LCCAA Annual Report to the Community 2021

2021 Annual Report to the Community

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Table of Contents

Stepping In When Life is Disrupted....3 The Intent of Local Design.................... 4 Leveraging Local Partnerships..............5 Sheltering at Home ..................................6 Saving Homes.............................................7 Water Assistance......................................8 Redesigning Programs............................ 9 Help When It Is Most Needed............10 Reliable & Efficient Appliances...........11 Addressing Hunger................................12 Economic Opportunity..........................14 Giving All Children a Head Start........16 Staff Dedication & Growth................ 20 Leading with Heart............................... 22 Wine Tasting Returns.......................... 23 Solving Transportation........................ 24 From Client to Employee..................... 25 Revenues & Expenditures................... 26 Looking Forward................................... 27

Stepping in When Life is Disrupted Sharp contrasts have marked the year 2021. Lorain County’s most vulnerable citizens, those already struggling before the COVID-19 pandemic struck, continued to be hard hit with job losses, food scarcity and rising expenses. Almost all found themselves facing uncertainties like never before. Yet while the pandemic starkly exposed gaps in our social safety net, it also uncovered our ability to respond with new programs and practices previously unimagined.

Our commitment to serving those in need meant adhering to public health protocols to keep the Agency open and helping others. Things frequently did not look the same. We had to navigate the changes and help our customers navigate them, too. Through it all, though, LCCAA’s staff remained on the front lines delivering essential services.

This 2021 Annual Report to the Community highlights the many ways we lived up to our role as a provider of the programs and services needed the most. The report also reflects the generosity, ingenuity and deep compassion of Lorain County organizations and residents as we partnered and collaborated to meet the challenges brought on by the pandemic as a community.

We celebrate our many achievements even as we lament the circumstances that forced the need for us to successfully respond. To our customers, we express our gratitude for choosing LCCAA as a provider and partner.

You are the reason our decades-long commitment to serving and empowering Lorain County residents in need does not waiver. We know that adversity is less overwhelming when we face it together. We strive to be better so that your life is all that is meant to be.

Yours in Service,

Jackie Boehnlein President & CEO

Gerald Pippens Board Chair

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Living Up to the Intent of Local Design

Community Action came out of a vision of locally designed anti-poverty agencies uniquely positioned in every county in America to know and serve residents in need. That vision exists today in 98% of our nation’s counties. LCCAA is one of America’s nearly 1,100 Community Action Agencies. When relief dollars needed to come to Lorain County to address the pandemic, we were here in place and ready to serve. In 2021, we answered the call for action.

Allowing Families to Shelter at Home Safely Assistance to renters and

mortgage holders Utility assistance including water Creating food security

Creating Economic Opportunity for All Providing work experience Financial literacy instruction Transportation solutions

Giving All Children a Head Start Virtual and in person instruction Serving the entire county Looking to the future

Leveraging Local Partnerships

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LCCAA is proud of its many local relationships. These connections span all sectors of the community from private businesses, to schools, to churchs and elected officials. These relationships help us find the best and most critical services for each of our clients.

Amherst Exempted Village School District Avon Lake City School District Avon Local School District Avon/Avon Lake Community Resources Services Beyond the Walls Church Black River Local School District Boys & Girls Club of Lorain County Christ Evangelical Lutheran Church Clearview Local School District Columbia Gas Columbia Local School District El Centro des Servicios Sociales Elyria Bicycle Center Elyria City School District Elyria Hospitality Center Elyria Public Library System Faith Ministries Christian Center Firelands Local School District First Congregational Church - Elyria First Energy First Lutheran Church First United Methodist Church Gathering Hope House Go Lorain Greater St. Matthew AME Church Hope for Futures Horizon Education Centers Invest Elyria Keystone Local School District Kindermusik LaGrange Lions Club Little Lighthouse Learning Centers Lorain Christian Temple Lorain City School District Lorain County Commissioners

Lorain County Job and Family Services Lorain County Office on Aging Lorain County Urban League Lorain Lighthouse United Methodist Church Lorain Metropolitan Housing Authority Lorain Public Library System Mapleton Local School District Midview Local School District Neighborhood Alliance New London Local School District North Ridgeville Community Care North Ridgeville Local School District Oberlin City School District Oberlin Community Services Ohio Edison Ohio Guidestone Ohio Means Jobs Lorain County Ohio Partners for Affordable Energy Our F.A.M.I.L.Y. Our Lady Queen of Peace Pathways Enrichment Center Salvation Army - Elyria Salvation Army- Lorain Second Harvest Foodbank Sheffield-Sheffield Lake City School District St. Jude Helping Hand St. Mary Church The Church of Saint Agnes United Properties Vanyo Martial Arts Vermillion Local Schools Viva Spanish We Care We Share Ministries Well Help Wellington Exempted Village School District

‘I appreciate LCCAA’s commitment to the community and value their partnership.’ - Jon Veard, United Properties

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Sheltering at Home Requires a Home Hourly workers often struggle to make ends meet. A missed shift can easily lead to missed rent.

