J Miles, Author at CKCAC

Weatherization

Central Kentucky Community Action’s Weatherization Program ended the year fully staffed and look forward to what the new year will bring. CKCAC’s weatherization program has completed a total of 32 homes with DOE and LIHEAP funding with 6 cancellations, and 29 home which have been deferred due to needs outside the of our program guidelines, as of June 30, 2021. CKCAC has 22 clients on the waiting list to receive Weatherization services as of July 1^st2021 to start the new year.

The Weatherization Program is fully staffed with an in-house crew and are still utilizing contractors to perform HVAC and Electrical work that we have to perform to the dwellings receiving services. We look forward to the future of the new contract year of CKCAC’s weatherization program to progress and better serve our 8 county service area.
Central Kentucky Community Action Council Wx program is fully staffed with a highly trained supporting and technical staff consisting of Denny Baxter Dwelling Needs Evaluator EA/QCI Josh Mattingly Crew Leader, Tessa Hinton Retrofit Installer, and supporting staff Barbara Garrett Accounting/Weatherization Assistant. We would like to say a huge thank you to all WX staff for their dedication for improving the quality of work and the dedication to ensure the health and safety of all the clients we serve.
Central Kentucky Community Action Council has leveraged funds from utilities to expand the reach of the Weatherization Assistance Program. This year we are leveraging funding from DOE, LIHEAP, ATMOS, East Kentucky Power, Kentucky Utilities, and Louisville Gas& Electric.
Our goal with weatherization is to continue to reduce energy waste and assure the Health and safety of each client we serve through testing consisting of; aliening air and thermal boundaries, pressure diagnostics, heating system diagnostics, indoor air quality, and base load energy consumption diagnostics.

KY Works Sites Increased 23 Since Covid-19

The Kentucky Works Program supports the Kentucky Transitional Assistance Program (K-TAP) and Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) in the following Kentucky counties. Anderson, Breckinridge, Bullitt, Franklin, Grayson, Hardin, Henry, Larue, Marion, Meade, Nelson, Oldham, Shelby, Spencer, Trimble, Washington, and Woodford.

Covid-19 continues to have a significant impact on both of our programs. While there is a current state of emergency, the state of Kentucky has implemented a “Good Cause exemption” where clients are not required to participate in the programs. This good cause exemption is currently in effect through 8-31-2021 but could be extended beyond that date until the vaccines can be more widely distributed. We currently have 2 clients that are employed in the K-TAP Program. Our Employment Specialists continue to follow up with each of these clients and track the hours they are working. On the SNAP Employment and Training program we continue to reach out to these clients and complete assessments when they are referred to us. We had 46 referrals for the SNAP program during this quarter· We continue to stay in touch with employers and if we do get referrals we match the clients skills with the employer needs to have a good match. We call new employers each week and keep a current job listing for each county we serve. We continue to see an impact with Covid-19 on our Work Experience Program sites as many of them are either closed or unable to accept our referrals. We updated them and the numbers taking volunteers has improved. We have 135 sites in our 17 counties that we send our clients and as of now, 59 are open and/or willing to accept referrals due to Covid-19. This is up from 23 last quarter.

Our staff continues to stay in touch virtually to discuss all relative matters in the program.

We are starting a new case management system in July and staff have been training to be ready for this system.

We continue to offer a wage subsidy program where if an employer hires one of our K-TAP clients they will be reimbursed for a portion of their wages during the first six month of employment.

Staff have been participating in the CAK summer webinar series.

We have one client that completed 12 months of unsubsidized employment and was hired full time at Metalsa on 6-14-2021.

CKCAC Area Board of Directors Meeting

As a non-profit agency, Central Kentucky Community Action, Inc. is required to inform the local community of the Area Board of Directors Meeting which is open to the public. The meeting will be on Wednesday, July 21, 2021, at 3 PM EST at the Lincoln Trail Area Development District. For more information, call the Central Office at 270-692-2136.

