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Lawrence County CAP's Veteran Support Program Sees Great Success
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Recently, Lawrence County Community Action Partnership (LCCAP) announced some fantatic results of their Supportive Services For Veteran Families' (SSVF) program. As of August, LCCAP's consortium has enrolled and supported more than 325 veterans, up over 145 clients since the start of their October 2013 SSVF grant. In conjunction with their Emergency Solutions Grant housing program and CSBG Veterans Employment Track program, Lawrence County CAP continues to stabilize veterans within 13 counties throughout Pennsylvania. In addition, LCCAP's Veteran Support program has a housing placement rate of 97%. These remarkable results are due to the dedication of LCCAP's housing case managers and the leadership of LCCAP's Veterans Program Coordinator, Missy Russell.
LCCAP also took the lead again this year with the 5th annual Lawrence County Stand Down which was held on August 12th at the 107th Field Artillery in New Castle, PA. The overall goal of Stand Down is to raise awareness for Veteran and Civilian homelessness. This free event provided health screenings, clothes, shoes, hygiene products, and a light meal and was supported by multiple organizations with resource information to end homelessness. LCCAP was able to spread the word about Stand Down and their Veteran Programs during a radio spot on August 11 with Ken Lebovy (WKST). WPXI ran a segment that interviewed a local veteran and Ms. Russell.
On September 10, Lawrence County CAP's VA homeless team will be presenting at the Community Resource Meeting. Fitting, as they remember those that have been lost as well as active military members who continue to make the ultimate sacrifice for our freedom. Ms. Russell reports that locally and nationally we are seeing a steady decline of veteran homelessness. According to Ms. Russell, "we are definitely getting close to the VA's goal of ending veteran homelessness by December of 2015!"
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Free Opportunity to Promote Your Local Resources
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PA's Promise for Children recently launched its first version of the Early Learning GPS - a free online resource for families with young children from birth through age 5. CLICK HERE to learn more about how your Community Action Agency can use the Early Learning GPS with your staff, families, and partners. Free promotional materials are also available.
Examples of resources include: pre-natal support, child care, teen parenting, parenting classes, support groups, help accessing food and/or nutrition, help with clothing and household/utility expenses, domestic violence support, homeless shelters, transitional housing, weatherization, transportation, help obtaining HS diploma or equivalency, education, and health resources.
- Contact person name, email, and phone number (This will not be published online; this is for PA's Promise for Children to reach you if there are any questions or updates.)
- Your organization's name, website, and social media links (So that they can connect with you online for cross-promotional efforts.)
- Name of the resource
- Types of services provided from the resource
- Name of PA county/counties where the service is available
- Web link to resource
- Phone number (with area code) that families can call to request help from resource
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Community Action Partnership 2015 Annual Convention
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The Community Action Partnership's 2015 Annual Convention, themed "Empowering Families, Transforming Communities," is underway in San Francisco, CA.
During a pre-conference State Association meeting, the National Community Action Foundation's Executive Director, David Bradley, emphasized rallying around the CSBG Reauthorization Bill, H.R. 1655. Bradley spoke about future visits to local Community Action Agencies in key districts to gain more information and support from federal representatives. Likewise, David Bradley anticipates participating in poverty tours with presidential candidates. He sees the creation of a Community Action Laboratory that can innovate traditional Community Action programs and possibly consolidate services as a way to improve efficiencies and better serve clients.
The opening session featured ten speakers who encapsulated the "Empowering Families, Transforming Communities," theme. Tom Tenorio, the Partnership's Board Chair, opened the convention. Mr. Tenorio called for Community Action "to be, to learn, and to do" as we build solutions to a better future. Denise Harlow, the Partnership's Chief Executive Officer, encouraged the audience to embody the spirit of hope, to re-engage, and inspire. The national Director of Head Start, Dr. Blanca Enriquez, greeted participants, noting Head Start as "your younger sibling" of the 1964 Economic Opportunity Act. Dr. Enriquez emphasized her organization's appreciation of the partnering and leadership growth we share. Jeannie Chaffin, Director of the Office of Community Services, renewed her call for program integration. Ms. Chaffin spoke about the benefits of combining services with our partners in robust meaningful bundles. She noted adverse childhood experiences and place-based impacts as environments of poverty where Community Action could improve upon.
Preston Prince, the president of the National Association of Housing and Redevelopment Officials, recalled the response of Mother Pollard, a Civil Rights advocate during the 1950s Montgomery Alabama Bus Boycott who said, "My feet are tired, but my soul is rested." Mr. Prince summarized the national effort to provide integrated, mixed-income housing. Mr. Prince put forth the need for data driven policy, a need to reestablish our relevance to gain respect and understanding, and the need to combine housing and education. Finally, keynote speaker Susan Nall Bales, Founder and President of FrameWorks Institute, continued the partnership's theme. Ms. Bales noted that due to an absence of a national Community Action voice, telling the stories of our accomplishments have not resonated with the public, so explanations of poverty continue to default back to the standard rhetoric. Mr. Bales spoke about new ways to solve poverty and to utilize our resources creatively as we transform communities.
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| | Pictured above as they attend CAP's National Convention in San Francisco, CA is Dan Leppo , CAAP Development Director; Tammy Schoonover, Director of Community Services with Bucks County Opportunity Council (BCOC); Erin Lukoss, Executive Director BCOC and CAAP board member; and SaraJane Hamilton BCOC Finance Director. |
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Human Services Press Conference
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The Better Choices for Pennsylvania Budget Coalition helped organize a Human Services Press Conference in the Capitol Rotunda on August 26 at 11:00AM. According to the Better Choices Coalition, the goal of the press conference was to tell legislators to, "Stop the games. Negotiate a stable, fiscally sound budget that restores funding to human services using recurring revenue that will allow for increased investment in the future." Our very own Alan Jennings, from the Community Action Committee of the Lehigh Valley, spoke at the conference on behalf of Pennsylvania Community Action. Mr. Jennings let the public and State Legislature know that Pennsylvania Community Action Agencies, "exist for the sole purpose of serving others and are now having to calculate how they will do that work without laying off their underpaid staff or borrowing money." Mr. Jennings expressed the view point that, "Too many in the legislature are doing everything they can to demonstrate their own view that government doesn't work by making sure it can't work." Jennings then encouraged the State Legislature, "to invest in educating a competitive workforce, in creating jobs, protecting the weakest among us, and in strengthening our communities."
 
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CAAP AmeriCorps VISTA Update
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 Fred Smith completed a very successful term of service to CAAP on August 17, 2015 as VISTA Leader to 10 VISTA members who are serving with 8 sub-sites around the state. Fred recently took a full time position in South Carolina as a Workforce and Community Development Specialist with the Waccamaw Regional Council of Governments. In addition to Fred's departure, Dani Motze, VISTA member who served the last 2 years with the Ready. Set. Read! project at the United Way of Berks County, is leaving. Dani has accepted a full time position with Redesign Reading. Thank you Dani and Fred for your service, and we wish you all the best as you begin your new careers.
September 11, 2015 is a mandatory day of service for all VISTA members.
To learn more about how to obtain the support of a VISTA contact Deb Fontaine, CAAP VISTA coordinator, at 717-233-1075 or deborah@thecaap.org. |
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