Category: Newsletter
Senior Companion Program (SCP)
The Senior Companion Program (SCP) is actively looking for volunteers and our numbers are growing!
On October 28th, we celebrated our Senior Companion Program (SCP) volunteers with a wonderful recognition luncheon held at the American Legion in Elizabethtown. Volunteers dressed in costumes to add to the fun. They were treated to a fantastic meal provided by Bluegrass Meats and Catering of Elizabethtown. They also got to enjoy a fun and interactive magic show presented by Aaron Hart of Hodgenville.
SCP volunteers are so grateful to these vendors and entertainers for helping us make our volunteers feel how special they are to us and to their communities. Our volunteers put in thousands of hours each year, to the benefit of some of our most vulnerable citizens, and we are always grateful for their efforts.
If you are interested in becoming a Senior Companion volunteer in our service area of Breckinridge, Grayson, Hardin, Marion, Nelson and Washington Counties. Please reach out to Mary Jean Blake, AmeriCorps Director at (270) 692-2136.
Congregate Meals Program
Congregate Meals has been working with Lincoln Trail on the yearly monitoring to make sure we are compliant, this is due this month in November.
Congregate Meals has been working on our United Way grant due next month in December.
Congregate Meals has a new computer program called Mon-Ami. Congregate Meals would like to thank Lincoln Trail for all their help in getting us through some of our computer issues.
Congregate Meals is still in need of a part-time Cook and a full-time Coordinator at our Grayson County Senior Center.
Woodbine Construction has started demolition on our Elizabethtown building so there will be a new Congregate Meals cooking center opening in Hardin County.
Congregate Meals served were 11,069 in October and the meals continue to grow weekly.
Retired & Senior Volunteer Program (RSVP) Needs Volunteers!
On October 28th the senior volunteers of the Retired Seniors Volunteer Program (RSVP) gathered in Elizabethtown at the American Legion to recognize and honor their service to their communities over the past year. RSVP volunteers serve in over 14 nonprofit workstations across Hardin and Nelson Counties. During the past year 103 volunteers served over 27,500 hours for these community partners. RSVP is proud of the work our volunteers do every day.
RSVP is grateful for the lunch, donated by Bluegrass Meats and Catering and the meeting space donated by the American Legion. Volunteers also enjoyed a magic show by Aaron Hart from Hodgenville.
If you are interested in becoming a volunteer in Hardin or Nelson Counties reach out to Melissa or Jessica at (270) 737-1059.
Central KY Community Action Transportation Services (CKCATS)
CKCATS provides non-emergency transportation for the following services: Medicaid, Medicare, General Public, Senior, Veteran, and Intercity. Services vary depending on the county.
Medicaid services are provided in Washington, Breckinridge, Grayson, LaRue, Marion and Nelson counties. Medicaid hours are from 6am-8pm Monday-Friday and 8am-1pm on Saturdays. Exceptions made be made for urgent care trips only.
Medicare services are provided in Washington, Breckinridge, Grayson, LaRue, Marion Nelson, Hardin, Bullitt, Adair, Boyle, Taylor and Green counties. Medicare hours are from 6am-8pm Monday-Friday and 8am-1pm on Saturdays. Exceptions may be made for urgent care trips only.
General Public transportation is provided in Breckinridge, Grayson, LaRue, Marion and Nelson counties. The hours of service are from 8am-5pm Monday-Friday.
Senior transportation is provided in Washington, Breckinridge, Grayson, LaRue, Marion Nelson, Hardin, and Meade counties. The hours of service are from 8:30am-2pm Monday-Friday.
Veteran transportation is provided in Edmonson, Hart, Breckinridge, Grayson, LaRue, Marion and Nelson counties. The hours of service are 6am-8pm Monday-Friday and 8am-1pm on Saturdays.
Intercity transportation is provided in the counties of Breckinridge, Grayson, LaRue, Marion and Nelson counties.
CKCATS had a virtual compliance review with the Office of Transportation on September 30th and a vehicle and facility inspection on October 9th. We received notice on October 30th that our FY2025 Compliance Review was found to be acceptable. Thanks to all staff who helped in getting information and who worked with us to make this compliance review a smooth process.
TESCO has confirmed that we will be receiving our (4) 8×2 cutaways on November 20th and our (7) 12×2 cutaways on November 22nd. These new buses are much needed and will be divided amongst our 5 county offices.
We are continuing to accept applications for future hiring. If you or anyone you know would like to join the staff at CKCATS, please go to careers@ckcac.org to apply.
Goode News – November 2024
November is upon us, and Central Kentucky is enjoying the beautiful transition into fall. This time of year, with crisp, cool mornings and the stunning array of colors in the trees, reminds us to pause and appreciate all the blessings around us. As we take in the beauty of this season, it’s a perfect moment to reflect on gratitude and the ways we can support one another.
At Central Kentucky Community Action Council, we are grateful for the opportunities to serve and uplift our communities. Thanks to your support, our programs continue to make a meaningful impact, from providing emergency services and senior assistance to helping families secure quality education thru head start and assistance for those in need of transport.
