Up & Coming Weekly

December 15, 2020

Up and Coming Weekly is a weekly publication in Fayetteville, NC and Fort Bragg, NC area offering local news, views, arts, entertainment and community event and business information.

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WWW.UPANDCOMINGWEEKLY.COM DECEMBER 16-22, 2020 UCW 11 NEWS County Commissioners sworn in, elect new chair and vice chair a STAFF REPORT ree Cumberland County Commissioners took the oath of office Dec. 7 during a special Board of Commissioners meeting. Commissioners Michael Boose and Jimmy Keefe were sworn in after being re-elected, and Toni Stew- art took the oath of office for the first time. Boose, Keefe and Stewart represent District 2. e new board then elected Charles Evans to serve as chairman for the year. Glenn Adams was re-elected as the board's vice chairman. Boose is a Fayetteville attorney who was first elected to the Board of Commissioners in 2016 and served on the Board of Education for 18 years, where he was elected the board chair for four terms. Boose has practiced law for more than 35 years. Keefe is a business owner and military veteran who was first elected to the Board of Commissioners in 2008. He served as chairman in 2013 after serving as vice chairman in 2012. Keefe was also elected to two terms on the Fayetteville City Council from 2001-2005. Stewart, who earned her doctorate in Bibli- cal Counseling from Family Bible College of Fayetteville, serves as the Special Project Manager at True Vine Ministries. She formerly served as the Executive Director of the Hope Center women's shelter. Evans was elected in 2010 and re-elected in 2014 and 2018 as an at-large representative. He was the board's vice chair in 2017 and served two terms on the Fayetteville City Council from 2005-2009. He is a disabled veteran and executive director of Life is Worth Living-Project Fresh Start. Adams is an attorney elected from District 1 in 2014. is will be his third term as the vice chair- man. He was the chairman in 2017. He is an attor- ney and serves as the Chairman of Action Pathways Incorporated and the Cumberland County Juvenile Crime Prevention Council. During his remarks, Evans outlined his priorities for the year. He said he wants to establish a plan to identify and assist the homeless in our com- munity "with a one-stop center designed to help members of our homeless community locate and ac- cess resources throughout Cumberland County." Other priorities include: •supporting clean and healthy water in the Gray's Creek area, as well as throughout Cumberland County •encouraging the development and construction of a Performing Arts Center •completing a new 911 and Emergency Opera- tions Center and a state-of-the-art Fire and Rescue training center in partnership with Fayetteville Technical Community College •enhancing communication and transparency by re-establishing the facilities, finance and policy committees and live streaming those meetings •working with the nine municipalities and the leg- islative delegation "to ensure our collective voices are heard and that they impact the decisions that impact our lives." During the meeting, Adams presented outgoing Commissioner Marshall Faircloth with a plaque and thanked him for his years of service as a commis- sioner. Faircloth thanked the commissioners and county staff for their work in serving our citizens. Commissioners Jeannette Council and Larry Lan- caster complete the seven-member board. e board is scheduled to hold its next regular meeting Dec. 21 at 6:45 p.m. Assistance available to low income households for heating costs a STAFF REPORT e Cumberland County Department of Social Services is accepting applications for the North Carolina Low Income Energy Assistance Program to help qualified families with their heating costs. e federally funded program provides a one-time vendor payment to help eligible households pay their heating bills. Households including a person age 60 or older or disabled persons receiving services through the N.C. Division of Aging and Adult Services are eligible to sign up for assistance until Dec. 31. Disabled per- sons are defined as receiving Supplemental Security Income, Social Security Administration or Veterans Administration disability. All other households may apply from Jan. 4 through March 31 or until funds are exhausted. In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, the N.C. Department of Health and Human Services announced Nov. 30 that it will issue assistance to 2019-2020 LIEAP recipients. ese benefits will be paid directly to their energy vendor. e traditional application process will be eliminated for elderly and disabled individuals who normally are required to apply for LIEAP funds. Eligible households may qualify to receive the LIEAP payments for the 2020-2021 season if a mem- ber of the household: •is age 60 or older or a person with a disability receiving DAAS services, and •is currently receiving Food and Nutrition ser- vices, and •received LIEAP during the 2019-2020 season. To be eligible for the LIEAP program, a household must: •Have at least one U.S. citizen or non-citizen who meets the eligibility criteria •Have income equal to or less than 130% of the federal poverty limit •Have resources, such as saving and checking ac- counts and cash on hand, at or below $2,250 •Be responsible for their heating cost e following verifications must be provided to determine eligibility: •Identification for the applicant •Social Security numbers for all household members •Copy of the heating bill •Proof of gross income received in the prior month •Proof of childcare expenses and legal support obligations paid in prior month Since the Cumberland County DSS building remains closed to the public, applications can be accessed at www.ccdssnc.com/energy-assistance- programs/ and may be returned by: •fax to 910-677-2885 •email to energyprogram@ccdssnc.com •mail to P.O. Box 2429, Fayetteville, NC 28302 •drop off at CCDSS drop boxes at 1225 Ramsey St. in Fayetteville Households that include a Native American who is 18 years of age or older who wish to apply for LIEAP benefits, must do so through the Lumbee Tribe at www.lumbeetribe.com/services. For more information, contact the DSS LIEAP message line at 910-677-2821 or the Cumberland County Department of Social Services at 910-323-1540. Glenn Adams Michael C. Boose Jimmy Keefe Larry L. Lancaster Charles Evans Dr. Toni Stewart Jeanette M. Council

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