Katie Hopkins (left) with SCCAP staff members Linda Patton and Christine Combs
The South Central Community Action Program recently appointed a new member to its board of directors.
Katie Hopkins, a 28-year-old student and mother, took the position and attended her first board meeting Monday, March 1. Hopkins fills the seat left by Jonathon Williams, who passed away in October.
Hopkins has three children, two of whom are enrolled in Head Start. She became a Circles Leader in August, and she is a member of the Community of Teachers Program at the IU School of Education.
The SCCAP Board By-Laws state that at least eight members of the board must be representatives from the lower-income group. Hopkins serves in one of these positions.
“As a Circles Leader, I’m passionate about doing my part,” she said, “even if it’s just a small part, to end poverty—for me, personally, for my children and their children, for my community, and for my world.”
The Weatherization team once again met and exceeded their goal of homes completed with Recovery Act funds.
Every program around the state was given a goal based on the amount of funding it received. With SCCAP’s funding, the team was expected to complete 36 homes from December 1 to February 28.
They completed 55.
Director of Operations Chris Myers said that the goal of 36 completions would have left the team with more than half of their overall number to be completed in the next two months. Because of this, the team set an internal goal of 55 instead.
Myers said the whole staff has really pulled together to reach this, including the contractors, auditors, and clerical staff.
“I think we’re blessed with a staff that not only works hard, but works well together,” she said. “This makes all the difference.”
In order to celebrate, Myers said she’ll be bringing the staff a Mexican-themed lunch. She said she also has a tradition of rewarding the auditor with the most completions, but this month poses a problem, as 4 auditors tied for the top spot.
This success builds from last period, in which Weatherization also met its goal. It was one of just four of the 30 Indiana organizations to do so.
Weatherization staff must now reset to complete their remaining 53 homes within the next two months. Keep up the good work!
The Section 8 waitlists for Owen and Brown counties were opened Jan.25 and 29, respectively, and all 50 slots were filled in both counties–but Section 8 action is not over yet.
Each county is immediately pulling the first 25 applicants from its list based on ranking.
Even so, SCCAP Director of Operations Chris Myers said this does not exhaust the waitlists in these counties. The remaining applicants—numbers 26-50 based on the state’s ranking—will have to wait until they pull again or until some of the previous pulls do not make it to a housing contract.
Myers said they have been able to give 72 new vouchers to applicants based on the waitlist pulls from this fall, and she said Section 8 is looking to add an additional 75 slots at least. They may even open the Monroe county waitlist again.
“I work these waitlist openings with our local staff, and it’s at those moments that you realize how great the need is for individuals,” Myers said. “People are willing to wait overnight or hours before the doors open, simply for the chance at getting assistance.”
Once pulled from the waitlist, individuals wait a couple of weeks for paperwork and verification to come through before receiving a voucher. After receiving the voucher, they have up to 60 days to locate a suitable living unit.
The SCCAP is forming a team to walk in the 2010 Annual 5K Walk for Homeward Bound. The event will be from 11:30-4 p.m. on Sunday, April 18, 2010 at Third Street Park.
Homeward Bound is a project of the Indiana Association for Community and Economic Development (IACED), and walks take place throughout the state. Money raised from the event goes to help people experiencing homelessness with shelter, food and other needs, and the money stays in Bloomington! Over $385,000 has been raised in Bloomington so far.
This is a great cause, so mark your calendars! If you are interested in joining the team visit homewardboundindiana.org/Bloomington. This is the first time SCCAP is having a team, so let’s make it a success!
It’s Lauren again. I’m back from break and back at SCCAP. Before break, though, for my final project in my visual communications class, I made a video profiling Head Start and all they do. Take a look!
A new, $56,346 Head Start bus has arrived thanks to a grant through the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.
The upgrade, said SCCAP Head Start Transportation Coordinator Kathy Potts, was needed. Previously, the program used a 13-year-old 1997 wheelchair accessible bus.
Potts said this bus was incurring five to seven times more maintenance costs than newer models. Additionally, parts were becoming harder to find, as the manufacturer went out of business.
The new bus is a 2010, 27-passenger model equipped with a wheelchair lift and tie downs as well as a “tracked” floor that can secure either a wheelchair or removable seats.
The bus also contains more advanced mirrors and defrosters, as well as lighting and cooling systems.
The most important aspect, Potts said, is how tailored the bus is to the needs of kids. It has a Child Alert System, which tells drivers that all children who have boarded have also departed. Additionally, it has seats specially made for children’s smaller size, which will boost safety.
Potts says this bus will be more cost-effective and help better serve the children using it overall.
