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You are here: Home / Archives for Clint Zweifel

Plan approved to replace grant funding to domestic violence shelters

March 14, 2014 By Mike Lear

The Missouri Housing Development Commission has approved a plan to replace grant funding lost by at least 15 domestic violence shelters in the state and other shelters served by a grant administered by MHDC.

Under the plan the Commission has approved up to $1.4-million to fund shelters who received Emergency Shelter Grants last year and applied this year. Shelters will get the same amount they received last year, unless they applied for less this year. 

MHDC says that money will go to those shelters no later than April 1.

The Department of Social Services has also agreed to provide more than $550-thousand in excess funds from the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) program. The House Budget Committee voted to add that money to the proposed budget for Fiscal Year 2015 that was passed out of the Committee on Wednesday.

If those TANF funds remain in the budget when it is approved by the legislature and the Governor, the Commission has voted to use the remainder of the $1.4 million to help sustain supplemental funding in future years.

It will be up to future state legislatures whether funding for those shelters will be included in state budgets, and MHDC Interim Executive Director Kip Stetzler says it will be up to the federal government whether that will be necessary.

“It’s hard to predict what the level of funding will be from [the US Department of Housing and Urban Development]. If we assume the same level of funding from HUD next year that we received this year, then what we will do is we will come back before the Commission and the Commission will make a determination as whether or not they elect to continue to supplement that funding.”

Stetzler told the commission $1.2-million less was available for ESG recipients this year than last … about a 37.5-percent decrease.

Stetzler says the denial of funds to those shelters stemmed from the decrease in funding and a shift in the use of ESG funds to more of a focus on homeless prevention and rapid rehousing – moving people who become homeless into permanent housing as quickly as possible.

That most of the shelters whose ESG applications were denied are in rural parts of the state was not by design, says Stetzler.

“There was certainly no intention to leave the rural shelters out,” Stetzler says. “There was a limited amount of funding and the process is a competitive one, so as the applications are submitted and as we undergo our review process, those applications are reviewed and because it’s a competitive process they are compared to one another. There many have been some deficiencies in some applications. I can’t speak specifically to individual applications but there certainly was no intention to not distribute ESG funds to the rural shelters.”

Domestic violence advocates say in the past when ESG funding has been reduced, shelters received less funding but none were cut entirely.

Stetzler was asked why the funding that was available was not divided among all shelters that applied at a prorated level rather than cut some shelters entirely.

“That’s certainly another option,” says Stetzler.

A plan to provide funding for those shelters began to develop quickly in the Nixon Administration after Missourinet and state lawmakers raised attention to the rejection of applications to 15 shelters. State Treasurer Clint Zweifel, who is a member of the Commission, says he thinks the system worked.

“I’m actually really proud,” says Zweifel. “We had a gap in the system. We added some homeless shelters that were at risk. We found a way to use resources at the state government, use resources here at MHDC to be able to get that done, that’s the purpose of the Commission.”

The shelters whose applications were denied had not been told why. Stetzler says that information will begin now that the Commission has given final approval to the grants and the process that will replace funding to those who didn’t get them.

“After today, after it’s final, our staff will work with those shelters, communicate with those shelters as to what the concerns that we had were and we’ll try to help them next year perhaps submit a more complete, if you will, application.”

See our earlier stories on the loss of the ESG to those shelters:

Gov. Nixon announces emergency funds for shelters denied grants

Attorney General’s Office:  Solution for grant loss to domestic violence shelters could come next week

Domestic Violence Shelters still waiting for replacement of lost grant

Nixon Administration moves swiftly to back domestic violence shelters after loss of grant

Filed Under: Featured, News, Politics & Govt Tagged With: budget, Clint Zweifel, domestic violence shelters, ESG, MHDC, Missouri House of Representatives, Missouri Housing Development Commission

Treasurer warns retired Missourians about pension advances

September 18, 2013 By Mike Lear

The state treasurer is warning retired Missourians about a threat to their pensions. Advertisements have been popping up for “pension advances,” which offer an up-front, lump-sum payment in exchange for signing away a part of a pension.

Missouri State Treasurer Clint Zweifel

Missouri State Treasurer Clint Zweifel

Treasurer Clint Zweifel says these advances are particularly tempting for individuals who are desperate for money to pay bills for themselves or aging parents.

“These schemes take advantage of retired employees during tough financial times, charging sky-high fees and interest rates. Effective interest rates have ranged up to 106 percent but they can be even higher than that. As State Treasurer it’s my job to protect Missourians from schemes that threaten their retirement security.”

Zweifel says these advances are not classified as a loan or a security.

“They’re really in some sort of Purgatory in terms of regulatory environment. What it means is that these folks are really taking advantage of Missouri seniors, and they’re threatening their retirement security with these instruments … and really no consumer protections in place for the individual borrower.”

