Winter can often be a difficult time of year. For seniors living alone, however, especially in places like Summit County where the snowfall can easily cover one’s driveway and prevent easy access to transportation, it can be isolating or even dangerous.
That’s why the county offers a free program to help remove snow from seniors’ property. So far, there are about 15 residents who are 60 and older and without family in the area who are benefitting from the jail’s working inmates’ snow removal program.
“Seniors will either hear from others or hear from their senior centers that this program exists and will either contact me or get the necessary paperwork from one of my administrative assistants in order to apply,” said Jessica Wilde, Summit County’s senior citizen director.
The paperwork lets the county know whether the senior qualifies and gives the inmates from the Summit County Sheriff’s Office, who come to actually clear the snow, permission to render services.
Once Wilde receives the completed paperwork, she updates the list that is sent to deputies in charge of the working inmates program. Every time someone new is added or someone asks to be removed, the Sheriff’s Office receives a new list of telephone numbers, addresses and other important information about the senior requesting snow removal.
Wilde also calls the seniors who were on the list the previous year at the beginning of each season to ensure they still qualify for services and want to be included.
“Some people move, some people have their kids living with them now,” Wilde explained. “I contact everyone and do that, too. They just stay on the list. They don’t have to do the paperwork again.”
The initiative has been running since at least 2019. Wilde said she doesn’t know how long it’s been in place, though, because it was already established when she started working with the senior citizen program.
To qualify, seniors need to be 60 or older and living without family in the area to assist them. There are no income requirements.
Anyone who is interested can reach out to Wilde by emailing her at [email protected] or by calling her office phone number, which is 435-336-3014.