“We are very privileged and thankful to have been awarded this grant to purchase a new bus,” she wrote in an e-mail.
Organizations from all over the state met Thursday for a workshop on how to start Circles Initiatives in their own communities.
Representatives from programs from Indianapolis, Terre Haute, Evansville, and Japer met at St. Mark’s United Methodist Church in Bloomington for a workshop led by the Muncie Circles Iniative.
The program aimed to show other organizations how to get Circles started and what elements were needed for success. It provided attendees with a thick binder full of resources and information, and the presentation was led by a step-by-step slideshow.
But the meeting wasn’t a strict and rigid affair.
Participants were encouraged to ask questions throughout–such as how to raise funds–and the representatives from Muncie and Bloomington–the “model” organizations–bounced ideas for growth off each other and took notes for the future.
Actual Circles volunteers were present to share their stories. One woman said, “I’m really excited to start my circle. I think that’s going to be an amazing experience.”
Molly Flodder, the leader of the meeting, summed of the reasons for spreading Circles best. She said, “I’m getting almost old enough to retire, but I want to wake up one morning and know we changed the mindset of the community.”
Afterwards the participants joined the Bloomington Circles program for their Thanksgiving dinner.
When IU’s Residential Programs and Services paired SCCAP with Eigenmann Residence Hall for the school year, neither knew what to expect.
Yet, Tom Kenning, the SCCAP coordinator for the partnership, said it’s been more beneficial for both organizations than they could have ever imagined at the start.
All IU dorms are paired with specific non-profit organizations this school year. The key, Kenning said, is to make the pairing a reciprocal relationship—both the organization and the students need to be involved and reap the benefits.
Kenning said part of the goal is to get students to look beyond the Sample Gates and make them see that Bloomington isn’t just a place to come for four years and leave—it’s a community with its own needs and issues.
But that’s the entire goal. Kenning said community members can sometimes see students as only wanting the party and college aspects of the community. He said this partnership is also helping change that view by allowing families to interact with students and put a face on the University, as well as showing young children that college students are just like them, and that it’s something they could do, too.
To build this reciprocal relationship, Kenning said floors have volunteered with Circles and Head Start, SCCAP has greeted and handed out water during move in day, and both have come together for informational meetings on campus about poverty.
Most recently, they combined forces to put on a Halloween party with Head Start and Circles. Kenning said students decorated lounges, dressed up and interacted with the kids, and did face painting.
In the future, they are planning a Christmas event, most likely pairing family “wish lists” with different floors that can provide items.
Kenning said the turn-out on both sides has been surprisingly strong, and he credits this for much of the success they’ve had.
Although he’s not sure what RPS is planning for next year, he says in his eyes, the program has been very successful. SCCAP would love to be involved again, he said, and they’re already looking forward to next semester.
As students are settling in and making pumpkin projects, the Head Start program is preparing for some changes.
Director of Head Start Shirley Stumpner said moving from the summer to fall, when most programs start back up, has been busy but relatively smooth.
At the beginning of the year, she said, staff spends a lot of time trying to come up with a final roster as students come and go, as well as trying to integrate new and old students into the classes.
She also said they have been sorting out several staff changes due to leave and hiring subs. Read the rest of this entry »
New Fatherhood Behavior Mangement Specialist Abbey Bonner works at her desk at SCCAP
Though having a female fill the new Fatherhood Behavior Management Specialist position at SCCAP may seem ironic to some, Abbey Bonner is up to the challenge.
Bonner, originally of Columbus, was hired at the beginning of October, and she is already taking her projects on full force. Read the rest of this entry »
If you don’t have a Facebook already, getting one is easy! Simply go to www.facebook.com, and enter your full name, email address, and information. It’s free and easy! If you have any questions or need further assistance, you can talk to either Doug or Lauren.
Though very diverse, the new energy auditors hired in the weatherization department as a result of the federal stimulus money share two things in common—years of experience in the field and a passion for helping people. Read the rest of this entry »
The money received in the recent federal stimulus grant is being put to good use by the SCCAP’s weatherization program.
Bryan Berkley, the program’s manager, said the new money will enable SCCAP to provide service to more than 100 new homes, more than doubling the approximately 90 homes they have weatherized in past years.
To meet the high demand, the office has also been able to hire four new auditors—Andy Hoff, Frank Peacock, Jason Hickman, and most recently, Dave Pankoski—as well as a full and a part time housing program assistants.
Weatherization inspects the homes of low income families to help correct energy loss issues and help them save on energy costs. Though Berkley said the work is not often noticeable cosmetically, it makes a huge difference to residents.
