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Teens repair homes at Little Dixie Group Workcamp

   About 400 teenagers and their adult advisors converged on the Southeastern Oklahoma community of Idabel last month to repair over 60 homes of elderly and low-income families as part of a Group Workcamp.

    Little Dixie Community Action joined forces with the Colorado-based Group Workcamp Foundation, a non-profit Christian service organization, to sponsor the weeklong event. The teens painted, built wheelchair ramps, replaced porches and re-shingled houses in the community of about 8,000.

    “They’re doing a fantastic job,” declared homeowner Dorothy Otwell as she watched a crew of six paint her home. “I’ve really learned to love them,” she added.

    Red Erwin, Little Dixie’s assistant housing director, estimated the teens would spread nearly 500 gallons of paint during the week. He predicted more than $30,000 would be spent on lumber, paint, shingles and other supplies.

    The teens were members of 18 church youth groups from eight states, Chris Lotz, camp director said.

With temperatures hovering in the low 90s, Mike Hinckfoot, the group’s spiritual director, quipped the teens were really “Sweating for Jesus.”

    This is the second Group Workcamp to be held in Oklahoma. Last year Northeast Oklahoma Community Action and the Craig County office of the Oklahoma Department of Human Services teamed up to bring the group to Vinita. Little Dixie plans to do three more Group Workcamps in Broken Bow, Hugo and Antlers beginning next year.

    Little Dixie raised $15,000 to help purchase supplies and pay other expenses. The Neighborhood Reinvestment Corporation and FannieMae each donated $5,000 with the balance raised through a pair of golf tournaments.

   The teens each paid $350 to participate in the program which was used to also help buy materials..

    When the teens arrived, they were divided into six-member crews. Each was assigned specific duties, Lotz explained. The “Organizer” kept the crew on schedule. The “Work Director” was responsible to ensure the work was done correctly. The “Breakmaker” was in charge of lunch and water. The “Progress Reporter” kept track of the work done and updated the main office of work status. The “Devotion Leader” was in charge of the daily devotional. Little Dixie recruited “troubleshooters” – local staff members with construction experience – to lend a hand when workers encountered problems.

    Sixteen year old Natalie, from Houston, paused from her painting to explain why she is participating in her second Group Workcamp. “It makes you feel good. It’s fun to meet new people.” Added her fellow crewmember, Randy, 14, from Colorado, “I wanted to be able to help people who couldn’t do it themselves.”

    The teens spent their nights in the Idabel High School – sleeping on classroom floors. Meals were served in the school cafeteria and evening devotionals were held in the school gym. They were given Wednesday afternoon off so many went to nearby Beavers Bend Resort Park.
    Erwin said planning for the Group Workcamp began two years ago. Sixty-two houses were selected for work with another 14 backup houses identified in case the teens completed their first repair project early. Some houses required more work than can be done by the youth so Little Dixie will follow up to perform more complicated repairs.

United Community Action aids with Ponca City housing project

    United Community Action Program, Inc. (UCAP) took the lead to address the need for additional housing in Ponca City. Copper Ridge, located at the northeast corner of the intersection at Waverly Street and Highland Avenue, is a 54-unit complex, which was financed with a combination of HOME dollars, tax credits and private financing.

    More than a year ago, UCAP began meeting with city officials and interested groups to see how Ponca City could move forward to provide further affordable housing for its citizens.

    “For the past two years, we looked at what we could do to improve housing in our community,” said Ponca City Mayor Tom Leonard. “This project is visible evidence of all the hard work.”

    “Clearly partnerships and the combination approach to funding works,” says David Ellison, deputy director of UCAP. “This method has been used for a second project in Ponca City as well as to upcoming developments in Sand Springs and Sapulpa.”

    Zimmerman Investments of Springfield, Missouri, partnered to develop the property. Construction began in June 2000, and was completed in February of 2001, with the issuance of a certificate of occupancy.

Agency News

    Delta Community Action Foundation has named Joan Robison, a foster grandparent, as its Volunteer of the year.

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    Central Oklahoma Community Action  Agency’s (COCAA) Homeless Programs Mission of Hope Shelter in Stillwater and East Main Street in Norman each received a $75,000 Emergency Shelter Grant from the Oklahoma Department of Commerce, according to News & Quotes, the COCAA newsletter.

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    Cookson Hills Community Action and ERC Properties held a groundbreaking recently on the site of their new 24-unit elderly apartment community, the Tahlequah Daily Press reports.

Dralen Terry briefs utility & business leaders on
weatherization capabilities

    The state of Oklahoma is gearing up to help many more low-income people live more comfortably and save money by making their houses cozier and more energy-efficient -- and Community Action Agencies are planning to be a major part of that effort.

    What’s more, businesses and individuals contributing to the program will receive a 50 percent tax credit for every dollar donated.

    To jumpstart this expanded program of the state’s Conservation Assistance Fund, representatives from public utilities, the business community and nonprofit organizations met in late June with Denise Bode, Chairman-elect of the Oklahoma Corporation Commission.

