State Senator Lindsey M. Williams, Your District 38
Update

*

*Upcoming Events**

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[link 1]

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*Post-Election
Peace, Pizza, and Puzzles Gathering at the Shaler
Library*

*Wednesday, November 20, 2024 from 6:00 p.m. - 8:00
p.m.*

*Shaler North Hills Library, 1822 Mt. Royal Boulevard,
Glenshaw, PA 15116*

Community is everything. Whether your candidate
won or lost on Election Day, our neighbors are still our neighbors.
Join us on Wednesday for an evening of puzzling, friendship, and
pizza!

Drop-bys are welcome, but pre-registration is greatly
appreciated so that we have an appropriate age-range of puzzle options
and enough pizza for everyone! You can register for this event here
[link 2].

We'll also be collecting food for West View HUB [link
3]'s Thanksgiving food distribution! Requested items include stuffing
mix, canned vegetables, gravy, and boxed potatoes.

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*VSO
Appointments Available*

*Thursday, November 19 from 9:00 a.m. -
1:00 p.m.*

*Ross Township Office, 5000 McKnight Road, Suite 405,
Pittsburgh, PA 15237*

With last week's Veterans' Day celebrations
at the top of mind, we want to highlight the services that our
Veterans Service Officer (VSO) can provide to those who have served
and their families. VSOs are trained and certified to help you with
writing and submitting benefits claims, applying for benefits, and
finding healthcare and housing. VSOs are also able to help you get the
paperwork you need to support your application or claim for
benefits.

We recommend that Veterans review have an annual review
to ensure they are receiving all of the benefits that they earned
through their service. They should also have a review performed after
personal or financial changes.

To assist with this, my office
offers American Legion Veterans Service Officer (VSO) appointments
every 3rd Tuesday of the month from 9 am - 1 pm. You can meet
one-on-one with a VSO who can answer questions about your benefits or
perform an eligibility review for you.

Upcoming Dates:

-
THIS
WEEK: Tuesday, November 19, Ross Township office, 5000 McKnight Road,
Suite 405.

-
Tuesday, December 17, Natrona Heights office, 1826
Union Ave.

Call or email to schedule your one-on-one appointment:
412-364-0469 (Ross) 724-224-2131 (Harrison). Appointments fill up
quickly!

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*Good
News**

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*Story
Time at the Shaler North Hills Library*

Last month, I joined Miss
Ing at the Shaler North Hills Library to share a special spooky story
and have a mini-dance party with our littlest library lovers. We had
an amazing time. If you'd like to join future editions of Miss Ing's
dance parties, or any of the other fun library programming, you can
check out the SNHL calendar at Month Calendar | Shaler North Hills
Library [link 4].

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*Celebrating
Elevator Upgrades At Shaler Library*

After we enjoyed story time at
the Shaler North Hills Library, I joined Library Board President Dave
Shutter and Director Sharon McRae to celebrate the renovations and
upgrades to the Library's elevator. Funding for this project came from
a 2023 Local Share Account (LSA) grant [link 5]. These grants are
funded by the PA Race Horse Development and Gaming Act and are used to
support projects that improve the quality of life of citizens in the
community.

The elevator renovation is part of SNHL's larger project
to update the building's upstairs restrooms to meet American
Disabilities Act (ADA) guidelines and to add a family restroom on the
first floor of the building. Full details on that project, including
photos and tentative draft plans, can be found here [link
6].

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*Groundbreaking
at Rachel Carson EcoVillage*

I was fortunate to attend the
Groundbreaking for the new Rachel Carson EcoVillage last week. This
new 35-unit housing community will be Pennsylvania's first EcoVillage,
welcoming anyone who wants to be a part of a community that reduces
its ecological footprint.

This is a wonderful example of
intentional community building with both our neighbors and our planet.
I'm incredibly proud to be a part of this project and I look forward
to being a continued partner in its success!

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*Honoring
our Veterans*

On Monday, I joined residents at Legend Senior Living
for a Veterans' Day Happy Hour celebration and recognition. We had a
wonderful visit and I'm looking forward to returning in the coming
weeks for a presentation about avoiding scams and keeping your money
safe from fraud!

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*Veterans
Place Opens Empowering Transitions Facility*

Also on Veterans' Day,
I joined local Veterans, elected officials, and community members to
celebrate the opening of the Veterans Place Empowering Transitions
Multi-Purpose Facility. This new facility will provide housing and
comprehensive, wrap-around support services for Veterans in need while
giving them the dignity they deserve.

I am incredibly proud of the
work that Veterans Place does every day to support our Veterans and
their work to end Veteran homelessness.

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*

*Legislative
Update**

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*Passing
Legislation to Protect All Victims of Domestic Violence*

This week,
I was glad to vote for HB 1210 [link 7], legislation that gives judges
the ability to order the defendant in a Protection From Abuse (PFA)
case to refrain from abusing the victim's pets. While judges have a
wide range of relief that they can order, they lack explicit authority
to include pets in a PFA.

