Community Action Solutions

May 2000

OKACAA hosts state Dialogue on Poverty at Capitol

Author and journalist Juan Williams challenged about 140 people attending OKACAA’s statewide Dialogue on Poverty to help build communities through discussions on ways to eliminate poverty.

Speaking in the rotunda of the State Capitol, Williams spoke of how people in need are often pushed into the background and marginalized. “Everybody has a right to live a dignified life,” he declared.

Some people get skeptical as they try to improve lives of people in need, he said. “I want you to have confidence something can be done.”

He spoke of  Supreme Court Justice Thurgood Marshall who wanted to be a social architect — who wanted to make a difference. Williams urged Dialogue participants to continue the struggle.

Dr. Lee Maril, professor and author, opened the Dialogue talking about what he termed “Oklahoma’s dirty little secret.” Oklahoma is the 8th poorest state in the nation and getting poorer, he said. “We’re getting to be known as a poverty state,” he added.

He said there is a myth that Oklahomans are poor because they are lazy. The majority of poor people in Oklahoma are not on welfare, he said. They don’t want to receive a handout from government.

Some adults are working two or even three jobs, but it’s still not enough, he said. A minimum wage job is a poverty wage job, he added. Businesses needs to pay people an honest wage for an honest day’s work, Maril said.

He also called on agencies to stop the turf wars. He lashed out at bureaucrats working against each other. They should be working toward the common goal.

He outlined a political agenda that calls for putting dollars where poverty really is. What has been done in the past hasn’t worked well, he said.

State Senator Trish Weedn (D-Purcell) facilitated a series of presentations by Community Action staff members who reported on their local Dialogues on Poverty. Reporting on their local dialogues were Bill Shields, associate director, Central Oklahoma Community Action Agency; Brent Morey, executive director, Community Action Development Corporation; Georgene Zachary, executive director, Community Action Resource & Development; and Renee Hoover, grants manager, Community Development Support Association.

Also reporting on their local dialogues were Jeff Schuman, executive director, Deep Fork Community Action; Virginia Spencer, program planner, Great Plains Improvement Foundation; LaQuita Thornley, public relations director, INCA Community Services; Linda Williams, outreach director, Opportunities, Inc.; Ingrid Gifford, administrative resources director, Southwest Oklahoma Community Action; and Sonya Mandrell, family services worker, Washita Valley Community Action.

Jim Sconzo, executive director, Community Action Agency of Oklahoma City and Oklahoma/Canadian Counties and OKACAA president, served as master of ceremonies for the Dialogue on Poverty.

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Newsletter articles on web

Articles from this newsletter can be found on the World Wide Web. Just go to OKACAA’s home page at: www.okacaa.org. Click on OKACAA Info. Then click on Community Action Solutions in the text.

Upcoming meetings

May 17 - Oklahoma  Weatherization and Housing Advisory Council meeting at 9 a.m. at the Biltmore Hotel in Oklahoma City. Contact: 405-524-4124.

May 17 - Oklahoma Head Start Directors meeting at 9 a.m. at the Biltmore Hotel in Oklahoma City. Contact: 405-524-4124.

May 24-26 -  OKACAA Board of Directors meeting and roundtables at the Biltmore Hotel in Oklahoma City. Contact: 405-524-4124.

May 24-26 - National Head Start-State Collaboration and Training & Technical Assistance Network Conference in Alexandria, VA.

June 7-9 - Early Head Start Summer Institute in Albuquerque, New Mexico. For information, check the website: www.headstarttraining.org

June 12-14 BHM HSQIC Staff Summer Retreat. TBD

June 19-21 - Region VI 2nd Annual Head Start Directors Leadership Conference in Dallas. For details, check the web site: www.bhmqic.com/

June 20-23 - Community Action Program Legal Services National Training Conference in San Diego, California. Contact: 617-357-6915.

June 28  - OKACAA Board of Directors meeting Enid. Contact: 405-524-4124.

