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NACAA
Annual Conference Sept. 5-8 in San Antonio
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Upcoming
meetings
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Homeless
conference
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New
OKACAA officers
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June
Bailey retires
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Big
Five's new home
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Big
Five Head Start program
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Fannie
Mae Director speaks
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Low-Income
housing tour
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Homebuyer
education training
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Apex
award
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Utility News Briefs
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Supplies
source for CAAs
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Opportunities
RSVP program
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Muskogee
transitional housing
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“Community
Action: A Legacy to Build Upon” is the theme for the 2000 NACAA Annual
Conference that will feature Juan Williams speaking in the opening
general session.
Williams,
host of National Public Radio’s Talk of the Nation, spoke at
Oklahoma’s statewide Dialogue on Poverty earlier this year.
Other
keynote speakers include Lynn Curtis, president, Milton S. Eisenhower
Foundation, and Dr. Wil Blechman, director, Childes Center for Healthy
Mothers and Babies, who will discuss “The Face of Poverty in
America.”
Providing
“Public Perspectives on Fighting Poverty” will be Ted Mastroianni,
deputy assistant secretary, Employment and Training Administration, U.S.
Dept. of Labor; Donald Sykes, director, Office of Community Services,
U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS); and Pat Montoya,
commissioner, Children, Youth, and Families, DHHS.
Carroll
Huggins, executive director, KI BOIS Community Action, Stigler, is a
candidate for third vice president of NACAA. Elections will be held
during the conference.
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Big
Five Habilitation program helps people with developmental
disabilities
Whether
its learning to get dressed,
shopping or sometimes holding a job, basic living skills
are not always easy for people with developmental disabilities.
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Big Five Administrative Services Director Paul Cartledge oversees the Habilitation Training program for people with developmental disabilities. |
Big
Five Community Services offers Habilitation Training Specialists (HTS)
services in 32 counties that encourage development of independence
for people with disabilities, explained Paul Cartledge,
administrative services manager.
In
the past decade, the staff has grown from two to 215 serving about
180 clients.
Big
Five staff is part of a team that may include a case worker,
speech therapist,
psychologist, physical therapist, nurse, and educator who work
with a client to develop an Individual Plan (IP).
“This
is what Community Action is about -- serving people with needs,”
Cartledge said.
Clients
are referred to the program by the Developmentally Disabled
Services Division of the Oklahoma Department of Human Services.
Big
Five specialists may take individuals to the grocery store, teach
them how to make food choices and how to pay for their goods. If
the needs are more fundamental, staff members may teach basic
hygiene.
Level
of service, according to Cartledge, may range from five hours per
week to 24-hours-per-day assistance. “The IP controls
everything,” he added.
Big
Five’s program provides primarily in-home services by trained
staff.
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Upcoming
meetings
Sept.
5 - 8 - NACAA Conference
in San Antonio, Texas.
Sept.
12-13 - Main Street 101
& More Conference at the Renaissance Hotel and Myraid
Convention Center in Oklahoma City. Contact: Leisa Haynes at
405-815-5171.
Sept.
12-14 - Training on the
Final HUD Lead Regulations in Edmond. Contact Michael Jones at
405-524-4124.
Sept.
14-15 - Grandparents
Raising Grandchildren Conference in Oklahoma City. Contact: Judy
Leitner at 405-522-4510.
Sept.
27 - OKACAA Board of
Directors meeting at the Biltmore Hotel in Oklahoma City.
Contact: 405-524-4124.
Sept.
27 – Oklahoma
Weatherization and Housing Advisory Council meeting at
the Biltmore Hotel in Oklahoma City. Contact: 405-524-4124.
Sept.
27 – Oklahoma
Head Start Association meeting at the Biltmore Hotel in Oklahoma
City. Contact: 405-524-4124.
Sept.
27 - 29 - OKACAA Annual
Conference at the Biltmore Hotel in Oklahoma City. Contact:
405-524-4124.
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Homeless
Conference Oct. 12-13 at Metro Tech
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New OKACAA officers are (seated l-r) Bob Yandell, Little Dixie Community Action, president; Odell Gunter, Great Plains Improvement Foundation, first vice president; Georgia Forthum, Opportunities, Inc., second vice president; (standing l-r) Karen Nichols, Delta Community Action, secretary; Jeff Schuman, Deep Fork Community Action, treasurer; and Jim Sconzo, Community Action of Oklahoma City and Oklahoma/Canadian Counties, past president. |
“Navigating
the Future” is the theme for the 11th
annual Oklahoma Homeless Conference scheduled for Oct. 12-13 at MetroTech,
1900 Springlake Dr., Oklahoma City.
More
than 300 service professionals who assist homeless individuals are
expected to attend. National experts will share insights on improving
Oklahoma homeless initiatives.