Community Action Agencies Enrolling Kentuckians for LIHEAP Summer Cooling

Applications for Summer Cooling Subsidy and Crisis Components will be accepted through October 31, 2021

FRANKFORT, Ky. (July 13, 2021): Community Action Agencies across Kentucky are accepting applications for the Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP) Summer Cooling Program. The program, which is open to qualifying households, offers two unique home energy assistance components to help offset electric costs. Households could apply and receive benefits up to the maximum allowable from both components.
Applications will be accepted on a first-come, first-serve basis through October 31, 2021, or until designated funds are depleted. Income eligibility for the program is up to and including 150 percent of the federal poverty guidelines. Benefits are paid directly to household’s electric vendor. Qualified residents should apply at their local Community Action Agencies. To locate your local office, please call 800-456-3452.
The Subsidy component helps households offset electric costs by providing a one-time benefit ranging from $100 to $400 depending on income levels and housing categories.
The Crisis component can assist households who are experiencing a home energy crisis situation, with the minimum needed to alleviate the crisis not to exceed $600. Households can reapply each time they experience a crisis situation until they have reached their maximum benefit. Applicants must provide at least one of the following: disconnect notice; an eviction notice for non-payment of rent (if electric costs are included as an undesignated portion of rent); demonstrate a late amount, overdue amount or that they are within 10 days of running out of pre-paid electric; or demonstrate that they would be disconnected or evicted if not for a moratorium due to a local, state or federal state of emergency.
For everyone’s safety, Community Action Agencies may provide special accommodations, adjust locations and times, and may ask that LIHEAP applicants follow safety protocols. Because these may change and vary between counties, applicants are encouraged to contact their local Community Action office for more information.
Kentucky’s Community Action Agencies administer LIHEAP in partnership with the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services as a pass-through block grant from the Kentucky Cabinet for Health and Family Services. More information about LIHEAP, including contact information for county-specific office contact information, can be found at the Community Action Kentucky website at www.CAPKY.org.

About Community Action Kentucky
Community Action Kentucky is the statewide association representing and assisting all 23 Community Action agencies across Kentucky that work to empower individuals and families to attain greater economic stability and long-term success. With a presence in all 120 Kentucky counties, Community Action agencies provide life-changing resources and programs to support a wide array of service areas, including food security, transportation, home energy, early childhood education, senior support, emergency services, housing assistance, workforce development, youth enrichment and more. As a statewide voice for local agencies, Community Action Kentucky works to address policy issues that impact low-income individuals and cultivates broad-reaching partnerships that improve the lives of thousands of Kentuckians, making it possible for them to achieve their goals. For more information about Community Action Kentucky, visit www.CAPKY.org.

Nominations Needed for Grayson County Board Member

Central Kentucky Community Action Council Inc. is soliciting nominations for a person to represent the families of low-income in Grayson County on the Board of Directors. The Board of Directors meet six (6) times per year, in January, March, May, July, September and November. The Meetings are routinely held in Elizabethtown, at the Lincoln Trail Area Development District Conference Room, on the third Wednesday afternoon at 2:30 PM EST. Mileage to and from the meetings will be reimbursed.

Please submit nominations to the Grayson County Community Action Office at 118 William Thomason Bwy, Litchfield, KY 42758, prior to the election date. Nominations will also be accepted at the opening of the meeting.

The Election will be held at the Grayson County Community Action Office on Thursday June 24, 2021, at 1:00 PM CST.

Nominations Needed for Nelson County Board Member

Central Kentucky Community Action Council Inc. is soliciting nominations for a person to represent the families of low-income in Nelson County on the Board of Directors. The Board of Directors meet six (6) times per year, in January, March, May, July, September and November. The Meetings are routinely held in Elizabethtown, at the Lincoln Trail Area Development District Conference Room, on the third Wednesday afternoon at 2:30 PM EST. Mileage to and from the meetings will be reimbursed.

Please submit nominations to the Nelson County Community Action Office at 219 East Muir (rear entrance), Bardstown, KY 40033, prior to the election date. Nominations will also be accepted at the opening of the meeting.