Volunteers of the Year Recognized at Dialogue

The Oklahoma Association of Community Action Agencies has named Norma Cooper and Lucille Hicks Volunteers of the Year. The pair was recognized at the Dialogue on Poverty held May 4 at the State Capitol.

The pair volunteered thousands of hours on behalf of Central Oklahoma Community Action Agency, according to executive director Janelle Stafford.

Cooper, who spent 20 years as a principal’s secretary in the Cushing Public Schools, decided to spend her retirement years help others. In 1998, she turned her attention to helping Central Oklahoma Community Action find new office space and equipment, organize office procedures and recruit other volunteers.

She recruited Hicks who shared the same retirement goals. The pair have organized the food closet, provided rental and utility assistance counseling, and became key players in organizing, remodeling, and helping operate the Silver Lining Resale Shop.

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Deep Fork offers child care resource and referral services

Deep Fork Community Action’s Child Care Resource and Referral Center is helping bridge the gap between parents, communities and providers says Sharon Allen, program director. The center uses a database to match up families needing child care with providers.

The center maintains a variety of information in its database on state licensed day care providers. Allen explained parents call the center with the age of the child, hours care is needed, in what community the family lives, and any special requirements such as transportation to and from school. The center has 94 Centers and 205 Family Child Care Homes enrolled in the program. The center can search its database to determine which providers match up with the family’s needs. The center provides referrals for children up to 12 years of age.

During the first three months of the year, the center received nearly 220 calls. Reaction to the service has been “overwhelmingly positive,” Allen said.

The program, now three years old, is funded by the Oklahoma Department of Human Services Office of Child Care. All state licensed day care providers in the seven county service area are eligible to be included in the database, Allen said. There are no fees charged for providers to be included in the database and no fees are charged to families for referrals, she added.

One of the biggest problems is finding child care services for families who work non-traditional hours. “There is also a shortage of child care providers for infants and toddlers,” Allen added.

The center, which is based in Henryetta, maintains a lending library of resource material. This includes developmental toys, books, games, videos, and curriculum. “We just added $500 in new materials,” Allen said. The center puts out a bimonthly newsletter called Lullabies to Nursery Rhymes with training information and news items.

The center provides or coordinates training to day care agency staffs. Training topics range from pediatric CPR to record keeping for tax purposes, Allen explained.

Also staffing the center are Melody Watson, program assistant, who maintains the database and makes the referrals, and Emily Coppick, resource specialist, who provides technical assistance to the day care providers.

Allen, who has been program director only since December, is trying to spread the word about the benefits of child care to the business community. She tries to get on the program for Chamber of Commerce meetings to tell employers about the service and offer to work with them on options.

The Deep Fork center is one of nine child care resource and referral centers located in Oklahoma. Deep Fork provides services in Adair, Cherokee, McIntosh, Muskogee, Okfuskee, Okmulgee and Sequoyah Counties.

INCA helps raise funds for DARE

INCA Community Services  co-sponsored a Poker Run on May 6 to raise funds to support the DARE drug abuse prevention program, according to Lora Branch, parent involvement specialist, Madill. INCA joined local law enforcement officers, county officials, classic car owners, and businesses to conduct the event.

Here’s how it worked: For each vehicle there was a $10 entry fee to participate in the 60-mile drive over a specified route. At pre-designated stops along the route, drivers drew a card from a deck. When drivers completed the course, they had collected five cards. The one with the best poker hand got one-fourth of the entry fees; the one with the worst hand got a fourth of the fees; the balance went to DARE. Branch expected a large number of classic car and motorcycle owners to enter the Poker Run.

There was a competition in the high school art class to create a design to go on t-shirts that were sold for $10 at the event.

Young children participated in the “Kid’s Pick,” Branch said. Youngsters were given two tokens to vote for the best car and the best motorcycle on display at the event. The drivers of the classic car and motorcycle that got the most token “votes” were the winners.

