Category: Newsletter

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 may 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. Hours of service are Monday-Friday from 8am-5pm only.

Senior transportation is provided in Washington, Breckinridge, Grayson, LaRue, Marion, Nelson, Hardin, and Meade counties. Hours of service are from 8:30am-2pm only.

Veteran transportation is provided in Edmonson, Hart, Breckinridge, Grayson, LaRue, Marion and Nelson counties. Hours of service are 6am-8pm Monday-Friday and 8am-1pm.

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 October 1st and a vehicle and facility inspection on September 23rd. Thanks to all staff who helped in getting information and who worked with us to make this compliance review a smooth process.

We had 2 new buses delivered on September 17^th. These were 8×2 narrow body buses. This is the first time that these have been ordered, but they mimic the older transit vehicles that we have in our fleet. These new buses will be placed in Marion and Nelson counties.

We are continuing to accept applications for hiring. If you or anyone you know would like to join the staff at CKCATS, please go to the link below to view or apply:

https://centralkentuckycommunityactioncouncilinc.applytojob.com/apply

 

 

 

 

November is here. Leaves have changed, we have had our first snowfall, and we are firmly beginning the holiday season. I know this is a challenging time for many in our community for various reasons. CKCAC is here to help you in whatever ways we can. Please do not hesitate to reach out.

On November 12^th, the Federal government officially reopened with President Trump’s signature. We are very thankful for our Congressional delegation for helping put an end to the longest Federal government shutdown in U.S. History. Unfortunately, we are not fully out-of-the-woods, yet. It will take a few weeks for the Federal government to re-open fully, so we are not sure when we will have our full grant awards. CKCAC is in constant communication with our contacts in D.C. and hope to have positive news, soon.

This is the time of year where we need to celebrate with each other and lean on each other a little bit more. We know that many families in Central Kentucky are struggling. Please remember that the LIHEAP subsidy window is open for applications. At our locations where we have food banks, we are distributing commodities as quickly and efficiently as possible. Please reach out to your local CSBG office if you need anything.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

 Central Kentucky Community Action Council Head Start and Early Head Start Will Pursue a Line of Credit to Maintain Normal Operations on November 1^st, 2025.

 

(Lebanon, Kentucky- October 28, 2025) Central Kentucky Community Action Council Head Start and Early Head Start (www.ckyhs.org) serves 400 children and families across six Kentucky counties (Hardin, LaRue, Marion, Meade, Nelson, and Washington). CKYHS is a federally-funded preschool program and the funding for operations ends October 31^st, 2025. With the federal government currently shutdown, there are no funds being awarded or released from the federal government for CKYHS to cover expenses beginning November 1^st, 2025.

At a special-called meeting of the Central Kentucky Community Action Council Board of Directors on October 27^th, the Board unanimously voted to allow the agency to pursue a line of credit to keep normal Head Start and Early Head Start operations until November 21^st. Central Kentucky Community Action Council is deeply thankful to Bobby Miles and People’s Bank of Lebanon for stepping up to support our agency in this time of need.

While this is welcomed news for the children and families of Central Kentucky, this is not a permanent solution. If funding is not restored by November 21^st, it is very unlikely that Central Kentucky Community Action Council Head Start and Early Head Start programming will continue. Our sincere hope is that the federal government re-opens, soon, so we can continue to fully support the children and families of Central Kentucky.

Please contact Bryan Conover (bryan.conover@ckcac.org) for any additional information.

 

 

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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 95 clients that are employed in the K-TAP Program. This is up 2 workers since the last quarter and up 45 from three quarters ago. Our Employment Specialists continue to follow up with each of these clients and track the hours they are working. We served 90 clients in the K-Tap program for the quarter ending September 30th, 2025. We placed 78 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 897 clients for the SNAP program during quarter ending September 30th, 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 meetings 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 two new wage subsidy contracts in the last quarter.

The new Hardin County Kitchen has been busy preparing meals for the seniors. Once our Nelson County Kitchen stops cooking then the new Hardin County Kitchen will be cooking for all 11 senior centers.

Now on October 2nd, NO grab and go meals on Thursdays. Dine-in only is now on Wednesdays and Thursdays. Dine-in is available Monday-Friday if your center is normally open except for the Radcliff Center and they may go to Griffin Manor to dine-in.

In October the meals served has dropped to around 1,700 previously the meals have been 2,100-2,200 a month ago.

The Elizabethtown Senior Center at Griffin Manor had a visit from KET to come and spotlight the center and interview one of our seniors. She did a great job telling why she comes to the center.

The Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP) Summer enrollment will begin on July 28 and run through September 12, 2025.

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.

PREPARING FOR LIHEAP

Official Dates for Fall Subsidy, November 3^rd   through December 12^th.

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.

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 may apply for the Fall Subsidy LIHEAP benefits starting November 3 – December 12, 2025, by appointment. Walk-ins will be offered an appointment or wait for an opening.

The Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP) Fall enrollment will begin on November 3, 2025, and run through December 12, 2025.

Fall Subsidy Component is designed to help offset the cost of a household’s electric cost, providing eligible households with a one-time benefit depending on income levels and housing category.

Applications will be accepted during the enrollment period, on a first-come, first-serve basis. Income eligibility for the program is up to and including 150% of the Federal Poverty Guidelines. The benefits are paid directly to the household’s electric vendor.

Interested households should contact their local Community Action Agency office to apply.

All applicants will be required to supply the following documentation at the time of application:

1. Proof of Social Security Number or Permanent Residence card (Green Card) for each member of the household.
2. Proof of all household (all members) income from the preceding month.
3. Most current electric bill, statement from your landlord if electric is included in your rent, statement from utility company if you participate in a Pre-Pay Electric Program.
4. The account number and name on the account for main heating fuel sources and electric bill.

 

Fall Subsidy DOES NOT require a disconnect notice, a past due bill, or eviction notice. The Subsidy benefit can be applied as a credit on your account. Assistance received during previous LIHEAP components does not affect household’s eligibility.

Community Action Kentucky administers LIHEAP in partnership with the Kentucky Cabinet for Health and Family Services who receive the funding as a pass-through block grant from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

COMMUNITY NEEDS ASSESSMENT for 2025-2026 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 2026-2027.

The survey allows us to continue to have programs in our county. You can do this by clicking on the link below.

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

It is hard to believe that October is already here. My first year as your CKCAC Executive Director has flown by. It has been a whirlwind of a year and we are looking forward to finishing the rest of the year strong.

Unfortunately, most of our current conversations across the agency are about the Federal government shutdown we are all experiencing. As of this writing, CKCAC has not had to make any adjustments to our operations. However, we need this shutdown to end soon or adjustments may have to be made. I would encourage you all to take a moment to let your elected officials in DC know how important it is for us to get our government back open. We all need this. Prior to the shutdown, House and Senate subcommittees who oversee funding many of our programs all passed mark-ups that are good for CKCAC programs. We are hopeful that those funding levels hold when the government re-opens and a final budget is eventually passed.

As I mentioned in my September newsletter, CKCAC did our first CKCAC Connection with Bryan Conover. CKCAC Connection is a chance for staff members to submit anonymous questions to me for me to answer live. The reviews of our first effort were positive, so we are going to attempt it again in October. gng Productions produced a video of this that we will share with our stakeholders, as well.

As always, thank you for all you do.