The extended services H.O.S.T. offers cover additional services not covered under the basic services. You may be asking why you would need another plan if you already purchased the basic plan. The answer is simple. While the basic plan addresses the short term issues, it also covers the more long term issues. It also covers many comfort features not covered by the basic services. It is intended for additional coverage for those who may have no immediate local support. It is essential for everybody struggling with reentering the workforce. It is nice for those extra comforts that will be purchased one way or another once placed in the sex offender housing.

 

The timeframe of the extended plan is the same as the basic plan. It’s not longer coverage, it’s better coverage. The benefits of the extended plan, like the basic plan, last for 30 days. It does not duplicate what’s covered in the basic services, it offers additional amenities. Those amenities include additional comfort, additional regulatory assistance, and financial assistance.

 

Incurring the benefits of the basic plan is a necessity. Their transition however is by no means complete. In fact it’s only beginning. The basic plan covers the original short term issues. However, the long term issues have barely begun. If supervision is involved, there will be additional probation meetings and additional registrations. These are NOT the issues being referred to. Once again the extended plan is not longer coverage. It too expires after 30 days. The above mentioned issues however become fairly straightforward and routine. Our clients get accustomed to their routine obligations.

 

The extended plan coverage refers to issues a bit more complicated. Sometimes our clients come to us and for whatever reason they do not have all their documents in order. Perhaps they don’t have their social security card. Perhaps they don’t have their birth certificate. These are necessary items in order to get a state ID. The basic plan did cover their registration at the DMV, and if all the documents were with them, it allowed them to get the ID at that point. If all the documents were not ready we help our clients obtain a letter of compliance, which means they are in compliance with the 48 hour rule to register their address at the DMV, but we still need to obtain a state ID within 30 days or else weare no longer in compliance. It makes no difference if one is desired or not, it's mandatory sex offenders get at least a valid state I.D. The DMV charges a fee to obtain an I.D., so even after all documents are obtained it’s not free. If it’s desired to get a driver’s license instead of an ID, that’s just as acceptable, but there are even more issues. The extended services cover these issues. The extended services also cover the DMV fee to obtain an ID, which is currently $31.25 in Orlando. This is only the first example, You’ll soon get the idea that the services covered by the extended plan is for services that would have to be paid for anyway. It’s not extra money, it’s better value.  We do the planning eliminate at least some of the stress.

 

Assistance and transportation to obtain social security cards and birth certificates are covered. While any fees for a birth certificate are not currently covered by the extended service, it does cover the transportation or on line request for it. These documents must be obtained so that H.O.S.T. can later escort our client back to the DMV to get the ID that we were not able to get on the visit. If some of these documents take longer than 30 days to process, the extended plan will still cover that final trip to the DMV, even if it is outside of the 30 day window, so long as the reason was beyond their control and it’s a matter of waiting for documents.

 

It’s necessary to have an I.D., not only to remain in compliance but since most our clients will be moving onto the job hunt next, the I.D. is essential. There are many benefits covered in the extended plan related to the job search but this first piece is necessary to get hired. It’s possible to go on interviews without an I.D. but it’s not usually possible to get hired without one. The extended plan will ensure our help until that step is completed.

 

Some of our clients may be eligible social security benefits or veteran benefits. The extended plan covers the initial trip to the appropriate office and gets that process started. If these benefits can be verified ahead of time, which is another service H.O.S.T. can provide, it’s possible to be approved for credit, deferring the monthly rental payments and deposits until benefits are re-established. Monthly finance charges apply but the credit can only be approved by H.O.S.T. if the terms of the extended plan are accepted. If approved, no payment will be due to HO.S.T. until those benefits resume.

 

There are several comfort issues also covered by the extended services. These benefits are included in order to avoid purchases that would have to be made anyway, when shopping is not an option on the first day, as our clients with probation will not usually be able to leave the house until the initial probation intake meeting.

 

The rooms are clean, safe and compliant but they are not luxurious and H.O.S.T. makes no false pretense about that. These are rooms for rent, not a hotel with luxurious amenities. The extended services will cover necessary items for the room that may otherwise not be provided. This includes but is not limited to a hygiene kit including a towel and washcloth, linens for the bed including pillow and we’ll even cover their first meal when they come to us. Our clients often arrive hungry after a long bus ride and we probably can’t get to the food issues until the next day. It’s likely fast food, but it’s gourmet considering what our clients have been through up until this point.

 

The extended plan covers a cell phone we will let them borrow that comes with pre paid minutes. When the minutes run out additional minutes can be purchased, but this allows them to talk to loved ones and also sets them up to have a phone number when we get to the job search. It’s a temporary loan and the phone will need to be returned, but we’ll also be looking into their eligibility for a free phone and process the application to appy for it. This loaner phone borrowed from H.O.S.T. may be used until their permanent phone arrives.

 

The most valuable component of the extended plan for most of our clients is the job assistance services. There are day labor and enrollment assistance opportunities out there. We will provide transportation to such events. However, the most valuable piece is that they will have us to do the job application submitting for them. Many offenders are restricted from the internet, and even when an employment agency or job center offers help, all they usually mean is permission to use their computer workstation. Firstly many offenders are not supposed to be on the internet, even under these conditions, but secondly even if that usage is permitted they can’t attach files to the temporary workstations and so hours are spent retyping the same information over and over, only to usually never hear a response. Some sex offenders are allowed to use the internet; it all depends on their dates of charges and particular offenses, but the ability to be on the internet doesn’t mean they have a computer.

 

H.O.S.T. takes a better approach. We will schedule them for a job assistance consultation. This is where H.O.S.T. will collect all the information needed to support this service. We will discuss job skills, job type interests, previous employment information, and reference information (H.O.S.T. will gladly offer to be one of those references if desired). In other words, rather than accumulate all this information one application at a time, H.O.S.T. first builds an entire database of information related to their job search so that we can do the internet submissions for them. We may have additional questions after the initial consultation but that can usually be answered through phone calls, or if necessary we’ll schedule them for a second consultation. All; this and more will be accomplished before the 30 day period of coverage expires. We’ll provide the transportation for job interviews & job fairs during their 30 day coverage. While the 30 days will pass quickly, and more than likely a job will not have been obtained yet, we don’t just drop the ball and say sorry 30 days are up.

 

H.O.S.T. will continue to submit applications on behalf of our clients long after the 30 day period at no extra charge. The only thing that ends is free transportation. Work from our office continues, until their job status is achieved, for as long as it takes. That’s our promise. We may not find the job in 30 days, but we’ll have our system set up so they can be assured regular applications are being submitted on their behalf. We’ll monitor an email account set up for on behalf of our client, but not actually used by our client. They are within internet restriction compliance and we notify them of any requests for an interview.

 

Coverage for the extended plan lasts 30 days. Many benefits continue after. The only part that stops after the 30 days is the covered transportation, not the support. Monthly plans are soon to be available that will address these needs after the 30 days have expired, but our rooms are easily accessable to public busses and rides from roommates are common methods used by our existing clients.  We'll help figure it out, whatever the issue. .

 

There is no requirement to purchase the extended plan. It’s just the smartest choice. It’s a small investment to pay for achieving success.

 

Don’t delay, sign up today. Visit our plans and prices page.