COVID hit hourly workers like a tidal wave of trouble. Already living paycheck to paycheck, they were suddenly in danger of losing their homes while trying to avoid a deadly illness. The pandemic revealed a staggering number of households paying far more than 30% of their income on housing.

Meanwhile, eviction moratoriums bought renters more time. As businesses and schools reopened and household members returned to work, the hits kept coming. Rising prices on a number of critical items meant even those working were not making ends meet.

Even homeownership did not protect Lorain County residents from the fear of losing their homes as their earnings shrank. Across the country, lenders granted forbearances and allowed deferred payments on a variety of debts, including mortgages. Residents who had been granted a forbearance were eligible for LCCAA’s mortgage assistance.

Community Action Agencies in Ohio began receiving funds to help people pay back rent in October 2020. Renters were and still are eligible for help if they are behind on their rent due to COVID-19 and live at or below 80% of the Area Median Income. All mortgage funds have been expended. Rental assistance funds will remain available at least through 2022.

593 Renters Helped 108 Owners Helped $1.7 Million Paid

The average rental assistance amount was $2,541 with an average processing time of 16 days.

The average mortgage assistance amount was $4,009 with an average processing time of 17 days.

Another $16.7 million has been allocated to LCCAA for 2022.

‘We look forward to continuing to work with the phenomenal staff at the Community Action Agency to help the most vulnerable members of our community.’ - Jeannie Motylewski, Lorain County Bar Association

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Saving Homes & Offering Stability In 2021, LCCAA parntered with Job and Family Services and Allita 360 to provide rent and mortgage assistance and create a shared online application system. A partnership was also formed with the Lorain County Bar Association to assist tenants facing eviction.

The rental assistance and mortgage assistance programs, new to LCCAA, also meant creating new jobs. The number of jobs fluctuated, averaging seven application processors and two fiscal positions. In 2022, LCCAA will add partnerships with Lorain County Urban League and El Centro des Servicios Sociales to better serve vulnerable communities. Additional jobs will be created at those partners.

With the moratorium lifted, the focus in 2022 will be to connect differently with eviction courts so that tenants’ belongings remain in their homes and not set on the curbs outside.

Using the latest round of funding, LCCAA will create an updated application that records eviction case numbers. Any application with a pending eviction will be given priority processing and a dedicated contact for magistrates. We will keep as many families in their homes as possible in the year ahead.

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Water Assistance for the First Time Wash your hands. Wash your hands. Everyone agreed that frequent hand-washing was - and is critical to preventing the spread of COVID-19. But what if you couldn’t pay your water bill? There were few places to go for help and very little funding available.

While many water companies nationwide offered moratoriums on shut offs, lawmakers recognized the need for relief and provided it.

Once again, Community Action Agencies including LCCAA - took on the task.

348 Households Helped $188,000 Benefits Paid $1 million for 2022

Ohio’s Home Relief Grant included help with past due water bills and reconnections for income-eligible households.

This was separate from rent and mortgage assistance; however, many rent and mortgage customers also received help with water bills.

Federal LIHWAP Launched in November 2021 LIH-WAP, the Low-Income Household Water Assistance Program will provide help to income eligible Lorain County residents. Households must be living at or below 175% of the Federal Poverty Level.

Administered by the Ohio Department of Development, LIHWAP requires a separate application with payments directly to the water provider.

Appointments will be required for this emergency assistance and will be conducted over the phone.

Redesigning Programs Around Customers 9 HEAP & PIPP Services Reimagined As everyone was urged to stay home at the height of the pandemic, LCCAA continued to operate. With funders permitting more flexibility, we provided essential utility assistance services over the phone and online.

LCCAA - and our customers - had been grappling with changes to the way the state processes applications for the Home Energy Assistance Program (HEAP) and the Percentage of Income Payment Plan (PIPP). We knew that a complete redesign of our Utility Help Department was needed.