As we approach the season of Thanksgiving, let’s remember that the spirit of giving is what brings us closer together. Whether it’s by lending a helping hand to a neighbor, volunteering with a local organization, or simply offering a kind word, we all have the power to make a difference. Our shared commitment to lifting up our community is something truly special, and it’s an honor to work alongside each of you in this mission.
Thank you for your continued support and for being part of this journey. May this season bring warmth to your heart and gratitude to your days.
More to come……………….much more……………….
Head Start Monthly Profile for October 2024
Weatherization At Work For The Clients We Serve
The Weatherization Program provides weatherization services to our 8-county area. Our final numbers for the contract year are as follows: 11 completed units, 9 jobs in-progress, and 9 deferrals to carry over into the next contract year. The Weatherization Program is staffed with an in-house crew, and we are utilizing contractors to perform QCI inspections, HVAC and electrical work that we must perform to the dwellings receiving services.
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.
Central Kentucky Community Action Council Weatherization program is fully staffed with a highly trained supporting and technical staff consisting of Josh Mattingly-Dwelling Needs Evaluator/Crew Leader, Tessa Hinton-Crew Leader, Mike Burden-Retrofit Installer, and Samantha Ross-Weatherization Administrative Support Specialist. We would like to say a huge thank you to all Weatherization staff for their dedication to improving the quality of work and dedication to ensuring 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, BIL, LIHEAP, East Kentucky Power, Kentucky Utilities, and Louisville Gas and Electric.
Kentucky Works Program
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. Our goal is to assess these individuals to identify barriers, work to overcome those barriers to make them self-sufficient. We also have job readiness classes to help with resumes, job search, job interviews, etc.
· We currently have 66 clients that are employed in the K-TAP Program. This is up 16 workers since the last quarter. Our Employment Specialists continue to follow up with each of these clients and track the hours they are working. We served 88 clients in the K-Tap program for the quarter ending September 30, 2024. We placed 59 clients in the quarter.
· 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 served 3,024 clients for the SNAP program during the fiscal year ending September 30, 2024, up from 1,334 from the previous fiscal year.
· 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.
· Our staff continues to stay in touch with staff meeting every other month, either in person or virtually to discuss all relative matters in the program.
· 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.
Community Services Block Grant (CSBG)-Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP)
CSBG/LIHEAP September 2024
Our program continues its work from being an immediate emergency assistance provider to becoming a program that really helps the families of low-income change their lives. Although we continue to provide emergency assistance, we also assist with budgeting, developing family goal plans and strategies to avoid future emergencies. As we work with families to develop strategies to prevent future emergencies, tips such as budget billing, paying your rent first, shopping at less expensive stores, and controlling impulsive spending are helpful and sometimes well received. Those not working are encouraged to find employment. Our employment and education programs can assist with small barriers to gaining full time employment or better employment. How do we help? It can be partial assistance with a CNA, CDL class, or proper clothing and shoes for a new job, gas for transportation to work for a week.
SUMMER COOLING 3,098 households have been assisted; total spent $554,757.00.
PREPARING FOR LIHEAP
Official Dates for Subsidy, November 5th through December 20th.
We will be taking appointments this year.
The vendor information packets have been sent to over 100 vendors. Vendor advertisements have run in local papers throughout the 8-county region. The vendor agreements must be on file in the Central Office before vendors can participate in the Low-Income Heating Assistance Program. When these agreements are returned by mail, they will be reviewed, filed, and then the information updated in the computers in the county offices.
Pre-registration opportunities for the 2024-2025 Subsidy Heating Assistance Program will be offered during the appointment, October 21st – November 1st or those residents who are on a fixed income, and who are elderly (age 60 or over) or disabled receiving social security, SSI, pension, or Black Lung benefits. Pre-registration benefits will be posted in November.
Applicants must be within 150% of the federal poverty guidelines and willing to provide the documentation below:
- Address Verification, metered utility bill, unopened legal piece of first-class mail confirming the name and address, etc.
- Proof of all household income for the preceding month (food stamp award letter, pay stubs, etc.).
- Social Security card(s) or official documentation with social security numbers or Permanent Resident Card Numbers for everyone living in the household.
- Most recent heating bill or verification from landlord that heating expenses are included in the rent (i.e. lease agreements).
Income-eligible residents who do not meet the requirements for pre-registration (who are not elderly or disabled) may still apply for Subsidy LIHEAP benefits starting November 5 – December 20, 2024, by appointment. Walk-ins will be offered an appointment or wait for an opening.
COMMUNITY NEEDS ASSESSMENT for 2024-2025 is underway. The results help determine the CSBG program budget for the upcoming year. We need a broad range of community members to complete the survey, so feel free to share. Your help is greatly appreciated. If you are a CKCAC Board member completing the survey, please choose board member.
Could you please go online and complete this survey for Central Kentucky Community Action? This survey is for our Community Needs Assessment for year 2025-2026.
The survey allows us to continue to have programs in our county. You can do this by clicking on the link below or scanning the QR code.
