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CAAs major provider of affordable housing
   Community Action Agencies (CAAs) are a large provider of affordable housing in Oklahoma, a recent survey indicates.
    During 2001, CAAs were involved in the construction of 119 single family units and rehabilitated another 132.
    The Oklahoma Association of Community Action Agencies 
(OKACAA) conducted the survey that included data supplied by 17 of its 19 member agencies. A Fact Sheet based on the survey results was distributed to state lawmakers during OKACAA’s annual Legislative Conference in March.
    From 1998 to 2001, CAAs helped build nearly 400 single family units. During the same time period, nearly 240 housing units were rehabilitated. Nearly 690 houses are on waiting lists to be rehabilitated.
    Over $12.2 million was spent by CAAs on housing related programs in 2001.
    The Oklahoma Department of Commerce reported during FY 2000 program year, 757 homes were weatherized.
    Over $1.3 million was spent on the weatherization program of which nearly $370,000 were used to support the local economy through material purchases.
    Energy savings were estimated at $300 annually per household.
    Nearly 350 rental units are owned by CAAs. The survey indicates 145 rental units are for senior citizens. Forty-one shelters or transitional units can provide housing for nearly 230 people.
    Over 625 families received help during 2001 in making their rent or mortgage payment.

Candidates speak at Legislative Conference
    Businessman Vince Orza brought his campaign to become governor to the Oklahoma Association of Community Action Agencies (OKACAA) Legislative Conference last month.
    Noting that he is the only candidate who is a businessman, Orza declared, “That’s what makes me a better candidate for governor.”
    Speaking at the closing breakfast, Orza recounted that as a second-generation American, he had come to Oklahoma at age 18. He completed a four-year degree program and graduated from college in two and a half years and began teaching high school. By age 25, he had earned a doctorate from the University of Oklahoma.
    Although his career has taken him from the classroom into the television news studio and later the business community, Orza still strongly supports education.
    “I want people to come to Oklahoma because of great schools,” he declared. 
Orza recalled working at all three local television stations covering stories about Community Action programs.
    “I worked with a lot of you and told your stories,” he said.
    Sharyn Regier, substituting for husband, Jerry, spoke at the opening general session. Regier was speaking at another conference in Salt Lake City, she said.
    She recounted efforts by Community Action to provide affordable housing.
    “These are just wonderful programs,” she said.
    She praised efforts of the agencies to figure out ways to make public dollars go further.
    She recalled that when her husband worked at the Office of Juvenile Affairs, he was involved in the graduated sanctions program -- a program that some Community Action Agencies are involved in.
    Staff members from the Brad Henry for Governor campaign also paid a visit to the conference to meet with agency officials. Henry was scheduled to speak at the luncheon, but the legislature was in session and he was unable to attend.
    While much of the conference focused on legislative issues, there were also a series of sessions for Head Start, housing, weatherization, board members and other staff.
    Norris A. Wilson, Oklahoma City Fire Department, spoke to Head Start parents on “Fire Prevention in the Home” while Clarence A. Powers and Vanessa Price, from the Oklahoma City Police Department, discussed “Stranger Danger.”
    Department of Education Transportation Director Randy McLerran briefed Head Start directors on new transportation rules including occupant protection, vehicle specifications and driver training.
    An overview of CAA programs were presented by representatives from several agencies. Scheduled speakers and program topics included:
• Housing - Becky Byrd, Little Dixie Community Action
• Developmental Disabilities - Linda Brandley, Great Plains Improvement Foundation
• Community Gardens - LaQuita Thornley, INCA Community Services
• Income Tax Filing Assistance - Jean Cooper, Northeast Oklahoma Community Action
• SEEDS - Barbara Witt, Community Action Development Corporation
• Community Sentencing - Pat Harland & D. Brown, Delta Community Action
    Housing and weatherization staff could attend a session on “Air Quality and Mold” presented by Dr. Terri Pearce, Enviro Home, and a session on “OSHA Guidelines” presented by Neil Brown, also from Enviro Home.
Judy Grant, Oklahoma Primary Care Association, provided an overview of the Community Health Center program.
    Board of Director training was presented by OKACAA Communications Director Bob Brandenburg who discussed “Advocacy” and “Becoming a Better Director.”
    There were sessions on adding impact to PowerPoint presentations, business writing skills, outcomes, Results Oriented Management & Accountability, New Rbase Features, PIR Regulations and Success by Six.