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Countdown to Group Workcamp continues

The countdown continues for Northeast Oklahoma Community Action to July 10 when nearly 400 teenagers converge on Vinita from across the country to repair homes of low-income families. Called Route 66 Group Workcamp, the weeklong, home repair project involves volunteers from church youth groups who work in teams to repair, paint, and make more accessible homes for the disabled and poor.

The conference room at Northeast Oklahoma Community Action has been converted into a “war room” as Tim Cochran, Group Workcamp coordinator, makes a final check of the files for the nearly 70 homes to be repaired during the project. Each file contains photos of the house, a map of its location, a description of the needed repairs, and a list of materials.

The process began over a year ago when Northeast Community Action agreed to partner with the Craig County Department of Human Services to sponsor the workcamp. This will be the first workcamp held in Oklahoma. “It really takes two years to do it,” said Jean Cooper, executive director. “There is an incredible amount of work to do,” she added.

Since then the agencies have worked with the Colorado-based Group Workcamps Foundation to review applications for repair, recruit adult volunteers to work with the teenagers, and raise money.

“The students pay $335 to participate in the workcamp,” said Cooper. The foundation contributes $15,000 to help purchase building materials which the local co-sponsors must match.

Cooper has set as a goal to raise $25,000. The agency is planning to cook and sell hot dogs outside the Vinita Wal-Mart store over the Memorial Day weekend. Wal-Mart has agreed to supply all of the materials except the hot dogs and then match the money raised.

Although the teenagers bring many hand tools with them, Cooper is trying to round up some ladders, larger building tools, and wheel barrows that will be needed.

Cooper is also seeking volunteers from the community and other Community Action Agencies who have construction experience to serve as “troubleshooters” who can give advice to the students when they encounter a problem on the project. Other volunteers are needed to deliver materials to the sites.

There is a double benefit of the program to the community. In addition to repairing the homes, the workcamp will bring an infusion of money into the community through the purchase of building materials locally and money spent by the teenagers during their visit, Cooper explained.

The students will sleep on classroom floors at the high school, eat breakfast and dinner in the cafeteria, and participate in some large group meetings in the gym.

“The community is going to do a lot of local activities to offer cultural experiences to the kids,” Cooper said. The Delaware County Inter-Tribal Society will have a Native American presentation one evening with the local banks hosting a “chuckwagon feed” another night.

Group Workcamp participants will do interior and exterior painting, build wheelchair ramps, repair roofs, do weatherization, light carpentry, and repair or replace siding.

Northeast Community Action is also applying for a $270,000 grant to do advanced repair work where needed. This will include electrical, plumbing, and other repair work beyond the expertise of the teenagers.

Community Action and DHS are partnering with the Group Workcamp Foundation which is a nonprofit Christian service organization working in cooperation with Group Publishing, a private interdenominational Christian publishing company headquartered in Colorado.  

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CADC launches web page

Community Action Development Corporation is on the World Wide Web with a page at: www.cadcconnection.com/. From the home page, surfers can link to information about a variety of CADC programs including Head Start, Red River Transportation, weatherization, senior nutrition, SEEDS, and youth programs. The colorful, easy to navigate site provides a variety of information about the agency.

Madill Head Start center housed in old county jail

Gray bars cover the windows. Inside an L-shaped wall of bars cordon off a section of the room. But those are the only hints that what was once the Marshall County jail is now a Head Start center full of active, inquisitive four-year-olds.

The 40 children are scattered around the room at a series of learning centers. One child works at a computer while a blond headed boy puts together a puzzle while sitting on the floor. Still others are drawing pictures that will likely soon adorn the walls.

The county donated the building to Head Start about 12 years ago, said Lora Branch, parent involvement specialist, INCA Community Services, Madill. Located only a block from the main highway that runs through the community, it’s easy for parents to drop off their children while heading to work at one of the trailer manufacturers in the area. Parents are not concerned that the center is an old jail, Branch added. The center is open from 6:45 a.m. until 5:15 p.m. weekdays and has five staff members.