Partnering with Salesforce and radianHub, we created a cloud-based solution that brought our appointment scheduling system in house. We created scripts for advocates to make phone appointments and application processing highly efficient. We also put productivity measures into place to monitor application processing times. The changes were integrated into our phone system for improved call handling and logging of customer requests. No aspect of service delivery went untouched.

We then created a new guide to services to communicate all the changes to customers. We mailed hundreds of copies of these booklets to HEAP and PIPP customers throughout Lorain County in April and again in October. We also provided the guide in Spanish.

LCCAA continues to offer appointments for emergency servcies and processes all applications for HEAP and PIPP for Lorain County residents. Now, however, we have integrated systems for improved service and response times.

LCCAA’s services fully integrate with Ohio’s online portal for utility assistance found at energyhelp.ohio.gov.

Partnering to Maintain Services LCCAA partnered with the Ohio Housing Finance Agency to help customers who dropped off the PIPP Program due to COVID-19.

PIPP requires participants to pay in full each month. The COVID crisis has made that especially difficult for some low-income households. Customers who are unable to make their payments are removed from the program.

This funding will allow us to help customers get back on track with PIPP and allow them to once again reap the program’s benefits.

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Help When It Is Most Needed A pandemic is no time to be uncomfortable or unsafe in your home. The winter and summer crisis programs are designed for people facing genuine emergencies: a lack of heat or electricity in their homes or the threat of disconnection.

Customers can also use the Winter Reconnect Order to reestablish service using crisis benefits to pay the reconnect fees.

The majority of those who benefit from these crisis services are vulnerable populations: the elderly and children. Maintaining these critical services was a key part of LCCAA’s work in 2020 and in 2021.

Service for Seniors LCCAA knew that moving most services online wouldn’t work for some of our customers. We partnered with the Lorain County Office on Aging to provide safe face-to-face walk in services for both summer and winter crisis.

Seniors (60 or older) who aren’t comfortable making an appointment online can walk in to the Elyria office on Gateway Boulevard and meet with an LCCAA advocate.

1,045 Winter Crisis Customers 578 Summer Crisis Customers 2,045 HEAP & PIPP Applications

‘These are the clients that can’t easily access assistance, made even more challenging by the pandemic.’ - Lauren Ksiazek, Office on Aging

Customers who receive a disconnect notice are encouraged to make an appointment right away.

Utility companies will not disconnect service if the customer has an appointment scheduled and has provided an account number.

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Reliable & Efficient Appliances A 20-year-old refrigerator uses 1,700kWh of electricity annually.

A similarly sized, new energy-efficient model uses only 450kWh. Food budgets quickly tightened during the pandemic and spoiled food due to broken appliances added insult to injury.

LCCAA partnered with Lorain Metropolitan Housing Authority and Lowe’s to replace refrigerators in 204 units at Lakeview Plaza.

Although the program was hit with supply chain issues, the new appliances offered peace of mind for storing groceries and significant savings on energy bills.

Private customers also receive energy efficient light bulbs for every fixture in their homes and additional tips on conservation.

In addition to the units at Lakeview, another 30 private customers were helped by the Community Connections program. The program is a long standing partnership between LCCAA and Ohio Edison under the administration of Ohio Partners for Affordable Energy.

234 Appliances Replaced

582 Light Bulbs Distributed

OPAE Founding Director Greatly Missed Dave Rinebolt, founding executive director of Ohio Partners for Affordable Energy, died unexpectedly July 1. He was 64.

Dave joined OPAE as its initial director in 1998, realizing that energy assistance programs and funding required its own advocacy. Recently, under Dave’s leadership, OPAE successfully convinced the legislature to roll over unspent energy assistance dollars from 2020 into 2021, an important win that meant programs in every Ohio county helped more people.

For his entire career, including during the pandemic, he fought to make sure low-income Ohioans were not forgotten and that policy and programs made sense at the household level.

“Even among a group of special people, Dave stood out,” said LCCAA President and CEO Jackie Boehnlein. “It was his kindness and humor, I think. He helped so many people, including many here in Lorain County.”

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Addressing the Complexity of Hunger

Food Pantry Partners Span County Since 2013, LCCAA has partnered with food pantries across Lorain County to help keep them stocked during their busiest months. These partners are deeply embedded in low-income neighborhoods.

Even COVID relief boosts to food stamps have not solved all the hunger we see in Lorain County this year. The grants to local pantries help approximately 31,000 people living at or below 125% of the Federal Poverty Level every year. Many are vulnerable senior citizens.

