Category: Newsletter

EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR’S REPORT

Hal Goode, Executive Director

Why start a career in weatherization? Through our Weatherization Assistance Program, Central Kentucky Community Action works to reduce energy waste and assure the health and safety of each client we serve. Trained technicians can help qualifying low-income families improve the overall energy efficiency of their homes, saving money and enhancing the quality of life for residents. Our service territory includes Breckinridge, Grayson, Hardin, Larue, Marion, Meade, Nelson and Washington counties. Weatherization will allow you to earn competitive wages while you learn – the cost of your training is covered, paid benefits can include health care, retirement, vacation, and sick leave.
Choose a career pathway that is technical or administrative, depending on your interest.  Here are some potential careers: 

• Retrofit Installer Technician – Installs home energy-saving upgrades
• Client Intake Specialist – Confirms client eligibility for the program
• WAP Program Manager – Oversees program staff, planning, and performance
• Quality Control Inspector – Ensures quality and completion of installed energy-saving upgrades
• Energy Auditor – Examines homes to identify energy-saving upgrades
• Crew Leader – Supervises installation of home energy-saving upgrades

Your skills and experience move with you anywhere in the country. Since 1976, weatherization has grown into a multibillion-dollar industry, with work in every county and state. Your work can improve your neighborhood and help the most vulnerable residents by making their homes safer to live in and more energy efficient.
Do you have a… Sample Career Pathway Depending on experience and qualifications. A willingness to learn, positive attitude and strong work ethic? A desire to help your community and the environment. Then a career in weatherization may be a good fit for you! Contact Weatherization Director David Lindsey with any questions.  

David Lindsey, WX Program Director

Central Kentucky Community Action’s Weatherization Program is fully staff and working to finish open projects to close out the 2021/22 fiscal year. CKCAC’s weatherization program experienced some setbacks to start out the new year with staff acquiring injury’s outside of work. We utilized that time to achieve new required trainings as well as cross train staff to meet requirements set forth by the US Department of Energy so if these incidences were to arise again we would be able to continue providing Weatherization services. As of January 1, 2022 CKCAC has 57 clients on the waiting list to receive Weatherization services. The Weatherization Program as of January 1, 2022 is providing weatherization services to our 8 county area with 7 completed units, 8 walkaways, 6 jobs in progress. The Weatherization Program is fully staffed with an in-house crew and we are 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.

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’s Weatherization (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 Weatherization Manager. 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, Big Rivers Electric, Kentucky Utilities, and Louisville Gas & Electric.

Tommy Wheatley, KY Works Program Director

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 and 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.

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 6-30-2022, but all indications show it will end at that date. I am currently working with staff to start returning to our offices at least in a hybrid fashion, with the expectation of returning full time sometime in May. 

• We currently have 6 clients that are employed in the K-TAP Program, and the referrals seem to be picking up in the last couple of weeks. 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 333 referrals for the SNAP program during the last quarter which was double the prior 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 on our Work Experience Program sites as many of them are either closed or unable to accept our referrals. We updated those sites in March and the numbers taking volunteers has improved. We have 135 sites in our 17 counties that we send our clients and as of now, 61 are open and/or willing to accept referrals due to COVID-19. This is up a little since last quarter.
• Our staff continues to stay in touch virtually to discuss all relative matters in the program. We have staff meetings every other month. We plan on starting in person staff meetings again in May instead of zoom.
• 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.
• We have been approved for the KTAP and SNAP E & T contract for July 2022 through June 2024.
• We recently hired a new employee, Marissa Black, to cover Larue and Bullitt counties. Her start date was 4-4-2022.

Ellen Leake, CSBG Program Director

LIHEAP CRISIS –Staff members have processed 5,869 Crisis Applications for 3,645 families between January 10, 2022 and April 7, 2022 for a total of $1,548,380.24 in benefits. A SPRING SUBSIDY Program will begin in May.

LIHWAP CRISIS 781 applications completed for 752 families to date. $96,436.81 spent.

LIHWAP Subsidy 1614 applications completed for 1614 families to date. $514,950.00 spent.

