Community Action Partnership of Greater Saint Joseph

Helping People. Changing Lives. Ending Poverty.

Employment And Training
“People are not poor just because they lack money. They are poor because they do not have a job, because their wages are too low, because they are trying to raise a child single-handedly, or because they are undergoing some crisis….”
David Elwood, Poor Support

The Workforce Investment Act funds several services at the Missouri Career Center and throughout the four-county area that help us “teach a man to fish.” These services include:

Dislocated Worker services:
Provides training funds (either classroom or on the job), child care, transportation, relocation and other support services for those who have been laid off and are receiving or have exhausted unemployment benefits.

Adult services:
Provides training funds (either classroom or on the job), child care, transportation, and other support services for adults who meet income guidelines.

Youth services:
Provides ten elements meant to encourage youth ages 14-21 to stay in school, learn employment skills and help secure training or employment. Youth must meet income guidelines and have an identified barrier to employment.

Homeless Case Management:
Homeless Challenge, Emergency Shelter Grant and Missouri Housing Trust Fund are the funding sources for the homeless case management services which provide assistance in the form of referrals and financial assistance to assist individuals that are working towards self-sufficiency obtain or maintain housing and employment.

TANF:
A contract between the Division of Workforce Development and the Department of Social Services provides Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) funding to assist work ready customers who receive a cash grant with work activities and resources to obtain employment.

Affordable Housing
We are able to offer the Affordable Housing Program with funding from Missouri Housing Development Commission (MHDC), City HOME Funds, Community Development Corporation Grant Program and partnerships with developers.  The affordable housing programs enables persons the opportunity to have safe and decent housing with the possibility of owning their own home.

Persons who benefit from our Affordable Housing program include: 

Homeownership -Families, seniors, single persons whose annual incomes do not exceed eighty percent or less of the median income for the area

Rentals - Families, seniors, single persons whose annual incomes do not exceed the fifty/sixty percent or less of the median for the area.

Successful projects that have brought attractive and affordable housing to our area include:

Utility Assistance
Several different funding sources allow us to provide utility assistance. These include: Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP), Emergency Crisis Intervention Program (ECIP), Federal Emergency Management Agency funds (FEMA), DollarMore, St. Joe Light and Power, and Missouri American (MO/TAP).

The Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP) is available to provide financial assistance to low-income households in meeting their home heating costs. Energy asistance is a time limited program and households must apply within the specified application period in order to be considered for assistance with their home heating costs.

Eligibility requirements:

• Each household member must eb a citizen of the United States or an alien admitted for permanent residence
• Each household's resources may not exceed $3,000
• Each household (head of household/spouse) must establish that they have an account in their name or meet the definition of a renter or landlord applicant and are incurring heating costs
• Each household must meet specified income guidelines based on their household size, as set forth in the Income Range and Payment Levels Charts
  
  The Energy Crisis Intervention Program (ECIP) is available to assist families at or below the 125% poverty level to avoid disconnection of utilities (gas or electric, depending on the household's main source of heat). The program begins each year in November and households are served on a first come, first served basis. Summer ECIP begins June and runs through September. Households must be in Andrew, Buchanan, Clinton or DeKalb counties.
  
  The following materials are necessary when applying for utility assistance:
• Proof of income for previous month for all persons in the household including child support, SSI, SSA or TANF
• All social security cards for persons in the household
• Disconnection notice from the utility company in filer's name
• Co-pay to utility company ($50.00, or $25.00 if disabled or elderly)
• If name has changed, must bring marriage license or divorce decree and change name with utility company
• Letter from landlord if utilities are in landlord's name
  
  Eligiblity for funding varies

Prenatal To Five/Head Start
Head Start Prenatal to Five is a child development program for pregnant women and children ages zero to five years of age. Families meeting Federal Income Guidelines are eligible, as are all foster children and children with disabilities. Ten percent of the funded enrollment is reserved for children with disabilities.

Children ages three to five years receive services in Andrew, Buchanan, Clinton and DeKalb counties.  Pregnant women and children ages birth to three currently receive services only in Buchanan County.  Comprehensive educational, nutritional, medical, dental, and mental health services are provided.  Transportation is provided where feasible.