Community of Promise program to focus on youth
    The Oklahoma Association of Community Action Agencies (OKACAA) is launching an effort to encourage its members to become involved in the Community of Promise program.
    The program is designed to mobilize communities to build character and competence in our youth by fulfilling five promises:
• Ongoing relationships with caring adults
• Safe places with structured activities during non-school hours
• Healthy starts and futures
• Marketable skills through effective education
• Opportunities to give back through community service
    The Administration for Children & Families, U.S. Department of Health & Human Services, has set as one of its key priorities for FY 2002 a program called “Positive Youth Development.” The description of this priority mirrors the five promises.
    “The five promises are addressed in many existing programs operated by Community Action Agencies,” explained Robert Brandenburg, project coordinator.
    For example, Foster Grandparents or Retired and Senior Volunteer Programs operated by some CAAs could help meet the need to provide an ongoing relationship with caring adults.
After school tutoring programs could address the promise of structured activities during non-school hours while health screenings conducted as a part of the Head Start programs deal with healthy starts.
    There are ten existing Community of Promise programs located throughout the state.
    “We want to encourage our Community Action Agencies to participate in collaborative efforts or serve as a lead organization to establish a program to fulfill the five promises in communities where they don’t currently exist,” Brandenburg said.
    The parent organization - America’s Promise -- The Alliance for Youth -- was founded after the historic Presidents’ Summit for American’s Future in April 1997, in Philadelphia. Presidents Clinton, Bush, Carter and Ford plus First Lady Nancy Reagan challenged the nation to make youth a national priority and commit to a united effort to fulfill the five promises.
    In Communities of Promise, parents, educators, public officials, social service agencies and business leaders are uniting around youth. They are lending their time and talent toward a common cause -- working together to create places where kids today grow up well prepared for tomorrow.
    General Colin L. Powell was the founding chairman of America’s Promise.

Head Start center earns 2 Stars
    Wilburton Head Start and Day Care has reached for the stars and caught two. Reaching for the Stars is a program through the Division of Child Care that allows centers to reach different levels of child care programs.
    The goals of the Stars Program are to provide a system to inform parents of quality criteria met by child care programs; improve the quality of child care by increasing competence of teachers; and raise the subsidy reimbursement rate, resulting in more slots for children whose families are receiving child care assistance.
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Reprinted from March issue of KI BOIS News published by KI BOIS Community Action Foundation

CAPLAW training set
    The CAPLAW National Training Conference is scheduled for June 12-13 in Portland, Oregon.
    The program is designed for Community Action Agency management and program directors as well as agency attorneys.
Program topics include:
• Employment law basics
• Fair Labor Standards Act
• Dos and don’ts during union campaigns and collective bargaining
• Financing options for affordable housing
• Community Services Block Grant legal issues
    Call 617-357-6915 for details.

Southwest Oklahoma Community Action breaks ground on off-farm housing project
    Construction has begun on the first housing in Southwest Oklahoma targeted to the migrant, seasonal and full-time farm workers.
    The ten unit housing project is a partnership between Southwest Oklahoma Community Action Group, the U.S. Department of Agriculture Rural Development, Oklahoma Housing Finance Agency, City of Altus and the Jackson County Commissioners.
    The three and four-bedroom, brick houses will range in size from 1,200 to 1,400 square feet with central heat and air and even including a washer and dryer, said Linda Tarpley, Housing Director.
    Oklahoma Rural Development will provide services to tenants for job placement. Southwest Transit, Southwest Head Start, Great Plains Literacy Council and the Community Cupboard will provide transportation services, child development classes, English as a second language, food and other services as needed through Southwest’s network of community partners, explained Ricky Crouch, Chairman of the Board of Directors.
    Funding for the project was secured from a loan and grant from USDA Rural Development, a grant from Oklahoma Housing Finance Agency, Southwest’s Community Housing Development Organization funds, donated land from Jackson County and services from the City of Altus.
    The project is scheduled to be completed later this year. The houses are being constructed near Southwest’s central office in Southwest Altus. Tarpley said total project cost is expected to be about $800,000. The farm workers’ rent will be based on their income, she added.

Community Action in the news
    The Oklahoma Transit Association named Little Dixie Transit the Transit System of the Year and its director, Shirley Cooley as the OTA Manager of the Year, the Hugo News reports.  Little Dixie Transit provides services to more than 60,000 area residents.
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Intermediate Grade Center students collected 1,300 canned food items for the Community Action Resource and Development food pantry during the holiday season, the Coweta American reports.
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Northeast Oklahoma Community Action Agency has received a $13,000 grant from the Oklahoma Department of Commerce for a pilot project to develop a model for a “for profit” entity to provide services like weatherization at a cost to individuals who are not low-incomed. The Community Developer reports the grant will also assist the agency in developing a business incubator.
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A seven-week business training program will be hosted by the Community Action Agency of Oklahoma City and Oklahoma/Canadian Counties, the Daily Oklahoman reports. The program is designed for those interested in operating their own business. Business professionals and the Community Action Agency will provide instruction and one-on-one consultation.
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Southwest Oklahoma Community Action Group won first place in the “Weatherization Story Board” competition at the Oklahoma Association of Community Action Agencies conference, The Hollis News reports. Assistant Housing Director Mary Whitman designed the story board.
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Northeast Oklahoma Community Action Agency will be providing income tax services for Head Start parents in a three county area, The Community Developer reports. The agency is receiving training from the Internal Revenue Service in the E filing process and has loaned computers to the agency to implement the program.

