Category: Newsletter

Our CKCATS staff has had to be flexible and rethink the way they do business in order to continue to work throughout the COVID-19 pandemic. The 5311 CARES funding helped to keep us on the road as well.

Community Action also received PPP funding with which CKCATS was able to purchase gloves, masks, and cleaning supplies to ensure that employees and clients have a safe environment in which to work and ride.

Even though CKCATS drivers have experienced reduced numbers in recent months, the number of trips has increased by 50% this quarter. Employees have kept busy by assisting to distribute commodities, helping to serve senior lunches, cleaning and sanitizing Head Start classrooms, as well as sanitizing the buses.

In other news, CKCATS received one new SUV in June and should receive 3 more SUVs by the end of August. The 5311 CARES funding has allowed the program to expand the fleet by 12 vehicles. In the end, all 5 counties will have an SUV that will help ensure that dialysis clients get to treatment in the winter months.

August 2020 Edition

There’s no question that many programs were hit hard during the COVID-19 pandemic. Public transit agencies, including our CKCATS, are one of those that have been dealing with this difficult situation. However, some good news to pass along related to our transportation efforts is Governor Andy Beshear’s announcement that the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet (KYTC) has been awarded more than $6.4 million to help public transit agencies continue operating during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The funding, part of the CARES Act, is from the Federal Transit Administration. KYTC will distribute the money in grants to 16 public transit agencies serving 79 counties across Kentucky.   CKCATS will receive $426,927 for the purchase of 12 expansion vans.  There is a wide range of eligible operational expenses, including purchases of fuel and procurement of personal protective equipment such as masks, gloves, disinfectant wipes, disinfection services and protective barriers between drivers and passengers, electronic ticketing, and office supplies. Like other agencies, CKCATS continues to bounce back from the effects of this pandemic, but are struggling business-wise, and this funding is sorely needed to keep services running and our people protected.

CKCATS and our many other essential workers continue to work daily during this COVID-19 crisis to provide the needed services that change people’s lives, embody the spirit of hope, improve communities, and make our areas a better place to live. We care about the entire community, and we are dedicated to helping people help themselves and each other.  More to come………………..much more.

NEW PROGRAM YEAR 2020-2021 –The Work Plan and Budget has been approved and signed for the Community Services Block Grant in the amount of $665,451. The program priority is EMPLOYMENT. This was determined by the most recent Community Needs Assessment.

CLOSING PROGRAM YEAR 2019-2020 – The CSBG Staff has been busy closing out one Program Year and beginning a new one.  Staff members have worked diligently to enter all services that had been provided into the computer.  We followed up on many clients so that we could also report the outcome of our efforts through ROMA. 

COMMUNITY GARDENS – 165 individual gardens and 1 community garden are planted and flourishing with the recent rains.

SPRING LIHEAP

Summer Cooling and Summer Cooling Crisis have started. July 1^st-Oct 31^st or until funds are expended. “SUBSIDY” ELIGIBILITY *Subsidy is a One Time Benefit per season  “CRISIS” Received a Disconnect notice from utility service provider, or • Received a current bill with a past due amount, or • Received an eviction notice if utilities are included in the rent, or • Are within 10 days of running out of pre-paid electric service.

Central KY Community Action Council’s (CKCAC) Weatherization Program is working to close out the fiscal year on June 30th, 2020. The Weatherization Program has completed 29 homes with the Department of Energy and LIHEAP funding. 14 homes have been deferred due to needs outside of our program guidelines. CKCAC’s Weatherization Program has 78 clients on the waiting list to start receiving services as of July 1st, 2020.

The Weatherization Program received excellent reviews on compliance monitoring from the Kentucky Housing Corporation. All of the staff was maintained through the unexpected COVID-19 and the program utilized other funding to continue work and training.

The Weatherization staff is excited to return to performing weatherization services and looks forward to the future of the new contract year.

As the end of the fiscal year came and went, the Kentucky Works Program (KWP) is still working with reduced participation due to the COVID-19 Pandemic. All of the participants in KWP and the SNAP Program are being allowed to use exemption if they choose. As most of the training sites remain closed, the KWP staff has been working 1 on 1 with the participants by phone and email.

As everyone adjusts to the new way of doing business, the same will apply to the Kentucky Works Program. The staff has been exploring new online training opportunities, as well as, ways that they can provide soft skills training to help participants become employed and self-sufficient.

Kentucky Works Program Director, Tracy Dennison, would also like to take the time to say goodbye. Tracy will be retiring on August 1st. Tracy said “It has been such a great opportunity to start and operate the Kentucky Works Program. I have enjoyed my time with Community Action and look forward to what life holds for the future. Although I will be retiring, I hope to stay involved with the agency and the communities we serve.”

CKCATS is on the move. As I told you in May, the COVID-19 Pandemic has been devastating for many people in our community. It has also had a huge impact on our Central KY Community Action Transportation Services (CKCATS). As of March 23rd, trips were down 75-85%. CKCATS is still transporting dialysis patients and senior citizens. Active Day, Blessed Assurance and Communicare facilities continue to remain closed until further notice.

During April, May and June, CKCATS continued to see very low numbers and growth is coming on a much smaller scale than anticipated. The CKCATS staff is currently fully staffed and working with CDC standards to assure our clients and drivers are safe during their trips.