Zweifel says it is not known how many Missourians might have already entered into a pension advance agreement. He says his office is working with that of Attorney General Chris Koster to investigate.

“That process is beginning through conversations I’m having with the public, but also online there’s a portal on my website, treasurer.mo.gov, where individuals can share experiences they’ve had in dealing with any of these companies, whether they’ve been approached or done business with them.”

Zweifel says he is also talking to state and federal lawmakers about combatting the practice legislatively.

Filed Under: Featured, Finance, News Tagged With: Clint Zweifel, pension advance, state treasurer

Treasurer’s office reaching out to older Missourians about unclaimed property

October 10, 2012 By Mike Lear

The state treasurer hopes a new outreach effort will get more unclaimed property back in the hands of the Missourians it belongs to.

The State Treasurer’s Office catalogs a wide variety of unclaimed property, such as this jewelry. (Photo courtesy, Missouri State Treasurer’s Office.)

State Treasurer Clint Zweifel says a lot of the nearly 700 million dollars in unclaimed property his office oversees belongs to older Missourians. So, his office is reaching out to that population through partnerships with AARP and the Alzheimer’s Association.

“Whether it’s Alzheimer’s or ageing in general, life does get complicated and having caregivers that have the tools to help you along in that process is really important. Unclaimed property is just a small piece of what it takes for someone who’s going through Alzheimer’s. It’s a small piece of their financial situation that they may need to put in order in addition to their own emotional life, too, but it is an important piece.”

Zweifel says his office has found that many older Missourians and their caregivers are confused about unclaimed property, so much of the focus of the partnership will be on education.

“We’ve already begun … the process of educating their volunteers that are on the ground throughout the state, and then finally developing educational materials that become part of the Alzheimer’s Association’s presentations, become part of AARP volunteers’ speeches, so that unclaimed property is something that they look to immediately as a place for resources.”

Click here to learn more about the Treasurer’s Office’s unclaimed property division.

Zweifel says the goal is also to educate Missourians on how to keep their belongings from winding up in unclaimed property.

“We have organizations like Alzheimer’s Association and AARP that are already giving lessons for caregivers and giving experiences for those that are aging on how to prevent this from happening. It could be as simple as developing a living will or living trust. It could be as simple as naming beneficiaries on all your accounts … persons whom you trust.”

Zweifel says such steps not only prevent having unclaimed property, but they can help in keeping financial affairs in order.

Filed Under: Featured, News, Politics & Govt Tagged With: AARP, Alzheimer's disease, Clint Zweifel, Missouri State Treasrurer, unclaimed property

Parents reminded of MOST college savings program

August 16, 2012 By Mike Lear

Saving for college is on the minds of a lot of parents as their children head back to school. State Treasurer Clint Zweifel wants Missourians to remember the MOST 529 program can help them do that.

Click on the link to be taken to the MOST 529 website.

529 plans are usually sponsored by a state and help families save for higher education and can pay for tuition, books and room and board fees. They can be started for as little as $25.

Zweifel this time of year, college savings are on the minds of a lot of parents. “Back to school is an important time. It’s an important time also as we get toward the end of the year and December as people begin thinking about financial planning for the coming year.”

Zweifel says paying for college can be a shock to those who haven’t dealt with it for a while, but even moreso for those who have never done it before.

“Think about the experience that many Missourians have, which is what I had, I was the first person in my family to walk onto a college campus and attend college. So, think about the challenges for those families that don’t understand the network that exists, don’t understand all the tolls that exist. If it’s hard for the families that have experience with college, it’s even harder for those that haven’t.”

Even in recent years that have been marked by a tight economy, Zweifel says Missourians have continued to build on their MOST accounts. “We now have about $1.8 billion in assets. 135,000 Missourians are saving for college using MOST.”

Find more information on the Treasurer’s website.

Filed Under: Economy, Education, News Tagged With: Clint Zweifel, college, higher education, MOST 529

Farmers seeking loans to get HELP

July 17, 2012 By Mike Lear

The State Treasurer’s Office wants to make sure farmers seeking loans under the Missouri Linked Deposit program get a prompt response.

State Treasurer Clint Zweifel has authorized making the entire state eligible for the Harmed area Emergency Loan Priority System, or HELP. That makes farmers applying for those low-interest loans eligible for 24-hour approvals.

“When someone needs help and they’re going through a difficult time and they’re in a disaster county … I think 24 hours versus 10 days makes a big difference in terms of making sure that we’re helping them deal with a difficult situation.”

Loans are normally approved in 10 days.

Filed Under: Fires/Accidents/Disasters, News Tagged With: Clint Zweifel, drought, Harmed area Emergency Loan Priority, Missouri Linked Deposit Program



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