En Español: Esta es una carta solicitando una donación para el trabajo que hace CCHCC. Si tiene preguntas sobre esta carta, o para mas información sobre donando a CCHCC, llame a (217) 352-6533 y pregunte por Chris o Adani.

Mr. E has renal failure and is on dialysis, but had no income, no health insurance, and no way to afford food, and he was on the brink of losing his housing because of it. He was in a very desperate situation and any security he had in life was gone once he lost his ability to work due to his kidney failure. Mr. E was referred to CCHCC by his dialysis facility. Three different staff members stepped up to help Mr. E. with multiple public benefits. Each staff member who helped Mr. E specializes in a particular area of public benefits. Thanks to the efforts of Paulette, Adani, and Nicole, Mr. E was approved for disability income, as well as SNAP (food stamps), and Medicare and Medicare Savings. Mr. E’s life has stabilized now that he has income, health insurance, secure housing, and can afford food. Mr. E was grateful to CCHCC and was thrilled that CCHCC could provide a “one-stop-shop” for all of these benefits!

Over the years, CCHCC has grown in our ability and expertise to help community members from diverse backgrounds enroll in a wide variety of health insurance and public programs because we saw the need for these services in our community. CCHCC is the only organization in Champaign County that can help enroll community members in all forms of health insurance – whether that be Medicaid, Marketplace, or Medicare and Medicare-related programs. Beyond health insurance, CCHCC also helps with public benefits such as Medicare Extra Help, Medicare Savings, SNAP, Township General Assistance, and Disability benefits (SSI and SSDI). And, our services are free!

In the process of working with our clients, we often encounter other needs – some being very dire, such as impending evictions and the need for housing assistance and navigation. For example, Shea, a CCHCC Disability Specialist, met Mr. S at the STRIDES shelter when he was living in his car at the shelter parking lot, and needed help applying for disability. While Shea was working with him on his disability case, she helped him enter a hotel program for temporary housing. While he was at the hotel, she helped him apply for a housing voucher. Mr. S is now in his own apartment! He will not have to worry about being homeless this winter. Shea will continue working with him on the disability application process.

CCHCC is one of the only non-profit community-based organizations in the nation that provides help with Disability applications. Disability programs such as SSI and SSDI are incredibly difficult to apply for, and the rates of approval are dismal. But once someone qualifies for these benefits, they will have guaranteed monthly income to live on, and greater stability with housing and basic needs. In some cases, like the one below, an entire family can benefit. CCHCC is the only organization in Champaign County that provides this free service to the public at large.

Mr. B, a homeless and disabled gentleman came to CCHCC needing help with the last-chance step in applying for disability benefits – the Administrative Law Judge (ALJ) hearing, which is the last level of appeal after being denied disability benefits. Our Disability Specialist provided Mr. B with a letter to be shared at the ALJ hearing, pleading his case and providing evidence for his disabling condition. Mr. B went to the hearing, and the ALJ granted him his disability benefits! As a result, Mr. B has reunited with his family and now has income to help support his household.

Many of our clients who come to us, stay with us for years! And we often serve multiple generations in a client’s family. One family has been with CCHCC for over 7 years! Adani originally helped them sign up for Medicaid in 2017 and helped with the renewals, accidental terminations by Illinois DHS, and general questions about the process of having Medicaid, choosing a managed care plan, and sending in additional documents. Once the patriarch of this family turned 65, CCHCC was able to help him with enrolling and setting up Medicare. It helped that he could get information explained in Spanish, his primary language.

Since they started coming to CCHCC, we have also helped their children and even grandchildren find and maintain coverage from hospital financial assistance to private insurance on the Marketplace! These long lasting relationships are not uncommon at CCHCC due to the breadth of our knowledge, and our ability to earn the trust of our clients.

Our services meet the needs of our community’s diverse populations, including immigrants, seniors, and individuals with disabilities. In Champaign County, we have growing populations of low-income immigrants, seniors, and individuals living with disabilities who need help with health insurance, health care, and public benefits. Our work helping people apply for public benefits such as Medicaid, SNAP, Medicare Extra Help, Medicare Savings, AABD, disability programs like SSI and SSDI, and so on, is helping to create better financial stability for low-income individuals in these diverse population groups. Several CCHCC staff members are bi-lingual and are able to serve non-English speaking community members.

Our Rx Fund helps many in need. One of the programs we have developed over the past few years – again, as a result of seeing a need in our community – is our Rx Fund. Our Rx Fund helps to pay for medications when they are too expensive, or when the individual has lost their health insurance.

Please consider making a contribution to help support CCHCC’s ongoing work to enroll as many community members as possible in affordable health insurance and vital public benefits. CCHCC is here to help our community members whenever they need us – whether they need help with health insurance, prescriptions, SNAP, disability benefits, or various public benefit programs! The work we do can help stabilize community members’ health, and their financial lives. And in turn, we need your help! Please consider making a year-end financial contribution to support CCHCC’s work.

Thank you for your support!
We appreciate your financial support for our services. Together, we are building a stronger, healthier community – together, we are giving the gift of health and security!

SUPPORT CCHCC!

Sincerely,

Claudia Lennhoff
Executive Director