After inmates moved out of the building, they lent a hand renovating their old home for use by Head Start. Some weekends, when children are not present, inmates still work around the center spreading gravel on the outdoor play area, painting, and cleaning up.

There are a variety of activities for the children. In the dramatic play learning center, children practice language skills by acting out home experiences. In a miniature size phone booth, children learn how to dial 911 in an emergency. Lego blocks are used to teach children problem solving skills and shapes. Other children are cutting out pictures developing eye-hand skills.

There is also a parent’s table with booklets and flyers containing information for adults.

Center issues 'Better Strategies for Babies'

The National Center for Children in Poverty has published a 20-page Children and Welfare Reform issue brief entitled Better Strategies for Babies: Strengthening the Caregivers and Families of Infants and Toddlers.

The publication addresses the added stresses and complexities brought on by poverty that low-income families face in providing safe and stimulating environments for their babies and nurturing relationships with parents and other caregivers, according to J. Lawrence Aber, director.

Strategies fall into two categories, according to the report. The first addresses child care needs of families with babies whose parents are working or participating in work-related training. These infants and toddlers are cared for in a wide spectrum of settings, including care by family, friends, and neighbors. Promising strategies include supporting kith and kin caregivers through partnerships between child care, family support, and community-serving agencies.

A second set of strategies is based in family support and child development programs and includes but moves beyond addressing child care needs to additional work and family issues for these families.

The issues brief is available for $5 from the National Center for Children in Poverty, 154 Haven Ave., New York, NY 10032. A web order form is available at: www.nccp.org

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Web sites provide resources on children with special needs

There are a variety of resources available through the Internet for families of children with disabilities that Head Start teachers may wish to review.

The Circle of Inclusion web site www.circleofinclusion.org  is for early childhood service providers and families of young children with disabilities. This web site offers demonstrations and information about the effective practices of inclusive educational programs for children from birth through age eight, according to Family Connections, published by the Oklahoma Areawide Services Information System or Hughes at 918-253-2189.

The site also provides guidelines and manuals for inclusive models, useful forms and checklists, curriculum models, and links to many other helpful sites.

A wealth of information is available on the Oklahoma Parent eNetwork web site (http://clix.to/open). The website has links to various non-profit organizations and support groups. Information is also available on state and federal agencies, education and home schooling.

The State Department of Special Education also has a web site at http://sde.state.ok.us.

Delta renovates house; partners with Corrections Dept.

A Purcell man with a physical disability will be able to continue living independently in a home renovated by Delta Community Action Foundation.

Partnering with the Lexington Assessment and Reception Center which provided the “Warden’s Crew” of inmates to help with the renovation, the retrofit of the home for wheelchair accessibility cost about $17,350. Donations to the project through labor, materials and cash totaled another $20,000.

The 832 square foot house, originally built in 1946, was purchased from a mortgage company after the owner defaulted. The interior was gutted and the floor plan reconfigured to meet the needs of the client. The two-bedroom house with a small bath was rebuilt with one large bedroom and a bath.

The home has been equipped with a handicap shower stall and pedestal sink in the bathroom for wheelchair accessibility.  Cabinets were installed in the bathroom so that he could put things in and get them out from his chair.

According to Kathy Griffith, housing director, Delta, all of the interior doorways were either closed up or replaced with 36-inch openings with pocket doors to meet the client’s needs.  Insulation was put in the walls, ceiling and between the floor joists to increase energy efficiency.

Because the client’s mobility is severely limited, he stays cold. Therefore HUD approved radiant heaters were installed so the client could receive the benefits of direct, but safe heat. The house was wired so window air conditioners can be added later. New thermal pane windows, a new water heater, wiring and plumbing were installed to further increase energy savings and insure a safe, low maintenance home.

Delta hosted an open house at the new residence on March 28.