At
a luncheon, individuals who have made outstanding contributions to ending
homelessness will be recognized.
For
more information, contact Vaughn Clark at 405-815-5370.
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Retiring Southwest Oklahoma Community
Action Group Executive Director June Bailey
is joined by her husband, Rex, for cake at the
OKACAA Board of Directors meeting last
month. |
June
Bailey retiring as Executive
Director of Southwest Oklahoma CAG
When
June Bailey, CCAP, retires this month after 18 years as executive
director, Oklahoma loses one of the heroes in the war on poverty.
She
first became involved with poverty issues in the early 1960s on a
volunteer basis. She later served as director of the Retired and Senior
Volunteer Program.
Bailey
was named the agency’s associate director in 1981 and served in that
capacity until September 1982 when the board of directors hired her as the
executive director.
At
that time, Southwest Oklahoma Community Action employed 45 persons and had
an overall budget of $750,000. Today, the agency has 140 employees and an
annual budget of $3.8 million.
Bailey
has spent an immense amount of time promoting Community Action at the
local, state and national level. She was among the first graduating class
in the Certified Community Action Professional program.
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Neil
Montgomery
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Bailey
served two terms as third vice president of the National Association of Community
Action Agencies, as president of Region VI Community Action Agencies, and
two terms as president of the Oklahoma Association of Community Action
Agencies.
Neil
Montgomery, associate director, becomes executive director on Sept. 15.
Montgomery
has been with the agency for 22 years. He began his career as a carpenter
supervisor and later became weatherization director, transit director and
in 1982 associate director.
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A
former Army Reserve center will soon become the new home for
Big Five Community Service in Durant. Executive Director Bill
Haddock checks out the kitchen that will soon feed Head Start
students. The former indoor firing range is being converted
into Head Start classrooms. Sandra Dillingham, area
supervisor, helps set up the newest Head Start center. The new
office will be located on First Street with plenty of paved
parking and just across the street from Southeastern Oklahoma
State University. Haddock expects renovations to be completed
and the 30 staff members moved by December.
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Big Five Head Start offers variety of programs
Big
Five Community Services is not afraid to partner. They have been
partnering with day care centers and public schools for over a
decade.
The
Head Start program partners with 18 public schools and four day
care centers and plans to continue expanding those efforts,
according to Head Start Director Jackie Watson.
Marietta-based
Head Start teacher Bethany Moreno recently earned the state
alternative certificate for pre-k which facilitates the
partnership concept by allowing her to teach in both Head Start
and the public school system.
A
new effort will be a Head Start class for three-year-old
children that will focus on serving children whose parents are
from Mexico and are working in a local cookie factory. Watson is
recruiting a bilingual teacher for that class.
In
Durant, Big Five operates a First Start program that serves
pregnant teens and their infants and toddlers.
The
teenage mothers are referred to the program. Head Start staff
will encourage the teens to keep their prenatal doctor
appointments and will even serve as the coach when they go into
labor, Watson explained. After the child is born, the mother
must be in school or
working to participate
in the program. There is a one teacher to four babies staffing
ratio to ensure the infants get the attention they need.
Watson
is also proud of the Literacy Program that encourages parents
and children to read. Children receive awards throughout the
year as they complete so many books.
Parents
are encouraged to read to their children to not only interact
with their child but to also show that they think reading is
important.
The
Head Start program served over 900 children last year.
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Homebuyer
education training coming in January
The
Fannie Mae Oklahoma Partnership Office will host a
weeklong new homebuyer education training course to be
presented by the American Homeowner Education and
Counseling Training Institute on Jan. 8-12 in Oklahoma
City.
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Big Five Head Start Director Jackie Watson (left) and teacher Bethany Moreno prepare for the beginning of the new school year. Moreno has earned the state alternative certificate for pre-k which allows her to teach that level of classes in public schools.
Jackie Watson, with 31 years of service to Head Start, was recognized recently. The Arkansas Street Child Development Center in Durant was named after the long-time Big Five employee.
Oklahoma
playgrounds earn a ‘B’ in safety survey
Oklahoma
playgrounds received a higher grade than the national average
for safety in a study by the National Program for Playground
Safety. Over 3,000 playground sites were surveyed nationally,
including 83 in Oklahoma. The U.S. playgrounds received an
overall grade of C while Oklahoma playgrounds earned a B.