Some of the partners use the grant funds in specific programming such as meals or holiday packages. Others use the funds to stock their regular pantries. For November and December 2021, there are 32 partners.

Beginning in 2022, LCCAA will use these partnerships to also fulfill our popular Operation Warm program.

This program provides free coats to children up to age 18. Rather than offering the service directly, LCCAA will distribute coats through the food pantry parnters to ensure they get to those who need them the most.

South Elyria Community Garden Takes Root COVID relief funding helped establish a Community Garden in South Elyria. LCCAA has partnered with Our F.A.M.I.L.Y., the Elyria Public Library and Hope for Futures to create the garden. Fresh, free produce ranging from collard greens to zucchini is available to anyone in the neighborhood.

78,000 Head Start Meals Served in Class and Sent Home 12 Crops Planted in Garden

1,900 Care Bags Distributed

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Head Start and Early Head Start Feed Families in New Ways At the height of the pandemic, LCCAA recognized that many of the families we serve might lack the resources to keep food on the table. With schools shut down, many worked to maintain health by providing meals to families.

Under our USDA grant to feed our children, our food service staff mobilized and distributed bags of food supplies to all families while our centers were closed. When we reopened to limited capacity, additional food was sent home with students who were in our centers part time.

Additionally, the food service staff maintained our “Try Day” traditions. New foods were introduced either in the classroom or by distributing preportioned samples. Recipes were sent home for parents to try.

New Vehicles in 2021 and a New Central Kitchen in 2022 LCCAA Head Start’s central kitchen provides 78,000 meals annually. After 12 years of a warm relationship with the Lorain County Metropolitan Housing Authority community at Kennedy Plaza, we are relocating the kitchen to 203 W. 8th St. also in downtown Lorain.

The new state-of-the-art kitchen will meet the program’s needs for at least the next ten years with dedicated parking, office space for staff and room to expand Head Start’s Nutrition Service. Many of those meals will be transported to our centers in new vans that reflect the spirit of the program.

LCCAA Head Start is Wild About Health and Nutrition and the vehicles that deliver meals to our sites now reflect that enthusiasm.

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Economic Opportunity for All Youth Program Mentors and Teaches Work Readiness Everyone needs a chance to grow and succeed. LCCAA starts young with our Youth Services program. We also offer financial literacy tips for youth and in our Getting Ahead and BYCar programs. These steps create a foundation that leads to greater economic opportunity.

Youth Services provides work experience and much more for Lorain County men and women ages 16 to 24. At the height of the pandemic, we partnered with Lorain County Commissioners to provide workers to Second Harvest Foodbank. The youths packed more than 28,000 pounds of food every month alongside Ohio National Guard members.

Meanwhile, they received mentoring, learned job skills and grew their networks. As the community reopened, youths returned to staff the LCCAA Bike Shop which has become a critical transportation hub for Lorain residents who use bicycles as their primary transportation to work and appointments.

16 Cars Purchased for Clients

All BYCar Clients take a financial literacy class.

34 Hours Youth Mentoring

Finances, budgeting and related topics are also covered in our youth program and in Getting Ahead.

$8,800 Revenue in Bike Shop

Getting to a Good Place in Life Means Being Able to Get Places LCCAA’s Bike Shop & Youth Services Program serve as partners in a number of mobility programs throughout Lorain County, including Go Lorain. Transportation has been identified as one of the most critical issues facing low-income families.

BYCar matches earned income (3 to 1) to help participants purchase reliable used cars. Tips on budgeting, saving and maintenance are included so success continues.

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Focus on Personal Strengths Getting Ahead is an empowering program in which participants lean into their existing strengths, learn skills to become financially secure and work toward personal goals. The program helps individuals living in poverty build their resources for a more prosperous life for themselves, their families and their communities.

Getting Ahead groups meet regularly for eight weeks and discuss a wide variety of items from Ruby Payne and Phil DeVol’s book “Getting Ahead in a Just Getting By World.” Books and materials are free to participants. Discussions include finances, planning for changes, time management, how to negotiate and much more.

The program is designed to be individualized and confidence building, while examining the many factors that hold people back, not just money.

In 2022, LCCAA will embed Getting Ahead in our Youth Services program. The young men and women will learn how to form productive habits that lead to self-sufficiency. The tools for solid decision making learned in Getting Ahead are a natural fit for the Youth Services program.

