WHAT’S {HAP}PENING WINTER 2019
LOOKING AHEAD JANUARY Poverty Awareness Month JAN 20 Martin Luther King Day FEBRUARY Black History Month FEB 5 Chinese New Year
ISSUE SPOTLIGHT: FOOTBALL & FOOD INSECURITY INTERSECT
to the issue of food insecurity in Athens County. “I’m up here for all those kids in Athens and Athens
ATHENS
COUNTY
-
It’s
not
uncommon
for
County who go home to not a lot of food on the table,
athletes to use their public platform to advance
hungry after school,” he said.
a common cause. Yet Athens County received
Picking up on the urgency, Facebook users and
some special attention this weekend from Joe
fans of Burrow have raised over 300,000 dollars
Burrow, an Athens High School alumnus with a
for the Athens County Food Pantry, a member of the
bright future in the National Football League.
Southeast Ohio Foodbank and Kitchen. The Pantry
On December 14, Burrow won the Heisman Trophy,
packs boxes every week for those needing emergency
which is awarded each year to an outstanding football
food assistance through Athens County Job & Family
player in the National College Athletic Association
Services.
(NCAA). In his acceptance speech, Burrow called
As employees of HAPCAP, we see how (CONT’D)
Photo: Creative Commons the circumstances are every day coming into work. We see it in blighted neighborhoods and homes hidden in the hollers. We speak with the families who can’t break the cycle. We do everything we can to ensure they are fed, warm, and on a paved path to self-sufficiency. Burrow’s words are serving as armor in an uphill battle, especially in the face of severe cuts to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program. In April of 2020, 700,000 Americans will lose their SNAP benefits due to stiffened work requirements imposed by the Trump Administration. According to the Ohio Association of Foodbanks, this includes 40% of the 1.3 million Ohioans who currently count on food stamps to feed their families. The Trump Administration is making this move in an attempt to remove food stamps as a “way of life.” Yet the country’s way of life continues to be consistently low wages, leaving many families with a choice between food and other necessities such as medicine or utilities. The Administration is also claiming to restore the “dignity of work.” Yet there is nothing dignified about making it through a job interview on an empty stomach. There is nothing dignified about the effect these cuts will have on the health of our neighbors. There is nothing dignified about hoarding resources while others go without. As Joe Burrow continues to advance his athletic career, there is a likely possibility he will continue to champion the cause of food insecurity. Southeast Ohio knows too well the systemic issues that lie within our region’s source of hunger. In looking ahead to where the intersection of football & food security could lead us, it’s important that we make the concentrated effort to intersect attention and action. Our representatives in Columbus and Washington D.C. were elected to do just that – represent the best interests of our region. When our leaders take bread off of already sparse tables, we need to fight back, especially when amber waves of grain are abundantly growing. WHAT’S HAPPENING | PAGE 2
HOUSING & COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT Weatherization staff recently attended the Weatherize Ohio conference in Worthington, Ohio. Staff discussed plenty of interesting topics including implementing prevailing wages for weatherization workers. HAPCAP will fully exhaust funds for our audit program funded through AEP. This audit program (known as AEPCAP) is eligible to households that may be on PIPP or receiving Weatherization and Home Energy Assistance Program services. Services involved in this audit include energy assessments, LED lights, refrigerator and/ or freezer replacements, insulation, and other energy saving improvements. We are seeking additional funds through COAD for the rest of the year. We are currently administering two Community Housing Improvement Programs in our service region representing six jurisdictions: Athens City, Nelsonville, Athens County, Logan, Hocking County, and Perry County. These programs have reached their 50% completion rate through the two-year grant period. We’ve partnered with Buckeye Hills to launch a contractor marketing effort to attract new contractors to our programs. Finding qualified, skilled construction trade workers remains one of the largest barriers to successfully navigating the challenging arena of working with contractors to perform work on houses. Glen recently attended an Ohio University-sponsored discussion at Baker Center pertaining to the Bailey’s Trails System. This project is currently underway near the Village of Chauncey. The University is interested in facilitating a discussion within the County about affordable housing and gentrification in Chauncey. HAPCAP stands alongside Chauncey and Athens County in embracing the transition that will result from this major development in the Wayne National Forest. - Glen Crippen
Nate and Sean attending the 2019 Boxing for Books Tournament at Trimble Elementary. WHAT’S HAPPENING | PAGE 3
CHILD DEVELOPMENT We would like to welcome the following new employees to our Agency:
Dean Efaw, Anna
Dellinger, Mandy Grambo and Alexis Mohler. Every year we collaborate with an organization called Wagons Ho Ho Ho.
Volunteers gather
together to build wagons and distribute them to programs working with young children who may not have a present under the Christmas Tree. Our Head Start program received 145 wagons and meals to give to our Families this year. We are very thankful for this organization for the work they do and the volunteers who spend a day putting together 1500 wagons and meals for the families in Ohio. Happy Holidays! -Debbie Lowery
Fun for the whole family at Logan Head Start’s Grandparents Day!
