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Associated Press
07-05-2025
- Health
- Associated Press
Advocacy, Inc. Announces Educational Webinar on Memo of Intent to Help Families Prepare for Children With Disabilities
National nonprofit organization, Advocacy, Inc. offers guidance on Memo of Intent drafting for families supporting children with disabilities. Macomb, MI, United States, May 7, 2025 -- On May 14, 2025, nonprofit organization Advocacy, Inc. will host a free national webinar designed to help families of individuals with disabilities create a Memo of Intent—a critical but often overlooked document in special needs planning. Titled 'Crafting a Memo of Intent That Truly Speaks for Your Child,' the session will guide parents and guardians through the process of drafting a personalized, practical document that communicates essential care details, daily routines, and long-term wishes—ensuring their child's needs are clearly understood even when they are no longer able to advocate directly. To help families fill this gap, Advocacy, Inc. will host a free, live webinar titled 'Crafting a Memo of Intent That Truly Speaks for Your Child' on Wednesday, May 14, 2025, from 12:00 PM to 1:00 PM Eastern Time. The one-hour session is designed to help parents draft a personalized document that captures their child's daily routines, care instructions, preferences, and personality—ensuring future caregivers are never left guessing. 'A trust manages the money, but a Memo of Intent tells the story of your child,' said a spokesperson from Advocacy, Inc. 'It's the human side of planning—the part that communicates love, values, and what truly matters for your child's well-being.' During the webinar, attendees will learn how to: Document detailed care instructions and life routines Communicate behavioral insights, sensory triggers, and emotional needs Include medical, educational, and therapeutic details Complement legal planning with a practical, personal perspective Keep the Memo of Intent current as the child grows This new session builds on insights from a previous Special Needs Planning Webinar hosted by Advocacy, which outlined the most common and costly mistakes families make when setting up a Special Needs Trust. These include choosing the wrong type of trust (First-Party vs. Third-Party), improperly funding the trust, selecting an inexperienced trustee, or failing to keep up with changing laws—all of which can jeopardize benefits like Medicaid and SSI. A Special Needs Trust, when properly created and maintained, offers long-term financial protection without affecting government aid. But documents alone don't communicate how a person lives, thrives, and connects with the world around them. That's where a Memo of Intent adds critical value—it serves as a caregiving guide and personal legacy that lives alongside formal planning. Families interested in planning for a loved one with disabilities will benefit greatly from understanding how the Memo of Intent fits into a holistic planning strategy. Advocacy, Inc. encourages anyone with caregiving responsibilities to attend, especially those exploring trust-based planning, guardianship alternatives, or ABLE accounts. Registration is now open: Crafting a Memo of Intent That Truly Speaks for Your Child About Advocacy, Inc. Founded in 2005, Advocacy, Inc. is a nonprofit organization dedicated to helping families navigate the complex world of disability planning. The organization offers nationwide services in the administration of First- and Third-Party Special Needs Trusts, Medicaid Asset Protection Trusts, and other legal tools that promote independence and protect government benefit eligibility. Through educational webinars and personalized consultations, Advocacy empowers families to plan with clarity, compassion, and confidence. Contact Info: Name: Maddie Fuller Email: Send Email Organization: Advocacy, Inc. Website: Release ID: 89159364 In case of detection of errors, concerns, or irregularities in the content provided in this press release, or if there is a need for a press release takedown, we strongly encourage you to reach out promptly by contacting [email protected] (it is important to note that this email is the authorized channel for such matters, sending multiple emails to multiple addresses does not necessarily help expedite your request). Our efficient team will be at your disposal for immediate assistance within 8 hours – resolving identified issues diligently or guiding you through the removal process. We take great pride in delivering reliable and precise information to our valued readers.
Yahoo
07-04-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Housing Council identifying goals, looking to increase access to local housing
YOUNGSTOWN, Ohio (WKBN) – The Youngstown-Warren Regional Chamber's Housing Council is looking at unique ways to increase access to housing in the area, including looking into the possibility of 3D-printed homes. After holding its first meetings, the Housing Council is working on setting some goals to increase the area's housing stock. The council is also planning a future summit to bring together community leaders to take a better look at the issue. Brenda Linert, director of community impact for the Regional Chamber, said the Chamber decided to form the council after seeing a need among its members. 'We consistently were hearing that one of the challenges — the biggest challenge that they're having right now — is finding workforce and then finding housing for their workers. A lot of times, these businesses were trying to hire people, and they couldn't find suitable housing in this area, so they were living out of the area and commuting in, which, you know, does not engage them well with the community and the businesses and all of the things that businesses want their workers to be involved with,' she said. Linert said the council includes realtors, lenders and developers, as well as those with housing expertise in the public sector. Linert cited the Eastgate Regional Council of Government's recent Housing Needs Assessment, which cited a shortage of smaller 1- or 2-bedroom homes in the area. She added that many homes in the inner cities have been demolished over the years due to poor conditions, and now there is vacant land that can be developed in those areas. 'We also need to not only build new homes, but also revitalize, renovate, upgrade existing homes, and like I said, some of the homes are really, really large and maybe too large for what we really need, so maybe they can be renovated into multiple units,' she said. John Demmler, president and CEO of Seven Seventeen Credit Union, is part of the council, and he sees a need for housing in the area as well. 'One of the challenges in the Valley is that, if you look at Warren and Youngstown specifically, about one out of two homes are rentals. There's definitely a market need for rental properties, but we feel that the best way to be part of the community is to take an ownership stake in the community and to build equity and wealth in that process,' he said. 717 has several programs to help make home renovations more affordable, partnering with the cities of Warren and Youngstown for their facade programs. Demmler also cited the City of Youngstown's landlord renovation program, which allows landlords to borrow funds at a discounted interest rate and borrow up to $100,000 or $50,000 per property to bring properties up to code. 717 is also working on a program through the City of Youngstown to spur development on vacant lots. Demmler said part of what the council is doing is looking at programs already in place that homebuyers and developers can take advantage of and increasing awareness of those programs. He said the goal is to make these home builds more affordable to compete with the rental market. 'Really, the need is for a housing solution in the $500 a month to $1,000 a month range, and the complications or challenges with providing housing solutions in that range are that it costs more to construct a new home today than what you can make into a monthly payment like that. It costs more to build a home than the appraised value after the home is built. So one of the main objectives of the council also is to help bring down the cost of housing, and we want to do that in a number of ways,' Demmler said. Linert added that another goal the Housing Council is working toward is creating more uniformity for developers, as codes and the permitting process differ in local communities. 'One of the other goals that we have is to try to streamline the permitting process and to try to find uniformity in the regulations, so that hopefully… developers will want to come into the area, and it will ease the process for them,' Linert said. One area of interest is the potential to use 3D technology. The City of Youngstown has been identified by the state as a hub for additive manufacturing, or 3D printing. Demmler said there is an interest among many Housing Council members as to whether this technology can be used to build homes in the area in a more affordable manner. 'I think that's going to be something we're going to look at providing some financial incentives and financing for a couple of spec homes with 3D-printed homes,' Demmler said. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