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Self-help housing program offers benefits

Work has just begun on the 24th house to be built in a 2-year period through Deep Fork Community Action’s Self Help Housing Program, according to Virgil Neal, program director. Income eligible potential homeowners agree to work on their homes in exchange for a reduction in the loan amount.

Called “sweat equity,” the low-income homeowners do painting, insulating, dirt work, clean-up, roofing, and similar types of work, Neal explained. In the case of elderly people, the children and grandchildren often do the work.

Neal said there are often three to five houses being constructed at the same time. All of the families will pitch in and work on all of the houses. “You help them do their painting, then they will help you do your painting. They are all working toward common goals,” he added.

Homeowners normally provide up to 65 percent of the labor on their houses, Neal said.

The agency keeps track of hours worked on the projects by volunteers who are not the homeowners. The agency is allowed to bank $10 per hour to serve as a required match for other programs.

Neal, who has worked in Community Action for five years, said the self-help program is about six years old and about 80 homes have been construction in Deep Fork’s service area under the program.

The homes constructed through this program generally range from 1,150 to 1,350 square feet, have three to four bedrooms, one to two baths, and cost $58,000 to $67,000, according to Neal. The total electric homes have brick exterior.

The program staff includes a construction supervisor who spends 80 percent of his time in the field overseeing the construction. “He works directly with the owners to assist them with the work they do on their homes,” Neal added. There is also a secretary-bookkeeper to handle all of the paperwork.

GSA property sale listings on Internet

State and local governments, eligible public institutions, and non-profit organizations may acquire surplus property that the federal government no longer needs. Information is available on the Internet. The address is http://propertydisposal.gsa.gov/property.

Properties differ widely in type and value and may include improved and unimproved land, office buildings, warehouses, commercial, former Post Offices, farms and single and multi-family residences.

The Office of Property Disposal, part of the Public Building Service of the U.S. General Services Administration, handles the conveyance. Laws allow property to be transferred to public agencies and institutions at discounts of up to 100% of fair market value for activities such as public health or educational uses, homeless assistance, self-help housing, public parks or recreational areas.

Surplus property also may be leased to local public agencies to assist the homeless, and sales to public agencies may be negotiated at fair market value without restriction on use.

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Utility briefs

Oklahoma Corporation Commission staff members briefed the three commissioners last month about concerns with the pending electric deregulation legislation.

Commenting on rates for small consumers, the commission staff noted that 26 other low cost states have instituted low cost protection measures for small consumers. The price of electricity must not increase due to restructuring, particularly for small consumers, the staff suggested.

Commission staff recommended consumer education begin immediately and continue through the first five years of restructuring. It should be funded at a level of $12-$14 million. There should be a clear and comprehensive customer bill of rights that is enforced by regulators.

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Central and South West Corporation and its Texas electric operating companies have submitted a filing to the Public Utility Commission of Texas to request approval of the proposed energy delivery charge portion of customer bills when retail competition begins in Texas on Jan. 1, 2002.

The filings are part of the transition to retail competition for electricity customers in Texas. The ultimate effect, according to an article in The Power Marketing Association Online will be a 6 percent reduction in the overall total bills for residential and small commercial customers when retail competition begins. These customers will also have the opportunity for additional savings by shopping for a new electric provider.

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Competition under deregulation will create a future dominated by a smaller number of power companies providing services to a larger number of global customers, according to PHB Hagler Bailly senior advisory Jean-Louis Poirier.

According to the Monday Briefing compiled by the Electric Consumers’ Alliance, Poirier predicted that the current 250 power companies worldwide would shrink to 35-40 dominant players. At the same time, he predicted an explosion in available customers from 100-million currently to 400-million in ten years.

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A coaliton of rural groups says farmers and rural interests must be directly involved in decisions impacting rural consumers, such as the siting of transmission lines.

In testimony submitted to the Senate Energy Committee, a spokesman for the Alliance of Rural America said when building new transmission lines to increase reliability eminent domain powers should not be used to unfairly confiscate farmland. Rural landowners need a seat at the table for discussions about mapping new transmission lines.