    Speaking on behalf of the Oklahoma Association of Community Action Agencies at this “weatherization summit” was Dralen Terry, Housing and Energy Director.

    “My purpose was to give an overview of the weatherization program and show how Community Actions of Oklahoma have the capacity to deliver this program,” Terry said.

    Brenda Williams, Deputy Director of the state Department of Commerce, said the fund will supplement the existing Weatherization Assistance Program, which has been helping low-income Oklahomans for nearly 30 years.

    Williams noted that through the introduction of energy conservation measures, families have been able to use their disposable income more effectively and many have become self-sufficient.

    To be considered for the Conservation Assistance grants, homeowners’ dwellings will be required to undergo an energy audit. Grants up to $3,000 may be given. Annual income limits also apply.

    Proposed legislation in the U.S. Congress would increase funding, but it also requires states provide 25 percent of the needed money.

    “If  the proposed funding levels are doubled as projected, Oklahoma’s share requirement could amount to $815,000,” Williams said. “At this time, the state’s program has no source to provide these additional funds.

    Terry said there is a critical need for such weatherization help.

    “There is a waiting list of up to three years at all agencies, so there is a need for this extra money.”

Oklahoma City Community Action Weatherization Crew at Work

    The Community Action Agency of Oklahoma City and Oklahoma/Canadian Counties weatherization crew unloaded their tools one bright June morning to begin a process they will repeat 130 - 150 times each year -- reducing energy loss and helping lower heating and cooling costs for a low-income family.

    Cecil Messer, Weatherization Program Coordinator, has compiled a list of projects for the crew to complete over the next two days.

    Install vents in the roof so attic insulation works more efficiently. Replace deteriorating doors and weather-stripping. Replace broken glass around a window air conditioner. Insulate exterior walls and add insulation in the attic. Patch holes in the sheet rock around plumbing fixtures. Replace a dryer vent with a damper.

    A blower door test conducted before work began showed 4,400 cubic feet of air infiltration per minute. After the work is completed another tests shows only 2,600 cubic feet per minute coming in which is very close to the 2,500 cubic foot target.

Little Dixie manages statewide victim restitution program for juveniles

   From a small office located deep in Southeastern Oklahoma, Little Dixie Community Action’s Ron Walker manages the statewide Victim Restitution and Offender Responsibility Program for the Office of Juvenile Affairs.

    Through the program, each year about 400 teens work for non-profit organizations and government agencies to pay back victims of their crimes. Youths referred to the program have committed crimes ranging from personal injury to vandalism, Walker said.

    “It’s a good program,” Walker said. It gives the kids a chance to show responsibility and hopefully think twice about doing it again, he added.

    The program is an option for 14 – 17 year old youths, Walker said. Youths come to the program by court order, or by an agreement with a district attorney who opts not to prosecute if restitution is made, or if a Juvenile Affairs caseworker brokers a deal between the youth and the victim.

    The teens work for minimum wage – turning over between 70 and 90 percent of their paycheck to pay back their victims. Walker said nearly 80 percent of the youths must make restitution of $1,000 or less to their victims.

    The teenagers can work up to 40 hours weekly when not in school and up to 18 hours weekly while attending school. They typically do janitorial types of work.

    Walker works closely with caseworkers to process applications for the program, maintain records, and issue checks. Most of the time, restitution checks are mailed directly to the victims.

    Little Dixie has operated the program since 1978.

DeBruler resigns from OHFA

    Byron DeBruler is resigning from the Oklahoma Housing Finance Agency effective July 31 to focus on the economic and community development consulting firm that he has established.

Opportunities Resource Center houses many programs

    Opportunities, Inc. is converting the First Christian Church near downtown Clinton into a Resource Center housing programs ranging from child development to a medical equipment lending program.

    Under the direction of building manager Gayla Cummings, the center serves clients ranging from infants in the Department of Human Services (DHS) licensed child care center to the elderly who gather weekdays for a hot meal.

    The massive, three story, 62-year old building was purchased four years ago, said Georgia Forthum, Executive Director. After completing some basic renovation, Opportunities began moving its programs into the building.

    It currently houses the Child Development Center, Head Start classes, Senior Nutrition Program, medical equipment lending closet, emergency food pantry, and a tutoring program.

    Cocaine Anonymous meets in the building. Opportunities, Inc. also hosts monthly meetings of service providers organized by DHS.

    Other programs housed in the center include emergency cash assistance, Retired Senior Volunteer Program, weatherization, Heartland Shares food distribution, and Self Employment and Entrepreneurial Development business loans programs.

    Opportunities, Inc. is working with the Chisholm Trail Technology Center to put clients in its Behavioral Care Center to work cutting the 20-foot oak pews into 5-foot lengths and refinishing them to be sold through antique stores.

    Excess food from the kitchen is donated to a local homeless shelter. “Nothing is wasted,” Forthum said.

    As additional funding becomes available, Forthum plans to add more programs. Her goal: to fill up the building.