eNewsletter for Southeastern Association of Community Action Agencies (SEACAA) - Mar/April 2019
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Celebrate
Community Action Month
!
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Tell your stories and share your successes! Help raise
awareness
about the anti-poverty impact the
Community Action
Partnership has both locally and nationally.
National Community Action Month in May was created by the Community Action Partnership to reinforce Community Action agencies’ role in helping low-income families achieve economic stability.
During National Community Action Month, Community Action agencies truly make the Promise of Community Action—to help people and change lives—come alive by hosting events that help put a “face” on the families striving to achieve self-sufficiency.
This job is so much easier with the use of the specially designed
toolkit
that gives our agencies resources and information that can help them use Community Action Month to increase their visibility.
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Sign-Up Now!....for SEACAA Executive Leadership Certifications
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Enroll in one of our Executive Leaders web-based Certification programs!
-
IF
you value your professional growth and your staff's,
IF
your time out of the office and resources are limited, and/or
IF
you like working at your own pace.
If you answered YES to one or more of these
IF's,
this class is for you!
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Web-based Tracks Offered
- Human Resources
- Executive/Deputy Director
- Financial Officer
The e-learning platform can be accessed 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
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So what is Rapid re-housing anyway? Rapid re-housing is a short-term, crisis response intervention intended to minimize a household’s time spent homeless.
Research on rapid re-housing is still emerging, however, this paper reviews the evidence to date, which documents the model's success in helping families and veterans exit homeless shelters to live in housing units in the private rental market faster than they would on their own and for lower cost. The approach aims to help people exit homelessness and stabilize in housing as quickly and efficiently as possible, by providing housing search services, short-term financial assistance (e.g., help paying rent and move-in costs), and case management services.
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2019 SEACAA Annual Conference - Sept. 10-13
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Myrtle Beach, SC Welcomes the
Sept. 10-13
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Rooms are filling up.....
BOOK YOUR ROOM
NOW!
- Embassy Suites by Hilton Myrtle Beach Oceanfront Resort, SC
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ACT NOW! Join SEACAA or Renew Membership
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Here
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Support the Conference
SEACAA Seeking Sponsorships, Ads & Exhibitors for 2019
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Partner with the Southeastern Association of Community Action Agencies (SEACAA) to bring the 2019 Annual Conference, a dynamic, regional event with representation from up to 200 agencies. Email [email protected]@gmail.com
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Community Action professionals have provided services that move people out of poverty, but we have not been able to change the statistical dynamics over the past three decades…. And it is reasonable to ask the question, ‘Why?.’
"In fact, the rate of poverty would be unthinkably high were it not for the enactment of the
WAR ON POVERTY in 1964
.
"
Dr. Joyce Dorsey, President /CEO of Fulton Atlanta Community Acion Authority in GA, offers some insight on this topic in her 3-part Op-Ed.
IF POVERTY CANNOT BE REDUCED, WHAT ELSE CAN COMMUNITY ACTION DO?
An analysis and understanding of the problem and our remaining options
i
s the focus of Part 1.
Dilemma
Sadly, since1965, the poverty rate, despite all of our achievements in community action and other programs or even proposition of Haskins, has still not significantly changed the poverty equation. I will explore why poverty rates have not changed and also propose ways to address this dilemma.
Silent destruction...
The attempt of this article is to remind each of us about the silent destruction that is taking place in poor families. It touches on societal issues that have influenced personal failure and family destruction and indicates reasonable doubt that much of what Community Action Programs and other services do to cause positive change may not work as planned. It also reaches across racial lines and relies upon a holistic approach to solutions through collaboration, sharing of services and a multi-dimensional awareness’ of causes, social barriers and the need for a well-rounded plan - one with a commitment and a sure intent to minimize poverty and ultimately eradicate it.
Reactions....
The topic of poverty has caused a range of reactions including debates throughout the United States. Hostility and public demonstrations amongst advocates and individuals affected by the embarrassing and self-effacing phenomenon known widely as poverty occurs on a regular basis. Persons affected by the realities of low or no wages, inability to progress in educational attainment, and issues that are societal in nature are finding it more difficult to figure their way out of poverty. There should be no surprise to some of those who serve the poor that lately their efforts seem to be in vain. This is not because we have failed to help all people, but it is true that
all people cannot be helped
.....