U.S. Senate to begin markup of electric restructuring bill

Marking up the electricity restructuring bill is expected to begin in mid-May by the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee.

CongressDaily reports eight restructuring bills have been introduced. Panel members will have to choose among provisions  in various bills.

If consensus cannot be found during meetings scheduled to begin May 17, Chairman Murkowski reportedly said he would consider moving a stand-alone bill to improve the reliability of the electricity transmission grid.

Even if the committee is able to approve the electric restructuring bill within the next few months, there may not be enough time remaining on the legislative calendar to move it to the Senate floor.

New law gives Corporation Commission authority to levy fines for rule violations

House Bill 2339 clarifies state law pertaining to the authority of the utility-regulating Corporation Commission to impose administrative fines.

The bill decrees that if the commission determines “any of its rules, orders or other requirements” have been violated, the agency is empowered to levy a fine of up to $500 “as the commission may deem proper.” In addition, “Each day’s continuance of such violation...shall be a separate offense,” the new law stipulates.

The commission also is authorized to assess a $10,000 fine against any individual, company or corporation that switches a customer’s electrical or natural gas service without the permission of that person or company. Current state law authorizes a fine of that magnitude only for “slamming” a customer’s local or long-distance telephone service.

The House accepted a minor Senate amendment, by a 94-2 vote, and transmitted the bill to the Governor. He signed it into law, effective Nov. 1.

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Social Entrepreneurship: Merging business with a mission

Social entrepreneurship is a concept used by non-profit organizations that simultaneously pursue both a financial and a social return on investment, says Jerr Boschee, executive director, The Institute for Social Entrepreneurs. In other words, activities are directed toward the mission but are structured to make money for the agency — creating a double bottom-line.

More than two dozen Oklahoma Community Action leaders attended a day-long seminar conducted by The Center for Nonprofit Management that focused on the basic principles of earning income to serve social needs.

According to Boschee, more non-profits are aggressively adopting entrepreneurial strategies because of fewer grants, more competition from other non-profits, greater needs and increased skepticism by the public.

An obvious example of social entrepreneurship is Girl Scouts selling cookies to help support their programs. Another example cited during the training was the Minnesota Diversified Industries which provides real jobs, competitive wages, career tracks and even ownership opportunities for people who are developmentally disabled. The focus changed from a sheltered workshop to a business with employees, not clients. Today it has annual revenues of more than $60 million and employs more than 1,000 people, 600 of who are disabled.

For a non-profit agency to enter the business arena, the agency must ask both mission and money questions.  Is there a community need for the product or service? What is the earned income potential from providing this product or service? The “do” programs are high on both the mission and money scale. The “don’t” programs are either no longer needed or they will cause severe financial damage to the result of the organization.        

INCA hosts Heartland Share food program

INCA Community Services hosts the Heartland Share program in Madill that provides food packages worth $25-$35 in exchange for $14 cash and two hours of volunteer labor.

The program was launched in November and currently has about 65 people participating, said Nelda Cobb, host site coordinator. Cobb said a cross section of the community residents participates in the program.

At the beginning of each month, Cobb accepts orders for food along with the $14 and discusses the volunteer service requirement. Volunteer service can include assisting at a host site or helping reach out to a member of the community or local church. On the last Saturday of each month, participants can pick up their package of food at the Senior Citizens Center. Cobb keeps track of the volunteer services performed by participants.

The items will vary, but always include 5-7 pounds of frozen meat, 3-4 kinds of fresh fruit, 4-5 different vegetables and staple items such as rice or pasta.

One elderly lady, Cobb reported, said she was so thankful. Now she is able to eat a more balanced diet and it has helped her healthwise.

Cobb said Heartland Share is a nationwide program. Food for Oklahoma comes from Topeka, Kansas.

This was financed in part by funds from the State of Oklahoma as administered by the Oklahoma Department of Commerce, U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and OKACAA.

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