WHAT’S HAPPENING | PAGE 4
COMMUNITY SERVICES
Indivisible Appalachian Ohio’s Winter Clothing Giveaway in the HAPCAP Community Room.
Community Service Mangers: The Bed bug program was a big success - all funds were utilized! The Water bill assistance program ends December 31st. We partnered with Indivisible Appalachian Ohio on a coat drive here at HAPCAP in Athens County, where HAPCAP gave away children’s books and food. We also partnered with Project SAFE on a coat drive in Hocking County where HAPCAP distributed books and HAPCAP resources. We are slowly making updates/improvements to the front lobby and waiting room at the main office and waiting rooms in Hocking and Perry County to include healthier vending machine options. We also distributed over 100 gunlocks to community members in all three counties. Remember that we joined the Goodwill community closet voucher program - tell the clerk at the Athens and Logan Goodwill stores to give you a receipt for your donations! We are also working on Partnering with all 3 county health depts to provide Narcan training to HAPCAP staff. Athens Flood: The Athens Flood Program now has nine participants in our program. We are hoping to hire the final three in the next few weeks. Larry Collins, Joe Mesaros, and Rebecca Savage joined us at the beginning of November. Joshua Weeks joined us on October 21, 2019. Joshua had worked in the Perry County program until last spring. The Flood participants recently underwent a Water Safety Training program. It was provided by George T. Roback, a rescue technician for the city of Columbus and a resident of Glouster. George’s program was very helpful and informative, and we hope to make it a permanent part of our training program. Athens CCMEP: Currently, we have 4 participants on board. Over this quarter, we’ve had two participants received unsubsidized employment. 2 participants received HVAC certifications, and we participated in a community service opportunity with the food bank at their mobile distribution at the central office. All participants are now QPR (suicide prevention) certified, and they received self-defense training through a partnership with the Athens County Sheriff’s Department. (CONT’D)
WHAT’S HAPPENING | PAGE 5
Looking forward, we have two more training opportunities for participants: Project DAWN training through the Athens County Health Department and a Credit Building Workshop through Ohio University Credit Union. Learn and Work: We Employed 4 out of 8 attending participants, had 3 participants become QPR (suicide prevention) certified, and joined in the community service opportunity with the food bank at their mobile distribution at the central office. HEAP: The Winter Crisis Program (WCP) started November 1st, and as of December 12th there has been approximately 1225 WCP households assisted. The WCP program will run through March 31, 2020. Also, we will continue to process Regular HEAP (State HEAP) and PIPP Plus applications. Hocking Flood: Hocking Flood now has 4 participants in our program. Three participants have been part of the program for over a month and one was just hired this week. The three have received chain saw training and water safety training. They are also OSHA and First Aid/CPR certified. They have been hard at work cleaning up Moccasin Creek Road in Perry Township and Kerns Road in Star Township. They also had a successful monitoring in the month of November. Hocking CCMEP: Our CCMEP and WIOA Youth programs currently have 38 participants enrolled. Of the 38, 19 are employed. We have 5 participants in high school, 3 working towards their GED, 2 currently attending post-secondary classes and 3 enrolled to start post-secondary classes/training in January. We also have four participants placed in subsidized employment opportunities. One is working in the kitchen at the RFC and three are working in different departments at Logan Care and Rehab: laundry/housekeeping, activities, and office aid. Perry CCMEP: We currently have 154 Active Participants and 35 participants in Follow Up. 16 Participants have gained employment since October 1, 2019. One participant will be graduating from his Heavy Equipment Operator Training this month. Another participant graduated from her dental assistance program on December 15. CCMEP has assisted 3 participants in obtaining their Temporary Permits, and another 4 participants are currently receiving Adult Driver’s Training in preparation for taking their license exam. 5 participants received Housing Assistance (security deposits, rent, utility payments, etc.), and 12 highschool participants received Incentives for good grades and absenteeism. Perry CCMEP is currently giving out children’s books to participants for their children during this Christmas Season. We are also going to have a small number of donated toys for participants in need of additional Christmas presents for their children. - Lyddia Dippre, Barbie Dennis, Kay Johnson, Robin Hampton, Amanda Sawvel, Brandee Glenn, Jace Jackson, Kathleen Vandervaart
WHAT’S HAPPENING | PAGE 6
FOOD & NUTRITION