The
survey focused on four areas (S-A-F-E): Supervision,
Age-appropriate design, Fall surfacing, and Equipment
maintenance. Oklahoma received a B for supervision, a B- for
age-appropriate design, a C+ for fall surfacing, and a B+ for
equipment maintenance. The program reported:
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Active adult supervision can help prevent playground
injuries.
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Children ages 2-5 and 5-12 are safer when equipment is
separated and groups for each age category because children
who play on equipment inappropriate for their abilities
increase their injury risk.
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Fall surfacing is important because 70 percent of
playground injuries involve falls.
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Continual inspections with regular maintenance are
essential to playground safety.
The
National Program for Playground Safety is based in the School
of Health, Physical Education, and Leisure Services at the
University of Northern Iowa in Cedar Falls.
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Back to Archives
Challenges issued at Housing and Energy Conference
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Rex
Smitherman, director, Oklahoma Partnership for Fannie Mae,
challenged Oklahoma Housing and Energy Conference attendees last
month to help more families experience the American dream of
owning a home.
The
good news is there was a 67.2 percent home ownership rate in the
U.S. in 1999. The bad news was that homeownership by minorities
lagged far behind whites, Smitherman said. Native American
homeownership rate was 56.1 percent, Blacks was 46.7 percent, and
Hispanics was 45.4 percent while the homeownership rate for whites
was 73.2 percent.
“We’ve
got a lot of work to do,” Smitherman declared. A challenge, he
declared, is to find ways to narrow the gaps by getting more
minority Americans into homes. The problem, he added, is that the
easy stuff has been done.
Principal
barriers are less than perfect credit, lack of a down payment,
affordability of housing, and the complexity of the homebuying
process.
He
challenged conference attendees to focus on educating potential
homebuyers. “We’ve got to educate them on the importance of
credit and credit repair.
He
also called for looking into new ways to assist homebuyers with
downpayment. One approach was to work with employers to provide
assistance to their employees who want to buy a home. Smitherman
noted employers should realize that a stable workforce living near
the job is good for them and their bottom line.
He
called for creating new partnerships. Look for partners with the
same vision, he said.
Finally,
Smitherman warned about political and regulatory threats. These
range from efforts to repeal the mortgage interest deduction to
legislation that would stifle the ability of lenders to tailor
programs to unique situations.
He
said Fannie Mae is committed to investing $2 trillion in ten years
to help 18 million families become homeowners.
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Housing
conference attendees tour
low-income housing near Capitol
Oklahoma
Housing and Energy Conference registrants toured a pair of new
houses under construction near the State Capitol that are destined
to become homes for low-income families.
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Apex
Award goes to
Vintage Housing
The
2000 Apex Award for Housing Excellence in Oklahoma has been awarded to
Hickory Crossing, an elderly housing project located in Sapulpa, the
Oklahoma Housing Finance Agency announced.
Vintage
Housing, Inc., a Community Housing Development Organization in
northeastern Oklahoma, and developer Ron Smith partnered to construct
the 40 apartments for low-income senior citizens. Vintage Housing and
Smith have jointly developed several other senior housing projects in
the Tulsa area.
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The
1,350 square foot homes are being built by Neighborhood Housing
Services, a Community Housing Development Organization, using
Department of Housing and Urban Development funds.
The
houses feature molded Styrofoam exterior walls with steel studs that
will make the home very energy efficient. Conventional construction
is being used for the rest of the homes. They will have a brick
veneer to match other homes in the area.
The
two new homes are the first new residential construction in the area
in at least two generations, according to an article in The
Daily Oklahoman.
Land
acquisition, construction, rehabilitation, marketing, homeowner
education and financing are all handled by the non-profit
Neighborhood Housing Services. It works with people who have low or
moderate income become homeowners.
The
homes are located on Northeast 20th Street near the Governor’s
Mansion and Capitol. The new state Historical Society is also slated
to be built in the area.
Neighborhood
Housing Services executive director Jeff Koleski expects property
values to rise in the neighborhood as more homebuyers are attracted
to the area.
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Back to Archives
Utility
News Briefs
Congressional
efforts to deregulate the $200 billion electricity marketplace have all
but run out of power, according to the August 2000 issue of Current
Connection published by
the Electric Consumers’ Alliance.
The
Senate abandoned work on a comprehensive electricity bill, and the
prospects for House action dimmed when the Commerce Committee put off a
vote for the second time.
In
another article, industry experts maintain that power outages will remain
a part of every summer as long as demand continues to grow faster than new
power plants and transmission lines can keep up. Meanwhile, almost half of
the states have moved toward adopting a more competitive electricity
market -- putting additional strain on the system, many industry experts
believe.
