ESC Annual Report 2019

Families are Ready to Engage
MO PROPERTY TAX CREDIT
Creating New Income Options
for Missouri Seniors
The Missouri Property Tax Credit claim provides to low
income senior citizens and 100% disabled individuals a
portion of their paid real estate taxes or rent for the tax
year that could be returned to them. Many seniors live
on very low incomes so any additional income can help
their budget’s stretch.
ESC helps seniors who are unable to complete the
required Missouri tax paperwork necessary to receive this
rebate. In addition, we are able to couple this with other
agency services or community
resources that might be
helpful to the senior’s needs.
ESC partners with the Area
Agency on Aging, Joplin
and their Senior Meal Sites
throughout Barton, Newton
and McDonald Counties.
MOBILE OUTREACH
Watch for Us in Your Hometown!
Service delivery has changed over the years and
customers don’t need to come to an office location
because they can access applications via their smart
phones or at a public library. Technology has made it
easier than ever to apply for most of ESC’s resources
or to ask questions using websites or social media. A
new strategy identified this year, was the need to be
out in our local communities more often. We wanted
to reach out to areas where transportation makes it
difficult to access resources.
ESC’s response was to provide “Community Connect”
opportunities. It is simple, we leave our county office
to engage potential customers in communities within
Barton, Jasper, Newton and McDonald Counties. So
where do we go: local food pantries, city/county fairs,
Public Housing complexes, senior meal sites,
and other non-profit agencies. There is an
ESC’s mobile outreach calendar schedule.
In total 254 Property Tax and/
or Rent Rebates were processed
totaling approximately $126,457
in refunds for area seniors. Rebates
vary but can be up to $750, which
may assist them in purchasing
food, paying bills or purchasing
medications. A total of $6,000
in Federal funds were used to
support the program that helped
leverage $126,457 in refunds.
So for every $1 invested $21
was leveraged and these rebates
dollars are returned into our local
community’s economies.
Mobile outreach staff
are equipped to help
with ESC’s applications,
answer questions,
provide information and
resources. Over the past
fifteen months, ESC
has been to 116 mobile
outreach locations within
our four county service
area. Working smarter to
end poverty where
we live.
LIHEAP – Keeping Southwest
Missourians Healthy and Safe
ESC’s strength is taking an array of federal, state and
local energy resources that are available in southwest
Missouri and bundling them into any individual family’s
heating or cooling needs. This makes it more robust
and a more concise delivery method for our community.
Energy assistance is available to assist households with
low incomes, particularly those with the lowest incomes
that pay a high proportion of household income for
home energy, primarily in meeting their immediate
home energy needs.
Did you know?
Only 2.4%
(or 153 households)
received Energy Assistance
five of the last five years.
Of those households,
almost 80%
(or 122 households)
are considered our
most vulnerable neighbors
who are elderly, disabled
or young children.
In southwest Missouri, our poorest
neighbors often are paying on
average 28% of their income
toward their energy costs.
Economic Security Corporation assisted 5,305
households obtain or maintain utilities in their home
this past year. The majority of the households targeted
are considered to be very low income with households
having incomes at or below 75% of the Federal Poverty
guidelines. For example, a household of one would be
making less than $735.62 gross income per month.
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