Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office Jail Director Tara Wildes wants to place trained Supplemental Security Income processors at the jail to increase the success rate of getting people community services.
The program is called SOAR — Supplemental Security Income/Social Security Disability Insurance, Outreach, Access and Recovery. The Florida Times Union interviewed Kristin Lupfer, the national project director for SOAR technical assistance. She said without a SOAR processor a homeless person’s application has about a 10 percent to 15 percent chance to be accepted the first time it is submitted.
With SOAR, the odds jump to a 65 percent success rate for first-time SSI/SSDI applications. Some programs have success rates in the high 80s, she said.
Escambia Board of County Commissioners and the city of Pensacola need to check this out. Read more.