Category: Newsletter

December and January are always slower months for CATS due to the winter weather. In hazardous weather, we will provide limited services for dialysis and chemo clients, only if we are able to get to them safely. Safety is and will continue to be our number one goal for our drivers and our clients. A huge thanks to our dedicated drivers, emergency staff, road crew, police, etc. in all counties who continue to show up and serve through inclement weather!!

The electronic gate and fencing are now complete and are being utilized at Central Office in Marion County. This is a nice addition to the property, and it adds a sense of security for agency vehicles that are housed in the parking lot.

CATS is still waiting for approval from the Federal Transit Administration (FTA) for the RFP for renovations of the new building purchased at 971 Frost Avenue in Nelson County. As soon as this is approved, we will get it publicized. Currently, the building is not being occupied, but it is housing our vehicles.

CATS is currently working on the RFP for FY 27-29 III-B Senior Transportation and will have it complete before the deadline.

The Department of Transportation grant applications are now open. CATS will be submitting applications for 5310,5339, and 5311. 5311 is a grant for rural areas. 5310 is a grant for seniors and individuals with disabilities and 5339 is a grant for buses and bus facilities. The deadline for these grant applications is April 1^st.

CATS will hold their annual Public Hearing this year on Wednesday, February 25^th in the CATS Conference Room at the Central Office in Lebanon at 1 pm EST. This meeting is held to discuss the transportation needs of our counties and is advertised to the public. We encourage anyone who is interested in public transportation to attend. Surveys are sent out to clients and Stakeholders in all counties before the meeting so that we can discuss the needs identified in the surveys.

As always, a huge thank you to the CKCATS staff for their hard work! If you or anyone you know would like to join the staff at CKCATS, please go to careers@ckcac.org or apply directly with the link below:

https://centralkentuckycommunityactioncouncilinc.applytojob.com/apply

2026 began with relative calm and predictability. Then, Winter Storm Fern hit.

On behalf of CKCAC leadership and staff, I want to thank our elected officials, first responders, road crews, and private contractors for helping keep us and our communities safe. To all who will listen, I have told folks that this winter event has been “unique.” We did not get the 12+ inches of snow that was predicted, but what we did get was probably worse. This ice has crippled our operations and our communities for two weeks now. I am more than grateful to see forecasts in the 50s and 60s to allow Mother Nature to clear some of this frozen stuff off our roads, parking lots, and sidewalks.

To our clients and families, thank you for your patience. We have worked very hard to get our facilities and services back up and running while keep staff and client safety as priorities. We know the burden that can be caused when Seniors can’t get meals, Head Start kids can’t be in school, and CSBG clients can’t get our support. Thank you for your understanding and we are excited to welcome you back with open arms!

Unfortunately, our Radcliff Head Start Center sustained significant damage due to the ice storm. We are still getting inspections and structural engineering guidance, but we are anticipating an indefinite closure of the facility until repairs are completed. My deepest apologies to our children, families, and staff members who may be negatively impacted by this situation. Jennifer Akin, our Head Start Director, and her team are working on multiple options to help make the best of this. We hope to report out good news on that front in the very near future.

As a reminder, our LIHEAP Crisis component is open until the end of March. Please let anybody in your network know that if people are facing a disconnect or past due payment notice, CKCAC may be able to help. Please have folks visit their local CSBG offices for more information. I do not think our Winter is over, just yet!

Finally, on behalf of CKCAC and the Community Action Kentucky network, I am spending significant time advocating for the interests of our community and our programs in Frankfort. As you know, this is a budget year for the Commonwealth, and we are working hard to make sure the key messages are heard by our elected officials. We are all in this together and I hope that you will remind your elected officials of the crucial role that CKCAC plays in our area!

As always, thank you for all you do.

FEBRUARY 25, 2026 at 1:00 PM

Public Meeting Notice

Central Kentucky Community Action Transportation Services (CKCATS) is conducting a meeting to identify unmet public transportation needs in the region. Following the meeting all needs will be assessed and potential funding sources reviewed.  Where possible the needs identified will be used to develop FY 2027 Transit Grant applications, however, preparing a request does not guarantee that service will be provided.  To thoroughly access the needs of the region a public Coordination meeting has been scheduled for 1:00 p.m. on February 25^th, 2026, at Central Kentucky Community Action Council, INC., 328 Hood Avenue, Lebanon, Kentucky. If you have questions regarding this public input, or would like to submit written comments to attend, please contact Kerri Taylor at (270) 692-9313.

EQUAL EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITY

CKCAC is seeking nominees for Low-Income Representatives to join our Board of Directors. We are looking for dedicated voices from LaRue, Meade, and Washington counties to help guide our mission of providing vital social services and advocacy.

Why Join? The Board of Directors oversees strategic planning, agency policies, and financial documentation for CKCAC.

To be eligible, nominees must reside in LaRue, Meade, or Washington County; represent the low-income sector, either personally or through professional work within the CKCAC service area; and commit to attending bimonthly board meetings in person (mileage reimbursement is available).

You can nominate yourself or someone else through our Nomination Form at https://bit.ly/3M604zu. The deadline is Tuesday, Feb. 17. After the deadline, we will contact nominees to verify eligibility and interest.

For more information, contact Kathy Mills at 270-692-2136 or kathy.mills@ckcac.org.

Right click on copy image.

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 88 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. We served 330 clients in the K-Tap program for the year ending December 31st, 2025.

•  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 746 clients for the SNAP program during quarter ending December 31st, 2025. We served 3,279 SNAP clients for the year of 2025.

• 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. We added three wage subsidy contracts in 2025.

Congregate Meals started dine-in only in January, no more grab-n-go at our Senior Centers.

The seniors enjoyed holiday festivities at some of the centers that I visited, they were all decorated for Christmas. They had music, activities, baked goods, and games.

Congregate Meals served 4,446 meals to seniors in December 2025.

Look at this sweet lady pictured, she is 91 years old. Ms. Helen is from Washington County and comes to the center 5 days a week and rides the bike for 30 minutes each day.

This is the busiest time of year for the Community Services Staff. We have just completed the 2025 Fall LIHEAP Subsidy on December 12, 2025. For the 2025 Fall LIHEAP Subsidy, we assisted 2,736 families. The 2026 Winter LIHEAP Crisis began January 6, 2026, and Food Pantries have had numerous families come in. We, in the Central Office, continue to work to pay all of the vendors and balance the programs. We are in the process of completing the annual Needs Assessment Survey Process.  The results of the Needs Assessment Survey will determine the work plan for the next program year. The information will also be available to other programs and to the community. To participate in the Needs Assessment Survey, please use the link below.

WNTERCARE – The Wintercare Program is available to families for utility assistance. These funds are donated by utility customers as they pay their utility bill, and sometimes matched by the utility company. This program is used for families who are over income for LIHEAP, but under 200% of the federal poverty level. These families are often the “working poor” that fall between the cracks in income level eligibility.

Thanks to all the staff members who work so hard to balance all of these different programs and assist those in need. Their extraordinary efforts are greatly appreciated. We have a great team!

https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/B8VG7RH-2025-2026CNA