The Election will be held at the Nelson County Community Action Office on Thursday June 24, 2021, at 1:00 PM EST.

Head Start Still Seeking Students & Staff for Upcoming School Year

As the school year closed for Head Start this year, it was with mixed emotions. The year had been like no other in our lifetime. When the facility and children returned on March 1, it was extremely heart-warming to see and hear the excitement in their voices. The students flourished when they returned for in- person learning and made enormous strides towards educational goals.

Early Head Start enrollment is strong and those students will remain in session until mid-July. Plans are being made to move one classroom to Springfield in the upcoming school year. Meals are being provided daily by the Summer Feeding Program. Several EHS children will be transitioning into Head Start in the upcoming school year.

The Policy Council was ecstatic to meet in May with hybrid participation and looks forward to meeting over the summer being in-person. Plans to move into the newly built centers are being made. Springfield Head Start is a few days away from being able to move into, with the Lebanon Head Start center being about 3 weeks away from completion.

Head Start staff is recruiting at various locations in the communities we serve during summer to offer Head Start services to eligible families; as well as, seeking prospects for hiring. We ended the school year with an average daily attendance of 97% for Head Start. As of May, Early Head Start had an average daily attendance of 95%. To enroll your child or apply for a job, please call 270-692-2136.

We have been busy restoring our program as evidenced by conducting a staff survey and reorganizing positions. Planning is in full force to strengthen communication, implement ways to support staff, and focus on all components of the program through professional development and incentives.

In April, Central Kentucky Head Start hosted an online auction for Child Abuse Awareness Month. Over $2,200 was raised and donated to the Trooper Teddy Program to purchase Teddy Bears to be given to children during traumatic events. Pictured is Kentucky State Trooper, Nick Hale, receiving the donation from ERSEA Manager Melissa Garrett and Action Based Learning Coach Nicole Burchell.

CCC Provides Many Opportunities for Community Members

During Child Abuse Awareness Month in April, CCC provided Awareness Bags to Family Resource Centers and Head Start Centers in all eight of the counties in which we provide services. CCC staff, with the help of community volunteers, also placed Pinwheels for Prevention in various locations around our communities to increase awareness of Child Abuse Prevention.

Also in April, CCC welcomed Diane Redmond as the new In-Home Worker. Diane is a retired educator with 31 years experience. She is looking forward to working with CCC families.

During April, May and June, CCC’s Build A Bed program was in full swing. The Nelson County Woodworking Area Technology class built beds for low-income families until the lumber prices doubled halting the class’s ability to continue with additional builds. Therefore, there is still a need in our communities for beds. If you have a twin-sized bed frame to donate, please contact Program Director Ronda Bertrand at 270-692-7553. You may also contact Ronda to refer a family for CCC services, which helps a family overcome barriers in order to provide a safer and more nurturing environment for children in their homes.

In May, Mike Lemon presented Cyber Safe Teen via Zoom, helping to fulfill CCC’s training requirements for the program. Also, the last Trail of Hope Regional meeting of 2020-2021 was held via zoom in May.

To further fulfill our educational training requirements, CCC has scheduled a webinar on June 16^th from 9 to 4 PM EST. Charlie Applestein will present, via zoom, a training titled “No Such Thing As a Bad Kid!” This training focuses on understanding and responding to kids with emotional and behavioral challenges using a positive, trauma-Informed, strength-based approach. This presentation will focus on strength-building rather than flaw-fixing. The training begins with the belief that every kid has or can develop strengths and utilize past successes to mitigate problem behavior and enhance social and academic functioning. This uplifting, evocative and humorous presentation will highlight many of the key principles and techniques of this transforming approach. Please contact Ronda Bertrand to attend.

On September 15th, 2021, CCC will start meeting in person again at Nolin RECC in Elizabethtown, KY at 10 AM for the Trail of Hope Regional Meetings. Anyone interested in child abuse prevention activities and events is encouraged to attend.