Kentucky Utilities Heating Assistance Program – The Community Services Staff has 228 active participants in the KU Heating Assistance Program. Through this program, eligible Kentucky Utility customers will receive an $88.00 credit on their electric bill during the seven months of expected highest electricity usage. The total value of this program equals $140,448.00 for these families. To qualify for the program the family must: be a KU customer, have made an application for LIHEAP Subsidy and keep bills current, not going into disconnect.

Educational Scholarship Program – Scholarship Packets have been delivered to the Principals and Counselors at each High School and Vocational School, and the Adult Learning Centers in our service area, informing them of this program. Students are encouraged to apply for the scholarships that are paid directly to the college or technical school for tuition or books.

Community Needs Assessment – The Community Needs Assessment has been completed. The results will be used to establish the Priorities for the CSBG Work Plan that will be included in the 2022-2023 CSBG Budget Proposal. Thanks to all who completed the Needs Assessment Survey Form. 1400 surveys were completed.

OVERALL NEED
Answer Choices	Responses
Employment	64.0%	896
Education	48.5%	679
Income and Asset Building	37.5%	525
Housing	64.14%	898
Health	46.29%	648
Civic Engagement	4.79%	67
Support Services (supporting multiple domains)	34.79%	487
	Answered	1400

Tammy Stanley, Head Start Program Director

Our Family Advocates are busy recruiting for the upcoming school year, as they continue to assist families in setting and meeting family goals. Bardstown Family Advocate, Antonia Young is a great example of how Head Start can assist in meeting goals set by families.  Antonia first met Brooke Wheatley in the fall of 2019 to complete registration paperwork for her son Brayden to start the new school year. She was working as a Certified Nursing Assistant (CNA) for Colonial Nursing Home. 

Antonia and Brooke discussed the family partnership agreement (FPA), which entails setting goal(s) with a family to work towards. Brooke decided that she would set a short-term goal for Brayden to get along and play with other children. As they talked, she mentioned that she would love to own her own home but felt that it would be a long shot because she is a single mom. Antonia encouraged her to continue to do what’s best for her family and to never give up on her dream of owning a home. While Brayden attended Head Start, Brooke was busy working on their future. Brooke’s determination paid off! They moved into their new house the first week of December!

Bardstown Head Start will miss both Brooke and Brayden, as he will be going to kindergarten next year. Brooke has set an example for so many others and will be remembered as someone who has set high standards for herself and her family.

Hal Goode, Executive Director
MARCH 2022

Watch D.O.G.S. 101, Spicing it up.

Central Kentucky Community Action Council (CKCAC) wants to thank Community Service Block Grant (CSBG) Coordinator Jessica McFarlane and the employees at R.L. Schreiber Spice Company in Lebanon.  On the week of the terrible tornados in Marion County I received a call from Brooklyn Leep with the Marion County Industrial Foundation & Michael Piekarski, Director of Operations at R.L. Schreiber Spice Company. They had collected gifts for families in the area and wanted CKCAC to help distribute them. I spoke with Jessica & Tammy Stanley our Director with Head Start, and they had a perfect idea. Help families going through the tornado damage with our Watch D.O.G.S. 101 program to get the fathers involved. What and who are Watch Dogs 101????

In our schools today, the rates of fatherless and ‘unfathered’ children range from 35-75% of the student population. That means 35-75% of them are missing an important ingredient in their life. WATCH D.O.G.S., Dads of Great Students facilitates family and community engagement in our Head Start centers. The program utilizes the positive influence of fathers and father-figures as male role models for the students by demonstrating with their presence that education is important, especially early education. WATCH D.O.G.S. provide support to the centers by monitoring school property, working in small groups, reading, using flashcards, greeting students in the morning and assisting with dismissal.

