Goodwill Industries of the Inland Northwest has five Representative Payee offices. The offices within Washington are located in Moses Lake, East Wenatchee, and Spokane. The offices in Idaho are located in Lewiston and Coeur D’Alene. The East Wenatchee office merged with the Moses Lake office in 2021.
The Representative Payee Program’s long-term goal is to coach their clients to be able to take charge of their own finances.
How does it work?
This program gets state and federal funding that the clients receive to live on each month. The payee team writes the checks to pay the bills for each client. Then they give out personal needs allowances to clients weekly, biweekly, or monthly.
Paperwork for rental applications, leases, and Social Security can be difficult for clients to understand. The payee program team talks with property managers on their clients’ behalf. They also help with communication between the client and vendors. This includes vendors like Avista Utilities, the City of Spokane, and any other companies they have bills with.
Did You Know?
In 2021, Goodwill helped 1,252 people manage their money and keep the bills paid.
COVID-19 Impact
When COVID hit, the Representative Payee office at Goodwill couldn’t see clients in person. All but two team members were furloughed. Those two team members worked in Spokane to oversee all five offices.
Many Representative Payee program participants are homeless. When offices closed for in-person help, everything was done by phone and mail only. And so, many clients had to come up with a mailing address so they could get their allowances.
Despite this challenge, the payee department continued serving the community. They’re considered essential employees. So, they stayed working every day as long as they were COVID-free.
Staying Resourceful for Clients
When COVID hit, the Representative Payee office at Goodwill couldn’t see clients in person. All but two team members were furloughed. Those two team members worked in Spokane to oversee all five offices.
Many Representative Payee program participants are homeless. When offices closed for in-person help, everything was done by phone and mail only. And so, many clients had to come up with a mailing address so they could get their allowances.
Despite this challenge, the payee department continued serving the community. They’re considered essential employees. So, they stayed working every day as long as they were COVID-free.