All funds raised through Bounty on the Bricks, Fare on the Square, and Hunger Solutions have been allocated out to eligible Southeast Ohio Foodbank member pantries. In total, these events have secured $113,034.12 for food purchases by network members. This incredible number is only made possible through the hard work and generosity of the donors who make these events happen. We cannot thank them enough for this incredible support. Issue 21, the Senior Services and Facilities levy, passed in Athens County on November 5th. This levy will sustain Meals on Wheels in Athens County for the next five years. We would like to thank the numerous community groups and volunteers who helped raise awareness about this critical issue. Holiday season is upon us and we have supplied Ohio EPA and some other interested parties with collection barrels for food drives and are supplying a winter coat drive put on by Indivisible Appalachia with fresh produce and shelf stable food to give away to the needy who are receiving coats. We are currently in full holiday mode! Our Secret Santa Trees and donation stations have been placed around the community. We already have gifts coming in for our homebound clients, and we are looking forward to getting much needed items to our seniors just in time for the holidays. We have been getting blizzard meals ready for the winter months. Each client receives 1-3 meals that are shelf stable. In the event that we can’t deliver due to weather, the clients have a meal that is easy to open and ready to eat. We are getting ready to revamp our Meals on Wheels menu. Each month we are going to include three new meals. We are going to send out monthly surveys to clients to get feedback on what they loved and what they did not. In addition to this, we are still offering choice meals for clients who may want to substitute what is on the menu for a chef salad of loaded baked potato. We are looking forward to the new changes. - Andrew Mayle
WHAT’S HAPPENING | PAGE 7
TRANSPORTATION UPDATES It is an exciting time in transportation! The Ohio Department of Transportation (ODOT) announced that funding will more than double for Athens On Demand Transit (AODT), Athens Public Transit (APT), and Logan Public Transit (LPT) in 2020. This increase in funding is due in large part to Ohio House Bill 62, which appropriated $70 million in public transportation. Athens Public Transit - Line 7, which launched on August 1st, is off to a great start. The new route runs between Nelsonville, Athens, and Albany on an hourly schedule. In its first three months of operations (Aug 1 – Oct 31), the route provided 3,728 trips between the three communities. These are great numbers! We anticipate they will grow as people learn about the service and become more comfortable with riding the bus. Athens On Demand Transit Merging with Athens Public Transit. ODOT awarded HAPCAP Transportation funding to merge AODT and APT in 2020. Currently AODT primarily serves persons with disabilities and elderly. In 2020, AODT will expand it to serve the general public. This will greatly improve access to transportation to residence in the more rural areas of the county. HAPCAP Transportation has been working towards this goal for a long time, and we are very excited for this opportunity! More to come! Logan Public Transit Expands it Reach. ODOT awarded HAPCAP Transportation funding to expanding LPT to all of Hocking County. Currently, LPT only served the city of Logan and the villages of Haydenville, Rockbridge, Carbon Hill and Union Furnace. This will greatly improve access to transportation to throughout Hocking County. This is another project HAPCAP Transportation has been working towards for a long time. We are delighted to be able to serve the whole county! Our Fleet will Grow in 2020. HAPCAP Transportation was awarded funding through ODOT for five accessible mini vans and two buses. These new vehicles we help us expand our services and increase our capacity. -Carolyn Conley
WHAT’S HAPPENING | PAGE 8
EMPLOYEE FEATURE: ANGEL SCHRADER “Well if that’s not a good sign!” Back during 2018’s Winter Crisis program, a senior citizen from Hocking County expressed his relief in meeting Angel Schrader. Everyone at the agency and every household she’s helped would surely agree that she is, in fact, an angel. Angel is the Community Services Worker in the Logan HEAP office. The winter months are a busy time at HAPCAP, with Winter Crisis in full swing and families coming in from across our service area. It is incredibly difficult for many of these families to ask for help, but Angel creates a space where people can feel comfortable and assured. “Everybody comes from a different background,” she says. “You have to have an open mind and an open heart. It’s important to listen to what they need. You never know what they’re dealing with.” Angel is prepared for everything, from what seems like a never-ending source of patience to a box of kleenex on her desk in case people need to cry. She also has suckers for the kids who need to come in with their families. A typical day for the Logan HEAP staff can be seeing up to 25 people, including walk-ins. In just 6 weeks, the Winter Crisis Program has served over 1,000 households. Thanks to the addition of two community resource navigators, families can now be easily connected to the Water Bill Assistance Program, the Commodity Supplemental Food Program, Head Start & Early Head Start, and more. When she has time, Angel especially enjoys chatting with the senior citizens who come in for appointments. Through talking about their families, Christmas, or whatever is on their mind, she makes sure to treat everyone like a neighbor, not a number. “I love this job because it’s a job where someone says, ‘Thank you so much. You don’t know what it means to have your help.’ I love my job, I love what I do, and I love helping people.” WHAT’S HAPPENING | PAGE 9
Glouster’s Very Own Sam Jones with Kevin Davis and Chris Chmiel. The two community leaders duked it out for the 2019 Boxing for Books tournament. The event provided a platform to call attention to the work of the Athens County Land Bank.
“I started Hocking College and have no car so this route has helped change my life. Thank you.”
Majed Zailaee, Athens Head Start Parent and President of Ohio University’s International Student Union, gives a presentation on his home country of Saudia Arabia at Athens Head Start’s 2019 Bilingual Night.
GET INVOLVED - Line 7 Rider and Hocking
For more information on giving or volunteering opportunities, visit our
College Student
Web site at www.hapcap.org. We also encourage you to follow us on our social media accounts:
Hocking Athens Perry Community Action @HAPCAP @hapcap.seo HOCKING ATHENS PERRY COMMUNITY ACTION | 3 Cardaras Drive | Glouster OH 45732 | (740) 767-4500