‘Every one of LCCAA’s programs makes a meaningful difference for struggling youth, parents and residents.’

- Rev. Calvin Currie, LCCAA Board Member

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Giving All Children a Head Start LCCAA Head Start worked tirelessy during the 2020-2021 school year to maintain relationships with families struggling through the pandemic. We created systems to offer virtual learning, provided technical assistance and added safety protocols so we could safely reopen.

As our community continues to recover from COVID-19, we are working to bring our centers back to full enrollment while maintaining critical safety protocols. We are also complying with the Federal Office of Head Start’s mandate to fully vaccinate our staff by January 1, 2022.

LCCAA Expanding Our Presence on Broadway Avenue Coming in March 2022, our Head Start management team will move out of 936 Broadway Ave. in Lorain to the Central Plaza building at 1971 Broadway Ave. This change will allow for better collaboration among our Head Start team and provide three new classrooms to serve Lorain children. The new classrooms will assist working parents with vouchers who require more traditional daycare hours. The site will feature an indoor play space in the former bank branch and outdoor play spaces at the front and back of the building.

Our Energy Services department will also relocate to the building, where we will celebrate in late Spring with a ribbon cutting in cooperation with the Lorain County Chamber of Commerce and United Properties.

A New Home for Home-Based Staff LCCAA Head Start offers many options for parents. Children can attend classes at our directly operated centers or in their local schools. They can attend four days or five, full days or half. They can also be served right in their own homes.

Home-based students are visited regularly by their teachers and family service workers either in their homes or, during COVID, via Zoom, Facetime or on porches. The program offers the same research-based curriculum used in our centers. It is a popular option for very young children, families without transportation and those who prefer a home-school approach.

In 2022, LCCAA’s Home-Based staff will be relocating to offices in the Elyria Public Library’s South Branch on 15th Street. The offices will accommodate nine staff who serve 60 home-based students in both Early Head Start and Head Start.

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Renovating a Facility for Babies and Toddlers LCCAA Head Start will have more slots in Early Head Start in 2022. To accomodate more babies and toddlers we are creating a new center that returns an LCCAA Head Start presence to South Elyria.

The agency has been awarded an Early Head Start expansion grant from the federal government that will create 16 new slots for children ages 0 to 3. The expansion will allow LCCAA to open a new facility at 107 Oberlin Ave., Elyria.

The new center will have two classrooms and approximatly six staff members. Classroom are expected to open in the fall of 2022

891 Head Start Slots 46 Early Head Start Slots 85% Average Daily Attendance

LCCAA Head Start follows the national Head Start Framework as well as standards set by the Ohio Department of Education.

We also participate in Ohio’s Step Up to Quality.

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Meeting Staffing Credentials and Training Like many employers of all types across the country, LCCAA Head Start has been working hard to recruit and retain high quality staff. Employment qualifications in Head Start are very exacting. For instance, a teacher must have at least a two-year degree in early childhood education or a very narrow list of degrees specific to the development and learning of young children. Once employed by us, teachers and staff must be provided extensive annual training as part of Job and Family Services licensing and Ohio’s Step Up to Quality.

Promoting the Profession To promote the profession, LCCAA is starting an apprenticeship program to engage area high school students interested in early childhood education. High school juniors and seniors will graduate our program with experience and their Child Development Associate credential.

This will allow them to take a job with LCCAA Head Start or another early learning provider.

Those employed by us will be eligible for tuition assistance to earn a college degree in early childhood education through a partnership with Lorain County Community College. A similar program for Head Start parents and out-of-school candidates is also planned for the 2022-2023 school year.

13 Homeless Families Rehoused 66 Children with Disabilities 390 Children’s Dental Exams 441 Received Parent Education

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When a child is enrolled in Head Start, the entire family receives services. Head Start provides comprehensive wrap around service for the whole family.

The program also serves children with developmental delays and disabilities.

Serving the Entire County LCCAA Head Start meets children and families where they are by taking care to locate its centers and collaborative partners where needs are the greatest.

LCCAA also considers pockets of poverty in areas that are harder to reach due to lack of public transit — just one reason for offering a home-based option.

LCCAA also has relationships with all 21 school districts in Lorain County. These and other collaborations extend the reach of Head Start.