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An
estimated 200 to 300 jobs will be cut over two years in Tulsa as a result
of the merger of American Electric Power and South West Corporation,
according to an article published by the Oklahoma Municipal Power Authority in the
August 2000 issue of Outlet.
Dallas-based
Central and South West Corporation, Public Service Company of Oklahoma’s
parent, provides electricity to more than 207,000 homes and businesses in
Tulsa.
Efficiencies
gained through the merger will result in at least $2
billion in savings over 10 years through job cuts and increased purchases,
the company said.
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Business contributions possible source of materials
for CAAs
The
National Association for the Exchange of Industrial Resources (NAEIR) may
be a source of supplies for Community Action Agencies.
NAEIR
solicits donations of new products from manufacturers, wholesalers and
retailers that can then be obtained by nonprofit organizations and schools
who pay a membership fee to participate. NAEIR publishes five catalogs
annually filled with items such as office supplies, arts and craft
supplies, janitorial supplies, seasonal items and clothing from which
members request items.
Members
pay $575 in dues plus shipping and handling, but nothing for the
merchandise. According to information on the association’s web, members
who actively participate in the program receive an average of around
$2,500 worth of merchandise per catalog.
Merchandise
received through NAEIR must be used for the care of the ill, needy or
minors and cannot be bartered, traded or sold. The merchandise can be
given directly to the qualifying individual an organization serves or used
in the administration of the organization.
For
more information, check out the association website at: www.naeir.org
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How to Reach
OKACAA Staff |
Oklahoma Association of Community
Action Agencies
2915 Classen Blvd., Suite 215
Oklahoma City, OK 73106
Phone: 405-524-4124, Fax:
405-524-4923 |
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RSVP puts senior volunteers to work
Over 700 senior citizens in northwestern Oklahoma are putting their skills and life experiences to work helping their community through Opportunities, Inc.’s Retired and Senior Volunteer Program (RSVP). The program is open to individuals age 55 or older who do everything from reading to children to helping serve meals at senior centers.
During 1999, the seniors spent more than 196,000 hours helping others. The largest group of volunteers is 65 - 70 years old and the oldest is 102. Now a resident of the Watonga Nursing Home, this centurion makes quilts for infants.
The program’ goal for 2000 is to focus more on literacy. Opportunities is recruiting volunteers to work in elementary schools letting children read to them. Opportunities is currently working with Yukon and Weatherford schools attempting to create partnerships.
It is getting harder to recruit volunteers because more people remain employed longer. But, individuals can be employed and still participate in the program.
Opportunities, Inc. makes sure the volunteers are recognized. There are luncheons for volunteers at the senior centers and a large recognition event is held each April in Watonga. Volunteers get a card on their birthday. Those volunteers celebrating their 80th birthday get a special card from the President and First Lady — arranged with White House staff.
The program strives to match the needs of the communities with the skills of the volunteers.
The federal government provides without charge an accident insurance policy that will pay if a senior is injured while performing volunteer work.
The goal of the program is to help seniors stay active and involved. Many RSVP volunteers have lived in their communities for a long time. Because the community has given them so much, they see serving as a way to give something back.
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Muskogee County Community Action Foundation provided transitional housing for a woman with two children who were the victims of domestic violence. In appreciation, the woman who is a graphic artist made a pair of signs for the building that houses the foundation’s office.
Transitional
housing offered by Muskogee County Community Action
Low-income
families who need initial help with housing while seeking
employment may be able to stay in a transitional housing unit
owned by the Muskogee County Community Action Foundation. A family
can stay in one of the four units for up to a year, explained
David Archibald, executive director.
Archibald
characterized the units similar to a small
apartment with a bedroom, living area with kitchenette, and
bath. The foundation is currently renovating a house that will be
used for the transitional housing program and has options on two
more houses.
Social
workers will help the adults find jobs. Families with children get
priority, he added.
Archibald
hopes to enlist local churches to repaint and resupply the units
as families are able to move into more permanent housing. He
foresees a family moving out taking pots, plates, some furniture
and other items needed to set up a house.
Bus Rodeo is Oct. 19-20
KI BOIS Area Transit System will sponsor a statewide bus rodeo on Oct. 19-20 in Oklahoma City.
At the event, drivers will be judged on results of a written test, operating a wheel chair lift, and driving an obstacle course.
The winner gets an expense paid trip to the National Bus Rodeo sponsored by the Community Transportation Association of America, according to Sharla Sloan, transit manager.
In 1999, there were 56 drivers who participated in the event.
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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.
For copies of articles in an alternate format, call 405-524-4124.
Back to Archives
Copyright © 1997 OKACAA
All Rights Reserved
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