This legislation, which is now headed to
the Governor's desk for signature, adds an additional layer of
protection for victims of domestic abuse by ensuring that their pets
are also safe.

Thank you to Crisis Center North for visiting my
office in Harrisburg in October to talk about how important this
legislation is!

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*

*News
You Can Use**

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[link 8]

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[link 9]

*Don't Miss the Open Enrollment for Health Insurance
Through Pennie!*

Open enrollment for health insurance through
Pennie [link 10], Pennsylvania's health insurance exchange, runs from
November 1, 2024 - January 15, 2025 for the 2025 coverage year. No
matter who you are or what you do Pennie makes it easy to find the
lowest costs on high-quality health coverage.

During open
enrollment, people and families can sign up for health insurance
plans, make changes to their existing coverage, or renew their current
plans. It is a critical time for families to ensure they have the
necessary health coverage for the upcoming year.

Visit Pennie [link
11] before Wednesday, January 15th to learn more and get
enrolled!

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*Medicare Open Enrollment Ends December 7*

Medicare
Open Enrollment ends Thursday, December 7th! There are many reasons to
change your Medicare plan such as when a senior's health,
prescriptions, or Medicare Advantage insurance plan's coverage
changes. Open enrollment is your chance to join, switch, or drop
Medigap, Medicare Advantage, or Prescription Drug Plans so your
individual coverage needs are met.

Not sure where to start? PA MEDI
Counselors offer free, personalized help with all Medicare-related
decisions. All services are free, confidential and delivered by
specially trained certified counselors. This is their busiest time of
year so call PA MEDI as soon as possible for a phone or video
appointment to go over your individual coverage needs.

Call the PA
MEDI helpline 1-800-783-7067 Monday through Friday, 8am to 5pm.

Or
visit:
PA MEDI - Medicare Counseling | Department of Aging |
Commonwealth of Pennsylvania [link 13].

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[link 14]

*Boating and Facilities Grant Program Deadline is
Saturday, November 30th!*

The Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission
is still accepting applications for their Boating Facility Grant
Program!

The Boating Facility Grant Program provides grants for
planning, acquisition, development, expansion, and rehabilitation of
public boating facilities located on waterways in Pennsylvania.
Funding requests require a 50% match.

Applications are due by
Saturday, November 30th!

Learn more at Apply for the Boating
Facility Grant | Commonwealth of Pennsylvania [link 15].

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[link 16]** *

*AARP Volunteers Needed for the 2024 Tax
Season!*

The AARP Foundation Tax-Aide program [link 17] is looking
for individuals to volunteer virtually or in person in a variety of
roles to provide help to taxpayers. Volunteers come from a variety of
industries & span from retirees to college students. AARP provides the
training, support, and volunteers gain new skills while helping those
in need!

Volunteers can participate in-person or virtually for the
following roles:

-
Client Facilitator

-
Tax Counselor

-
Technology Coordinator

-
Leadership & Administrative
Volunteer

-
Communications Coordinator

-
Bilingual
Interpreter

Learn more about volunteering online [link 18] or call
1-888-AARP-NOW (1-888-227-7669). * *

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*SNAP
Scam Alert*

We want to warn our constituents about a potential text
message scam targeting those who receive Supplemental Nutrition
Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits. The scam claims that a user's EBT
card has been deactivated and directs the user to call a number to
reactivate it. This is a scam that puts user's identity information at
risk. The PA Department of Human Services (DHS) will never text an
individual to say that an EBT card has been deactivated.

Remember,
DHS never asks for personal information in unsolicited text messages,
emails, or phone calls. If someone is claiming to be from or
affiliated with the Department and they are asking you for your
personal information, it is a scam!

Please report any texts or
calls about DHS benefits that seem suspicious by calling the DHS fraud
tip line at 1-844-DHS-TIPS (1-844-347-8477).

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As
always, please feel free to reach out with any questions you may have
by phone at 412-364-0469 [link 19] (Ross Office), 724-224-2131 [link
20] (Harrison Office) or by email at
[email protected] [link 21]. My staff will return
your call/email within 24 hours (Monday-Friday).

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Senator
Lindsey Williams

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[link
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mailto:[email protected]

Contact
Information:

Website:
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Office Location:
District
Office
5000 McKnight Road
Suite 405
Pittsburgh, PA 15237
Phone:
412-364-0469
Fax: 412-364-0928
Monday ? Friday 9-5

Harrison
Office
1826 Union Avenue
Natrona Heights, PA 15065
Phone:
724-224-2131
Fax: 724-224-2145
Monday ? Thursday 9-5

Harrisburg
Office
366 Capitol Building
Senate Box 203038
Harrisburg, PA
17120-3038
Phone: 717-787-6538
Fax: 717-787-8625
By appointment
only


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