Directly Operated

Partners

LCCAA Head Start @ Cascade, 233 Bond Street, Elyria 44035

Horizon Educational Centers 2500 Colorado Avenue, Lorain 44055 4911 Grove Avenue, Lorain 44055 10347 Dewhurst Road, Elyria 44035 109 Louden Court, Elyria 44035

LCCAA Head Start @ Elyria, 631 Griswold Road, Elyria 44035 LCCAA Head Start @ Firelands 10779 Vermilion Road, Oberlin 44074 LCCAA Head Start @ Hopkins-Locke, 1050 Reid Avenue, Lorain 44052 LCCAA Head Start @ Wellington 305 Union Street, Wellington 44090

Little Lighthouse Learning Center 1715 Meister Road, Lorain 44053 Lorain City Schools Eight Elementary Schools

LCCAA Head Start @ LaGrange 12079 LaGrange Road, LaGrange 44050

Our six directly operated centers have all earned Ohio’s highest rating in the Step Up to Quality Program, five stars.

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Dedication and Growth LCCAA’s staff are known for their compassionate dedication to clients, students and families in our community. They work tirelessly to serve low-income households connecting them to programs both within and outside LCCAA. As needs shifted during the pandemic, we realigned staffing and promoted a large number of current employees throughout the year.

In most cases, the promotions brought titles into line with responsibilities taken on over time. This was the case with our now Assistant Head Start Director Stefanie Drew. Other promotions were to newly created positions that came with funding and services made necessary by the pandemic.

Whether in an exisitng position or in a new position, all staff have contributed like never before. Undeniably, the level and pace of change has everyone taxed. It remains a stuggle to get back to pre-COVID operations. Helping others keeps us motivated and makes meeting challenges worthwhile.

Supporting Our People During the pandemic, we added measures to keep staff safe and address their ongoing needs for wellness.

We have adjusted our policies and procedures, granted leave time and, in some cases, altered our hours of operation.

In addition, we created a regular staff wellness newsletter, added walking clubs, gardening classes, Meditation Mondays and off-site retreats that provided time to build our teams and support our people.

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Recognizing Service and Achievement Staff members are regularly recognized for continuing their education as well as reaching service milestones.

This year, Head Start Director Shauna Matelski, Ed.D., was recognized for 30 years of service with the agency.

Alicia Wilson, Early Head Start Home Visitor, was recognized for 20 years. Service and Safety Specialist Tracy Hough was recognized for 15 years of service, although he has served the agency in multiple capacities at different times in his career.

Hopkins Locke Head Start Teacher Kelly Fillip was recognized for 10 years of service. The following employees reached five years of service: Victoria Franco, Hopkins Locke Head Start Teacher, Tammy Gregory, Cascade Head Start Teacher, Justina Morgan, LaGrange Head Start Teacher, Shannon Smith, Firelands Head Start Teacher, Amy Steele, Client Services Specialist.

Inclusion and Diversity LCCAA’s Inclusion and Diversity Committee was active in 2021. Special information on a variety of topics was offered to staff through the new wellness newsletter and the IDC was consulted on several policy issues.

In August, LCCAA created a dashboard system to monitor hiring and track diversity at the organizational and site levels. The new tool is shared with our board and serves as a daily resource for tracking job openings and meeting the different needs of staff.

These steps mean LCCAA is committed to diversity, equity and inclusion as an employer.

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Leading with Heart LCCAA’s new Strategic Plan sets our goals for serving our community for the next three years. Our overarching mission remains the same.

Return to Full Enrollment/Staffing All Head Start grantees face this issue and all are currently expected to return to full, funded enrollment in 2022.

Develop Local Talent Pools We will use apprenticeships and tuition assistance to increase the pool of qualified teachers and staff.

Board of Directors Chair, Gerald Pippens Vice Chair, Mike Szekely Secretary, Eddie Henson Treasurer, Joe Falbo Joe Bott Rochell Corn Reginald Cremeans Rev. Calvin Currie Anthony Giardini Sherry Green Margaret Hartman Elizabeth Meadows Vasyl Rabosyuk Nancy Sabath

Customer-First Star Service The convenience of our customers is a priority. We will remove barriers and serve each person more deeply

Prevent COVID Related Evictions An additional $16.7 million has been allocated to LCCAA for continued assistance to renters and landlords.

Long-Term Financial Viability Looking to the far future, LCCAA has started an Endowment Fund with the Community Foundation of Lorain County.

Look for more information on these plans at www.lccaa.net in 2022.