Silent causal phenomenon......
..
The continued efforts of Community Action and other programs established to end poverty must embrace strategies that address a silent causal phenomenon…
TRAUMA
. Defined as a deeply distressing or disturbing experience to the mind (like overt & covert racism, domestic violence, child abuse, sudden death of a parent or child),
trauma and post-traumatic
stress are often a result of a mental reaction to an event or multiple events that cause immense stress and an inability to cope with ordinary to complex issues of life. All too often a traumatic experience which could be addressed in the lives of the poor… simply are not addressed or even acknowledged …for various reasons, including an inability to acknowledge, provide intervention, or a service provider’s ability to recognize the need.
Now, can we suggest ways to address programs for those who need intervention? Find out how.
For many poor in our nation, even the smallest of economic changes today can send them further into hunger and misery. Even for the working poor, financial security — having the means to achieve a stable, fulfilling life for themselves and their families — is a shaky proposition.
Food, shelter, clothing, health care, transportation are only the beginnings of basic necessities for modern American living. Each year, the federal government calculates the minimum amount of money required by families to meet these and other basic needs, commonly referred to as the “poverty line.” The government has set
2019
poverty guidelines
to determine financial eligibility for certain federal programs.
Below you will find interactive applications, created by the Census Bureau, to help you find, customize, and even visualize, statistics and information from multiple censuses, surveys, and programs.
“Hard Living on the Poverty Line”
Can families whose income is at the poverty line have enough money to secure the basic needs to live in America today? Can people hold a steady job, work full time and still find themselves falling below the poverty line?
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Municipal Action Guide
Read this Guide for objective information about and resources for the upcoming census.Guide prepared by the National League of Cities (NLC) to find out Why the Census Matters
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SEACAA Brand Sports New Look
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So what do you think? Recognize the national community action partnership's brand?
Your brand is what people think about when they think of your organization.
When your agency brands itself as a member of the National Community Action Partnership, you help create a visual connection to the national network and the work of 1000+ agencies who are working alongside you to alleviate poverty across America.
1. Differentiate Yourself
2. Personalize Your Organization
3. Be Relatable
4. Appeal to the Emotional
5. Be a Thought Leader
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We think sometimes that poverty is only being hungry, naked and homeless. The poverty of being unwanted, unloved and uncared for is the greatest poverty. We must start in our own homes to remedy this kind of poverty.
Mother Teresa
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Speaking of Board Members - Meet our Incoming Treasurer, Catrena Bowman-Thomas
Catrena Bowman-Thomas joined Northern
Kentucky Community Action Commission (NKCAC)
in 2018 as the Executive Director. NKCAC serves 8 counties throughout the Northern Kentucky region. Ms. Bowman-Thomas has a proven track record in nonprofit leadership, previously serving as the Director of Community Services at Community Action Council in Lexington, Kentucky. While working for the Council in Lexington, she managed operations at the Council’s Community Centers and youth and workforce development programs. Her extensive community involvement includes serving as a Board Member on the Lexington Leadership Foundation and Partners for Youth. Ms. Bowman-Thomas holds a B.A. in Family Studies and a MPA in Public Administration with an emphasis on nonprofit management from the University of Kentucky. A charismatic, dynamic leader who is committed to ending the cycle of poverty, she has spent her career helping individuals and families find a life of self-reliance. Ms. Bowman-Thomas is also a certified community action professional (CCAP) and a national ROMA certified trainer.
A Special Note of Thanks to
Outgoing Treasurer, Belva Dorsey, Executive Director,
Enrichment Services Program, Inc.
in GA,
who has been responsible for SEACAA’s fiscal management for several years, while managing her own agency.
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Introducing
Recap
, a report highlighting CAPLAW's core services, insights from their biennial survey, and priorities for 2019.
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Coming Up!...... CALENDAR
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MAY
14
SEACAA Board of Directors,
Wilmington, NC
14-17
15-17
14-17
JUNE
18-21
NC
JULY
16
SEACAA Board of Directors
,
Savannah GA
16-19
AUGUST
27-30
SEPTEMBER
10-13
Forward newsletter submissions to [email protected] by June 25th for June/July distribution.
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