Head Start was launched in 1965 by the Office of Economic Opportunity as an eight-week summer program.  In 1969, Head Start was placed under the authority of the office of Child Development and the U.S. Department of Health, Education and Welfare.  It is now a program within the Administration of Children and Families in the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS).  Since 1965, 10.9 million children and their families have been served in all 50 states, the District of Columbia, and the U.S. Territories—including many American Indian and migrant children. 

Community Action Partnership currently serves 411 preschool children in the four county area.  Additionally, 72 pregnant women and children ages birth to three years are served in Buchanan County.  Many of the service options operate on a nine month schedule.  However, some services options are now available year around. 

Three service options are available: 

The Home Base option is available in the four county area for preschool aged children.  Families that choose this option will receive 1½ hour weekly visits by a trained Home Visitor, focusing on child development and education, as well as personalized family goal setting.  This option is also available to pregnant women and children ages birth to three in Buchanan County only. 

The Center Base option is available in the four county area.  Families that choose this option will receive early childhood educational services on-site at a licensed facility.  Center hours range from 3½ to 5 (plus) hours, Monday through Thursday.  Children ages 18-36 months (Buchanan County only) can attend center base services Monday and Wednesday or Tuesday and Thursday. 

The Full Day option is available in Andrew and Buchanan Counties.  Families must be working or going to school a minimum of 20 hours per week to qualify.  Children under this option will also receive early childhood educational services on-site at a licensed facility.  Hours of operation are: 6:30am to 5:30pm, Monday through Friday, twelve months per year.  This option is available for children four weeks to five years of age. 

Intensive In-Home Services
Through a contract with the Family Support Division we are able to offer Intensive In-Home Services. The Intensive In-Home Services program is designed to prevent the out-of-home placement of children through intensive intervention. This program is funded through the Department of Social Services. Agencies in a position to recommend the removal of a child from the home are the most common source of referral.

Eligibility requirements: A family, with at least one child in imminent risk of being removed from the home, when the parent is willing to participate, and it is safe for all parties to work toward keeping the child in the home.

If the family meets the eligibility criteria, the referring agency discusses the program with the family to determine their level of interest before contacting EOC. A home-based specialist is available to serve two volunteer families in crisis at one time for a period of four to six weeks, spending up to 20 hours per week, and on-call 24 hours/day, 7 days/week with the family. Services are based on a belief in enhancing the ability of families to safeguard and nurture their children.

All of above mentioned services are offered free of charge.

Mid-City Project
Forty-six percent of the population in census tract 10 and twenty-eight percent of the population in central tract 14 are below the poverty line. These two census tracts make up the 54-block area of Mid-City St. Joseph. Community residents identified the number one need in the area to be job opportunities. Job training, better and affordable housing, drug prevention, and retail stores and services completed the top five needs.

In the first year of the Mid-City Project, Community Action Partnership created a platform where opinions, experiences, triumphs and tragedies of the low-income could be heard. Residents of this geographic area were participants in the identification of necessary change to ameliorate poverty. In the second year of the project, residents were empowered to effect change within their neighborhoods by participating in organized block club meetings and leadership training.

Community Action Partnership intends to pioneer the transformation of the Mid-City area into a viable, thriving, productive area of the community. Efforts in this fiscal year will focus on implementing a system of sustainability and increasing residential awareness, advocacy and empowerment in the Mid-City area through the development of additional block clubs and resident participation in advocacy and intervention activities..

Poverty Simulations
Poverty affects us all and does not discriminate on the basis of age, race, family type, sex, or geographical location. The poverty simulation provides an experiential learning program to help participants understand the realities of life that low-income families must face. Participants are grouped into family types, representing a diverse group of low-income people. Participants must survive their month in poverty (broken down into four 15-minute weeks) by accessing the local resources available for the families. They must survive their month in poverty by: keeping their home secure; feeding their families; and making loan and bill payments.

Poverty simulations serve two purposes. First, the experience sensitizes participants to the circumstances experienced by low-income people. Secondly, the experience aims to motivate participants to get involved in activities that reduce poverty in their community. Through this hands-on experience, Poverty Simulation participants have the opportunity to feel the frustrations and limitations associated with poverty.