Parent Policy Council 2020-2021 President, Susan West Vice President, Katrina Juchnik Secretary, Katherine Reynolds Asst. Secretary, Kristin Wandra Tameem Abdullah Melissa Carroll Jessica Hales Rebecca Raines

Wine Tasting Returns 23 Like so many events, LCCAA’s 2020 Wine Tasting was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

We were thrilled to be back in a new venue at Sunset Terrace to welcome approximately 60 friends to celebrate the great work our agency accomplished during the past year.

Funds raised from the event are the first contributions to the agency’s new Endowment Fund, a long term commitment to our mission.

Many thanks to sponsors Walter Haverfield LLP, Lorain County Community College and Ryan St.Marie Insurance.

Wine was provided by Giuseppe’s Wine Cellar in Amherst and poured by volunteers Tammy Jenkins and Kara Muchmore.

‘When you support LCCAA, you are supporting Head Start and when you support Head Start, you are supporting my family.

And I thank you .’- Susan West, Policy Council President 2020-2021

24 ‘The new refrigerator is much more efficient and so clean!

The new light bulbs are energy efficient and brighter.’ - Community Connections Client ‘Benjamin did great writing his name before four years old.

You are awesome!’ - Home Based Head Start Parent ‘I just got my acceptance letter for my bachelor’s degree program in social work!’

- Getting Ahead Graduate ‘I could not afford to pay for Uber or Lyft so I usually just stayed home and missed appointments.’

- BYCar Participatnt ‘It’s so amazing all the things Lydi has learned and experienced. Thank you for all the love and support.’

- Hopkins-Locke Head Start Parent

Solving Transportation What’s better than a two-for-one match? Well, a threefor-one match!

LCCAA’s Board of Directors increased the match for the BYCar program in March and the program resulted in 16 new vehicle owners this year.

“Having your own transportation allows you to have unlimited freedom,” said one participant. “You can go anywhere you please!”

This year, participants looked forward to having their own vehicle so they could go to work, school, spend time with family members and be on time for appointments.

Prior to the program, participants were dependent on friends, family members and sometimes paid ride services to get where they needed to go. Or, they just stayed home.

“Without the program, I would have only been able to afford an inferior car,” said one participant. “The other great thing is that you own the vehicle and do not have to worry about making a car payment.”

The program also includes a financial literacy course that participants say helps them achieve additional goals.

“It is very worth the time to get paperwork together and the financial literacy course is helping me be more responsible,” Michael Genaro said.

All participants highly recommend the program.

“You have nothing to lose! Only something to gain.”

From Client to Employee

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When Rafael Correa moved to Ohio from Puerto Rico in 2012 he didn’t know what his future held. He just knew he liked math.

After completing his high school diploma online, he applied for OhioMeansJobs’ workforce development program. As a student worker at Lorain County Community College, he was able to take some classes and develop his interests.

“I didn’t know what I wanted to do,” he said. “I didn’t have a plan.

It gave me a little bit of direction.”

In 2020, Rafael was reassigned to LCCAA and began working at Second Harvest Food Bank. As regular food bank volunteers were able to return, Rafael and his fellow youth moved to the LCCAA Bike Shop.

As LCCAA diversified the job offerings for youth, Rafael spent several weeks in the agency’s finance department working alongside Finance and Administrative Assistant Sherri Hallauer.

“It was a good opportunity to visualize the things I was going to school for,” he said.

Rafael finished his associate’s degree in accounting and now has a full-time job at LCCAA working as a Home Relief Grant Administrator. He is responsible for confirming information on applications for rental assistance and finalizing checks to clients. He processes as many as 30 applications each week.

“It feels good helping people,” he said, “getting money out there so they can keep a roof over their heads. You wake up with a purpose.”

A combination of work ethic, listening skills and humility has made Rafael successful, said Planning and Community Services Director Bobby Taylor.

“Rafael embraced all challenges with a smile and used his accounting skills to provide assistance in the fiscal department,” Taylor said. “He is always willing to listen, learn and lead. Rafael is an example of what our youth can achieve when they are provided meaningful opportunities.”

Rafael is also working on his bachelor’s degree in accounting through Hiram College. He will finish in 2023.

‘This literally saved my life and I appreciate it so much!’

- Rental Assistance Client

‘Thank you, teachers, for caring during this crazy time.’

- Firelands Head Start Parent

‘I would change nothing.

They are awesome for the help they offer.’ - BYCar participant ‘Watching Audriana grow over the last two years has been amazing!’

