The Georgia Department of Human Services (DHS) and Georgia Public Library Service (GPLS) are partnering to provide free self-service benefits kiosks at many Georgia public libraries, including three in Hall County: North Hall Tech Center, Downtown Gainesville (pictured), and Blackshear Place. Others in our area are located in Dawson and Lumpkin counties and at the Buford-Sugar Hill and Hamilton Mill libraries in north Gwinnett.
GPLS NEWS RELEASE:
“The kiosks provide convenient access for the public to access Georgia Gateway, the state’s integrated eligibility system, to review, change, or renew their benefits including Medicaid; PeachCare for Kids®; Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP); Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF); Childcare and Parent Services (CAPS); and Women, Infants, and Children (WIC).
The self-service kiosks will reduce wait times and provide access at the point of need, helping benefits-eligible Georgians to maintain their own and their family’s coverage.
A map of kiosk locations is available here.
The kiosks are supported by a Google Chrome environment and lightweight enough to be wheeled anywhere, capitalizing on familiar technology to help connect Georgians to the services they rely on. While library staff are not trained to answer benefits eligibility questions or handle sensitive data, they will be able to direct customers to the appropriate Division of Family and Children Services office for support.
In addition to multiplying the number of locations where benefits applications and renewals can be completed, DHS and GPLS hope kiosk users will learn about other library services – like 1,000 Books Before Kindergarten, laptops and internet hotspots for checkout, online job skills training, and more – that all Georgians can take advantage of with a free library card.
Initial funding for this program was provided by the U.S. Department of Agriculture Food and Nutrition Service.”