Lebanon Center and West Main Head Start Centers hosted, “Watch D.O.G.S 101” at the Lebanon Center. The R.L. Schreiber Spice Company provided many nice gifts to those in attendance which they collected over the holiday. Head Start have some pictures of the fathers and kids during the event in the Head Start portion of this month’s newsletter. Special thanks to the R.L. Schreiber Spice Company in Lebanon for their generosity to the Watch D.O.G.S. and families of Marion County!! These dads are men to watch as “Dads of Great Students” they make a difference in Head Start and the community in which they live. More to come………much more………

Tammy Stanley, Head Start Program Director

Central KY. Head Start hosted WATCH D.O.G.S. 101 as a part of Parent University recently. Interested fathers and father-figures were introduced to the program and provided suggestions on ways to assist in their centers.  One WATCH D.O.G. shared, with others in attendance, his experience with the program. Eric Bell, a Top D.O.G. from West Main shared that the program made him “feel motivated.” He described how the kids loved seeing him in their center. He stated that the program was proactive in assisting children earlier in their educational journey.

Another WATCH D.O.G. from the Radcliff center encouraged fathers and father-figures to get involved in the program. Khiry Thompson, dad at the Radcliff center, volunteered last year as a Watch D.O.G. and is now an Instructional Assistant at the Radcliff center. Below are pictures from the event. Special thanks to the R.L. Schreiber Spice Company in Lebanon, KY. for their sponsorship of the event.           

Jane Claire Hupman, FCCH/UNC Director

The Child and Adult Care Food Program is currently working with two Family Child-Care Homes and one Unaffiliated Center to get them enrolled in the program. The Family Child Care Homes are in Fayette County and the Unaffiliated Center is in Mercer County. This isn’t new territory for the program, but we are very excited to continue to grow. This brings the total for Family Child Care Homes to 24 and the total for Unaffiliated Centers to 25.

The program is still conducting monitoring via facetime, zoom and text. This requirement has been extended through the end of April. We are coming up on two years for which we have not been allowed to enter the centers. As a new sponsor for the program, this has made it very difficult for me to build relationships with my providers. We are working with the Kentucky Department of Education to figure out a way to have that personal interaction with the providers that is safe for both parties. I think I can speak for both parties when I say that we are more than ready to resume monitors in person and go back to normal.

If you are a Family Child Care Home or Unaffiliated Center that would like to participate in the Child and Adult Care Food Program please call the Director Jane Claire Hupman at 270-402-1977.  

Ronda Bertrand, CCC Program Director

Community Collaboration for Children is excited to share the news of the Parent Engagement Meeting Program has started in Marion County Elementary schools. This diversion program acts as a preventative intervention to reduce referrals to CPS for educational neglect. This service would be ideal for children who are considered chronically truant and will be working with school staff to help these families.

Ashley Abell from Marion County is the new in-home worker that arrived in January. She graduated from Lindsey Wilson College with a bachelor’s degree in Human Services and Counseling. She has personal experience with physical and emotional abuse. She also did her practicum at the Robert Alexander Center in Mt. Washington. So, she has some knowledge on addiction. She has hit the ground running and enjoys her job.

April is Child Abuse Awareness month Trail of Hope has a free training on April 20^th at 10 am. If you would like pinwheels please let us know. April 1^st please wear blue!! If you would like to be a part of the Trail of Hope Network please send Ronda Bertrand an email at ronda.bertrand@ckcac.org. 

Courtney Campbell, Senior Companion Program Director

The SCP Program recruits volunteers that are aged 55 or older to provide in-home services to the frail elderly that helps them remain living independently in their own homes. SCP volunteers provide companionship, light housecleaning, light meal preparation, short distance transportation, and respite care. All services are delivered at no cost to the client or recipient. We currently serve six counties: Breckinridge, Grayson, Hardin, Marion, Nelson, and Washington.

All SCP volunteers have been receiving a temporary allowance, which allows them to still receive their monthly stipend, while they are currently unable to serve, due to no fault of their own. Volunteers are still carrying out the companionship piece that SCP provides via telephone, by practicing social distancing and safe volunteering during these challenging times. Many of the volunteers have been provided services by doing front porch visits to still connect face to face without being in the client’s home. Others have been writing letters and sending pictures via mail. The Senior Companion Program volunteers have been receiving the allowance since the pandemic hit. During this time, I have been preparing to implement return-to-volunteer service plans that promote both volunteer safety as well as the individuals we serve.

The Senior Companion Program has felt the affects of the COVID-19 pandemic as we are dealing with one of the most fragile populations in our program. Recruitment plans have already been initiated and I am excited to start bringing aboard some new volunteers as we start entering homes once again after almost two years.