- Griswold Head Start Parent

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Revenues Community Service Block Grant (CSBG) Head Start USDA Early Childhood Expansion Grant Community Foundation of Lorain County Elyria Memorial Hospital Foundation Home Energy Assistance Program (HEAP) PIPP In-Kind Ohio Partnership for Affordable Energy (OPAE) Lorain Foundation Home Relief Grants (HRG) Pandemic Relief LC Bridges Out of Poverty Lorain National Bank Foundation Dollar Bank Foundation Lorain City Grant PNC Day Care Services Corporate Insurance Industry Charitable Foundation LCCAA Fund-Raising Total Revenue by Funding Source

Unaudited 2020-2021 978,456 8,519,445 540,498 417,929 1,336 851,108 47,565 2,144,981 217,817 2,711,646 84,317 3,300 49,747 519 96 12,260 4,509 16,545,545

Audited 2019-2020 535,653 8,157,109 454,600 414,029 9,907 2,981 804,866 29,105 1,750,659 145,770 1,680 1,256 1,031 1,162 1,469 10,124 2,059 19,288 12,330,599

14,052,107 332,047 4,850 11,560 2,144,981 16,545,545

10,318,751 231,028 21,602 8,560 1,750,659 12,330,599

Grant Revenue Program Income Donations Other Income In-Kind Total Revenue by Income Type

Expenditures Community Services Block Grant Energy Services PIPP Grant Head Start (Including USDA, SUTQ, ECE) Home Relief Grant (HRG) Elyria Memorial Foundation PNC Foundation Dollar Bank Foundation Insurance Industry Charitable Foundation Lorain County Foundations Pandemic Relief Lorain City Grant WE-3 LCCC Fiscal/Bridges Corporate Lorain National Bank Foundation LCCAA Fund-Raising Total Expenditures by Source Personnel Fringe Benefits Consultants/Contracts Travel/Transportation Space Costs Supplies/Food Equipment Lease/Purchase/Depreciation Energy Assistance Payments Insurance Other General Administrative Expense In-Kind Expense Total Expenses by Category Net Assets

Unaudited 2020-2021 978,456 1,021,351 47,565 11,586,170 2,711,646 1,336 519 84,317 49,747 35,995 1,646 16,518,747

Audited 2019-2020 523,029 942,997 29,105 10,774,829

4,251,299 1,772,046 1,739,978 16,885 884,920 862,573 222,960 2,857,584 35,085 762,721 967,714 2,144,981 16,518,747

4,276,677 1,797,117 1,033,511 65,642 810,877 563,738 143,024 419,852 30,908 468,731 952,995 1,767,036 12,330,107

26,798

492

2,981 1,469 1,162 2,059 11,587 3,300 30,302 1,031 6,197 12,330,107

27

Moving Forward in 2022 The move to Central Plaza demonstrates the faith that the agency has in that area of Lorain and hopefully it will be a catalyst for further growth for that section of the city. -Lorain Mayor Jack Bradley In addition to the exciting plans outlined in this report for creating a Head Start presence in the Central Plaza building, LCCAA will be working overtime in 2022 to provide more and better services throughout the county. We accomplish all of these things with the help of many community and business partners. We thank them in advance for their continuting efforts to serve and empower Lorain County residents in need.

Universal Application for LCCAA Services

A long-standing goal of the agency has been to calculate the income eligibility for all agency services with one application.

We have been stalled by the fact that our funders define countable income differently. In 2022, we will solve that problem with an web-based application that calculates eligibility for all programs at once for the first time.

In November 2021, LCCAA was awarded a Pathways HUB grant by the Ohio Commission on Minority Health. Working in partnership with Mercy Health’s Resources for Mothers, the new HUB will focus on reducing infant mortality in Lorain County. We will work toward obtaining HUB certification in 2022 and 2023.

Food Co-Op in South Elyria

Pathways HUB

Funding is dedicated in the 2022-2023 Communtiy Services Block Grant to create a food co-op building between 15th and 16th streets in Elyria. The now vacamt land near the Elyria South Library will be transformed into a vital extension of the Community Garden installed nearby in 2021.

In response to COVID-19 and the need to socially distance children, LCCAA is expanding the playgrounds at our Hopkins-Locke Center on Reid Avenue in Lorain. LCCAA Head Start has acquired property on Streator Avenue that will be used for these new play spaces which will include new equipment and landscaping.

New Head Start Playgrounds in Lorain

Learn more at www. lccaa.net.

Our mission is to serve and empower Lorain County residents in need.

936 Broadway Ave., Lorain, Ohio 44052 440-204-2009