHS closed their office at the Dayton hospital, a mobile unit came to Dayton occasionally,"

Johnston said. "But that was inconvenient for many people."

Along with the grant of approximately $2,000, Johnston received training to allow her to be the lead volunteer providing assis- tance to current and potential DSHS clients.

Johnston says that, while Washington Connection is available to anyone online, most users will benefit from the assistance the trained volunteers can provide, es- pecially when they are first signing up for programs.

The process begins with the "see if I qualify" section on the site. "Where a volunteer can really help is guiding people through the initial steps to see what they qualify for," Johnston said.

In that section, potential clients answer a series of questions regarding their family, income and employ- ment status. Once eligibility is established, volunteers lead users through the application process.

Johnston also pointed out that the program will not provide assistance for non- DSHS programs, such as SSI, unemployment benefits or medicare.

Johnston says she is the only volunteer currently trained on the new sys- tem, but that at least two additional volunteers are expected to receive training later this year.

"Right now, clients wish- ing to meet with me can come to my office at the church, or I can meet them at another location," John- ston said. She says that some people are more comfortable at a location such as the library or the public health office, rather than at the church.

Marj Johnston

"Once we have a staff of volunteers, we hope to have regular office hours at the Columbia County Public Health office on Main Street," Johnston said. She said that any state residents can request assistance from local volunteers, but she expects most clients will be Columbia County or Waits- burg area residents.

Johnston, who began her position at the Congrega- tional Church late last year, says volunteering to help DSHS clients is an impor- tant part of her involvement with the community.

"This is part of what I've always done," she said. Johnston said that in previ- ous positions the held in Spokane and Washington DC she, work as a volunteer helping lower-income com- munity members access important services.