CKCATS is very excited about adding Hardin and Meade County to our transportation services. This is under the Title III-B Senior Transportation Services. This service will be available Monday thru Friday from 8:30 am to 2 pm. There are certain restrictions that apply but these free trips will help the seniors of that area. If you live in Hardin or Meade County, please contact the CKCATS Office at 1-800-242-8225 to get additional information. With the addition of these two counties, CKCATS is proud to service the entire Lincoln Trail District.

More to come, much more……

Lincoln Trail Regional Network, Trail of Hope presents the 2020 Family Enrichment Summer Outreach. The goal is to provide families with activities that promote attachment and bonding, as well as, family communication and problem solving. Typically, this is the time of year we would be preparing the families for the summer months. This usually includes food security, pool passes, camping passes, child care and any other components that come with the summer months. This year camps and pools are closed, leaving our most at risk children with little reprieve and parents with little child care options.

Trail of Hope would like to assist these families by providing games and activities that promote family togetherness. The plan is to distribute the funds equally through the 8 counties that we serve. Community partners have been identified in each county that would help aide our attempts to ensure that families in need receive these items. The items being distributed would include board games, outside games, bubbles and toys, that would build family attachment and bonding.

The Community Collaboration for Children Program is continuing on despite of the COVID-19 Pandemic. However, there are many changes on how we interact with families. The program continues to meet with families weekly using telehealth services, such as phone calls, FaceTime and Zoom. There have also been many porch and mailbox drop-offs. The program is committed to ensuring that the families have what they need during this challenging time.

COVID-19 has made life for childcare providers extremely difficult. On March 20, 2020, the Governor closed almost all childcare facilities in Kentucky. The exceptions being those that remained open to serve emergency workers’ children only. Three providers under the agency’s sponsorship remained open with very limited capacity. Five providers prepared boxed meals for the children enrolled in their homes and centers. The agency was able to reimburse them for these boxes through the agency’s Child and Adult Care Food Program.

The childcare homes and centers are very apprehensive about the future. They are beginning to open under strict guidelines and had to go through additional mandatory training. A few of the programs have decided to close their doors. It will be a balancing act for those who choose to remain open.

Most of the homes and centers will fight to survive because of their passion and love for children. Since the agency is a sponsor for the Child and Adult Care Food Program, we will be a huge asset for every childcare home and center. The reimbursement for meals will help lower the cost of food.

The childcare homes and centers did receive good news from the Division of Child Care. The Division of Child Care was able to provide CARES funding for the programs. Providers were eligible to receive $255 per enrolled child and the full payment for children receiving subsidy. Also, grants have been made available to help providers meet the new guidelines for protecting the children from COVID-19.

National Children’s Day is a day to honor all of the children in our lives. It’s a time to slow down, turn off all of our technology and refocus on the important things. One day may not be enough, but using it as an opportunity to redirect our family’s lives may be an important step in a child’s life.

Reverend Dr. Charles Leonard, of the Universalist Church of the Redeemer, in Chelsea, Massachusetts, started Children’s day in 1856. It was originally a special day to Baptize children and was called Rose Day. In 1995, President Clinton proclaimed the Nationals Children’s Day as October 8th. When President Bush came along in 2001, he declared the first Sunday in June as National Children’s Day.

What can we do to make a difference in our children’s lives? We must cherish our children, spend time with them, read to them and listen to them. You can also give them a head start and enroll them in our Head Start Program. Head Start and Early Head Start Programs are free, federally funded programs designed to promote school readiness for children from low-income families.

The Early Head Start serves families starting at 23 months. The Head Start Program serves children between 3 and 5 years old. These programs encourage parent involvement by offering regular opportunities for parents to volunteer. The Head Start and Early Head Start Programs also link children and families to other services in the community. The children who participate in these programs will participate in various educational activities. They will also receive free medical and dental care services.

The Head Start Programs are designed to help all children succeed. They are required to serve children with special needs, such as physical and developmental delays. Central KY Community Action Head Start is proud to take the daily steps to improve the quality of education for our children. From keeping our children safe with the new COVID-19 protocols to building new facilities in Lebanon, Springfield and Radcliff, our commitment to our children is rock-solid.

For more information about the Central KY Community Action Head Start, go to our website at www.ckcac.org. Use #NationalChildrensDay to share on Social Media.

During the COVID-19 Pandemic our Senior Companion Program volunteers have been making daily welfare calls to their clients. All in-home services have been suspended indefinitely. All active volunteers are still receiving their stipends, as a temporary allowance, due to the impact of the COVID-19 outbreak. This was approved by the CNCS, the program’s federal funding source until May 22nd, 2020. If an extension is needed at that time, a written request will be submitted to the program’s state director.

On April 1st, 2020, all of the volunteers received a raise on their hourly stipend. They went from making $2.65 an hour to $3.00 an hour. There has not been an hourly stipend raise in 18 years. This was a very positive incentive for our program during this challenging time.

The Senior Companion Program was granted a match waiver for the fiscal years 2019 and 2020. This means that if we don’t meet our required match, no penalties or cost dis allowances will occur.

The Senior Companion Program continues to find a light during such a dark time. The volunteers are working diligently to keep the connection and the companionship piece with each of our clients. They are keeping their promises and fulfilling our mission while also staying safe.