HUD funding to CAAs for housing counseling
    Three Oklahoma Community Action Agencies, who are U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) approved counseling agencies, have been selected to receive funding to provide counseling services. The CAAs and their funding:
• Community Action Agency of Oklahoma City and Oklahoma/Canadian Counties - $18,466
• Community Action Project of Tulsa County - $22,283
• Community Development Support Association - $17,540
    These agencies provide information, advice and assistance to renters, first-time homebuyers, and senior citizens in areas such as pre-purchase counseling, financial management and property maintenance. The purpose of the grants is to assist these HUD-approved housing counseling agencies in providing housing counseling services to HUD-related and other clients.
    A number of other Oklahoma-based organizations also received funding. These include CCCS of Central Oklahoma, Chickasaw Nation Division of Housing, Housing Authorities for the cities of Lawton, Muskogee, Stillwater, Norman, Housing Partners of Tulsa and Native American Housing Services. 

Report tells what families need to be self sufficient
    According to a new report, a single adult in Oklahoma County with one pre-schooler and one school-age child must earn at least $35,177 per year to cover her family’s basic needs without any government or private support.
    That same family would need to earn at least $33,234 in Tulsa County, $30,145 in Payne County and $22,432 in Adair County, according to the Self-Sufficiency Standard for Oklahoma.
    The report was issued by the Community Action Project of Tulsa County, Wider Opportunities for Women (WOW) and a committee of advocacy groups and agencies. It was written by Dr. Diana Pearce of the University of Washington, and WOW.
    “What the Standard tells us is that lower-wage jobs alone -- even those well above the minimum wage or the official poverty level -- simply do not allow families to meet their needs, even at a minimally adequate level,” said Dr. Pearce.
    The study measures how much income a family in each county need to pay for housing, food, childcare and other basic necessities -- if they do not receive any help from friends, relatives or the government -- based on the ages, as well as the number of children in each household. The report also measures the impact of subsidies from employers and governmental agencies on families’ income.
    This new report makes clear that just shifting families from welfare into low-wage jobs won’t close the gap between earning and expenses.

Scholarship winner announced
    This year’s recipient of the Ted Allen/David Walker Scholarship is Jacob Basden, Stigler High School Senior. Jacob’s mother, Beverly Basden, is employed by KI BOIS Community Action Foundation, Inc.
    Jacob has 4.0 GPA and is ranked #1 in his class. He plans on attending OU.
    This $1,000 scholarship is presented each year to a high school senior, who is a direct relative of an employee of OKACAA, community action agencies, OHFA, HUD, or ODOC. The applicant must be planning on attending an accredited college or university.
    This is a competitive scholarship based on each applicant submitting a five hundred word essay titled “The Importance of Affordable Housing For The Low Income.” The essays are judged on punctuation, grammar, style, and content.
    The essays are submitted to a panel of judges, without any identification of who submitted the essay. The judges score each essay independently and then meet to compile the scores.

Grants to aid homeless housing programs
    Six Community Action Agencies will share $59,000 in Housing Pilot Program grants from the Oklahoma Housing Finance Agency (OHFA). Grants are going to:
• Central Oklahoma Community Action Agency, $9,500
• Community Action Agency of Oklahoma City and Oklahoma/Canadian Counties - $14,000
• Great Plains Improvement Foundation, $2,500
• KI BOIS Community Action Foundation, $5,000
• Little Dixie Community Action Agency, $14,000
• Muskogee County Community Action Foundation, $14,000
    “These agencies struggle daily to help homeless individuals and families locate housing in their service area,” said Nancy English, administrator of OHFA’s Housing Pilot Program. 
    The grants help pay maintenance and utility bills at temporary homes operated by these agencies, according to OHFA. The program helps families who are homeless move into transitional housing and eventually permanent housing. 
    A total of 13 organizations are receiving grants from OHFA. 

Community Action news briefs
    Central Oklahoma Community Action Agency is purchasing 60 car seats from the Oklahoma Safe Kids Coalition with a $2,100 grant from Oklahoma Electric Cooperative to distribute in Cleveland County to income-eligible families.
    The car seats are being purchased at or near cost from the manufacturer for $35 and will then be sold to income-eligible families at the same price. If the $35 cost is still out of reach for some families, they can purchase the car seats on a sliding scale which will be determined by their income.
    The Norman Police Department has offered to make sure car seats purchased through the program are properly installed. 
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    Washita Valley Community Action Council will receive a $30,000 REAP grant from ASCOG to be used for a handicapped accessible van.