Berkley said that homes are first inspected for health and safety concerns, such as gas leaks. Energy auditors then come to each home to assess where energy is being lost and what needs to be done to conserve energy better, such as adding insulation or fixing duct work.
Look out for another update with the full story on these auditors soon!
Though it is not often talked about, the Individual Development Accounts program at the SCCAP is one of the largest in the state.
The program helps candidates create accounts and practice a monthly savings routine. It then uses money from state allocations and federal dollars from the Assets for Independence, or AFI, to give them a minimum of a 3-to-1 match on their funds.
This money can then be used to improve assets through buying or renovating a home, funding post-secondary education for the participant or a dependent, or starting a business.
The program also encourages financial planning. Participants must provide invoices at least 48 hours before they can make any withdrawal and attend a financial literacy class and one-on-one planning sessions.
Kelly Walter, the IDA coordinator for SCCAP, said she has some of the best numbers and saving percentages by participants in the state. She currently manages 244 IDA bank accounts comprised of 80 active members and 42 inactive participants, meaning they have completed saving but are no longer receiving matches and have yet to spend their funds.
She said the program has a waitlist, but they are always taking names, especially for residents of Owen, Brown, and Morgan counties. We hope to be posting some profiles of successful IDA participants soon. For questions about the IDA program, please call the Monroe County office at 339-3447 ext 229.
The South Central Community Action Program in Monroe County will open 70 new slots on its Section 8 housing voucher wait list tomorrow, Wednesday, Sept. 30, 2009.
Applications will be taken at the Bloomington office, 1500 W. 15th St., from 8 a.m. to noon. SCCAP will stop taking voucher applications when the wait list is full.
Each applicant must bring a picture ID, social security card, birth certificate, proof of income (i.e. paystubs, letters from employers, TANF/SSI/Social Security award letters), transcript for adult students, and checking and savings account information in order to apply.
This is the first time in more than five years that the organization has added new households to the wait list in Monroe County. Owen and Brown Counties took applications for their wait lists early in the month.
Another opportunity will be given at the Bloomington office on Oct. 1 from 1 to 4 p.m. if there are still openings.
Genese Parker chats with IU President Michael McRobbie
Genese Parker describes the opportunity to work with the Circles Initiative as “perfect timing.”
Parker started at the SCCAP in July, and she is currently working as the AmeriCorps service member volunteer coordinator for Circles, which aims to help people out of poverty by pairing them with a community of support resources.
She said she first heard about the program in April at a church presentation, but when she started her job hunt, things clicked into place.
“I just really wanted to use this year of life to do something positive, and I saw Circles as a good opportunity for that,” she said.
Parker said her main duties include gathering volunteers for the program, which can mean emailing, attending volunteer recruitment fairs and contacting and interviewing potential candidates. She said her main goal is to make sure Circles is supported with enough volunteers so that aspect doesn’t distract from tackling the problem of poverty.
Parker is originally from Indianapolis. She graduated from IU in 2003 with a BA in English with a focus on creative writing and communication.
Since then she has worked with the Intervarsity Christian Fellowship as a campus staffworker. Parker plans to attend grad school in the fall to study sociology, and she is currently looking at different programs. She said she could see herself working as a sociology professor or at more of a grass roots level campaigning for social justice.
Still, Parker said working with Circles has given her assets for the future.
“I think it’s given me perspective because it’s offered me a real-life learning opportunity. I think it’s easy to think about poverty as an academic concept, but to interact with people living in it daily offers a different perspective.”
My name is Lauren Sedam, and I’m the new Communications Intern here at SCCAP. I will be around occasionally updating the blog or posting stories here. Some of my other duties will include helping with news releases, interviewing people in the office, writing grant applications and just helping with whatever needs to be done to spread the word about our programs and happenings. Since I will be around the blog, this is just a little about me.
I am a sophomore at IU, and I am currently majoring in journalism with a concentration in English and psychology. While I am not exactly sure what I want to do with my career, I am certain that I want it to involve mass media or writing in some way.
At IU I work as a copy editor and occasional writer for the newspaper, the Indiana Daily Student. I am in the Hutton Honors College and work on the staff of the Honors literary magazine, Labyrinth. I also volunteer as an usher at the IU Auditorium.
I am originally from Indianapolis, and I graduated from Perry Meridian High School in 2008. I have 3 siblings (2 sisters and a brother), and I am the oldest.
I am looking forward to learning more about the work the SCCAP does as well as applying the skills I’ve learned in the classroom to real-world practice. I’m really excited for this opportunity.
Look forward to hearing more from me! Until next time…
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