CT CAPs
Connecticut Community Action Profiles
Fall 2000
Congress and CT CAPs Confront Energy Crisis Letter From the President CT, MA, and RI CAAs Receive Peer to Peer Grant to Establish Agency Standards CAFCA Receives IDA Grant
Congress and CT CAPs Confront Energy Crisis
This fall U.S. Representatives John B. Larson, D.1st CD and Nancy Johnson, R. 6th CD held meetings with their local Community Action Agencies, CRT and BCO respectively, to discuss rising energy costs. These Energy Forums looked at ways to assist families with their heating needs and to talk about energy efficiency efforts and alternative energy sources.
Congresswoman Nancy Johnson held a press conference with Tom Morrow at BCO on Friday, September 29, 2000 regarding fuel cell technology and high energy costs. She discussed her proposal, co-sponsored by Congressman Larson, for a fuel cell tax credit to create a market incentive for this revolutionary technology. Fuel cells, which are made locally, can provide economic, environmental, reliability and energy security benefits for U.S. citizens and businesses. The technology is already in use by hospitals, schools, military installations, and manufacturing facilities and may be available for homeowners as early as next year. Joining Congresswoman Johnson were Al Benson, Department of Energy, Murdo Smith, International Fuel Cells, Ross Levine, Fuel Cell Energy, Rita Pacheco, DSS Deputy Commissioner for Programs, and Michael Townsley, Northeast Utilities. Each expressed their interest in this alternative energy technology. Connecticut "stands poised to be the world's leader in fuel cells," said Murdo Smith.
On October 23rd, CRT welcomed Congressman John B. Larson who spoke to a large audience of staff, Board members, clients and State and National energy officials about the energy crisis in the Northeast.
He commended President Clinton for his decision to release up to 30 million barrels of oil from the Strategic Petroleum Reserve in an effort to reduce the price of crude oil for the coming winter months. He added that no American family should be left out in the cold this winter because of the cost of energy. He said that cold weather in the Northeast is as much of an emergency as hurricanes and floods in other parts of the country.
Congressman Larson spoke of his support of fuel cell technology and said that fuel cells are an important breakthrough. He said, "If they can be used to run spacecraft, they can be used to heat and cool our homes and take us to and from work. It is essential that the U.S. make an investment in alternative energy sources so that future generations do not face similar burdens and so that we may limit our dependence on OPEC for fuel oil."
Both Congressman Larson and Johnson commended the work of community action agencies with the Low Income Energy Assistance Program and for their work in weatherization and conservation.
Deputy Commissioner Pacheco, DSS spoke about changes in this year’s energy program that offer modest increases in funding and increased eligibility. (Click here for LIHEAP program information and eligibility)
The CAFCA/MASSCAP/RI Annual Conference "Community Action in the 21st Century" was a huge success, with over 450 Community Action professionals from Connecticut, Massachusetts and Rhode Island in attendance. Every year we look forward to our chance to rejuvenate, recharge, and network with one another at the Sunrise Resort in Moodus, CT. This year, conference sessions focused on working together to strengthen Community Action, within agencies and across the network in New England. Roundtable discussions on peer review and uniform agency standards were a major component of the conference.
CAA Directors, staff and Board members from across the country gathered at the Annual Conference of the National Association of Community Action Agencies (NACAA) "Community Action: A Legacy to Build Upon" in San Antonio, TX on September 5 – 8, 2000. Conference sessions reflected the rich past and promising future of Community Action.
While the above events gave us time to review accomplishments and assess future community needs, reality hit us with full force when fall arrived and the fuel assistance season started. Uncertainty over energy costs led to a flurry of meetings with Congressional and state leaders and utility and oil vendors to make sure low-income clients stay warm this winter.
To gear up for the 2001 Legislative session CAFCA held a Legislative Retreat: "2001: Out of Poverty, Into Action" at the Interlaken Inn in Lakeville, CT in late October. Our guest at the retreat included Commissioner Pat Wilson-Coker, DSS, Jeanne Milstein, CT Child Advocate and Shelley Geballe, CT Voices for Children. Here we began to identify our legislative priorities and generate strategies for helping people in Connecticut achieve good jobs and self-sufficiency in 2001. The next issue of CT CAPs will outline CAFCA priorities and our positions on issues for the next session of the CT General Assembly.
Until then best wishes from CT CAPs for a healthy and happy Thanksgiving.
CT,
MA AND RI CAAs Receive Peer To Peer Grant To Establish Agency
Standards
The Connecticut Association for Community
Action (CAFCA), in collaboration with the Massachusetts Community Action Program
Directors Association (MASSCAP) and Rhode Island community action agencies have
been awarded a U.S. Dept. of HHS, Office of Community Services grant of $180,000
to work towards the establishment of a system for accrediting local community
action programs (CAPs). The system will create agency performance standards as
well as a peer review process that, when implemented, will strengthen the fiscal
and management capacity of all CAPs. As part of the accreditation process, the
agencies will train selected staff to conduct reviews and provide technical
assistance both as a follow-up to reviews and on an as-needed basis to agencies
experiencing difficulties.
The impetus for this project was a series of discussions that culminated in April 2000 at a retreat where the benefits of an accreditation system were debated among senior management teams from over 25 CAAs from southern New England states. The group agreed that relying on program monitoring and audits by outside agencies, including fund sources, to identify management issues was inefficient and risky. At the meeting’s conclusion, the group agreed to initiate planning for an accreditation system and established two primary goals for such a system: improving the quality of internal organizational management and service delivery, and providing a framework for accountability.
A committee was formed to identify content areas for standards development and content area workgroups began discussing standards at this year’s annual tri-state training conference. “A lot of good work was done at Moodus,” said Donna Taglianetti, CRT’s Executive Vice President of Programs and a member of the oversight committee, “and it will be used to begin drafting standards.” Staff from agencies in all three states, as well as consumers, will be asked to work on the development of an accreditation system.
“We hope we can develop a system that can be used by community action agencies across the country,” said Taglianetti.
For more information or if you are interested in working on this project, call Taglianetti at 860-560-5639 (email: donnat@crtct.org) or Edith Karsky at (860) 560-5845 (email: edithk@crtct.org)
CT Department of Labor (DOL) and CAFCA as joint applicants were recently awarded $400,000 in federal funding from the U.S. Dept. of HHS and the Office of Community Services to combine with $400,000 of nonfederal matching funds for the FY 2000 Assets for Independence Demonstration Program (IDA Program). These funds will be used to establish matched-savings programs through IDA programs operated by CRT, Hartford; TVCCA, New London; NOW, Waterbury and CAA-NH, New Haven.
DOL and CAFCA will serve as co-administrators of this federal demonstration project. CTE, Stamford, the first agency to have established a model IDA program in the State, will serve as the technical assistance provider and data collection agent for the project. CTE also operates an IDA demonstration project which includes ABCD, Bridgeport; NEON, Norwalk and the ACCESS Agency, Willimantic.
Paul Puzzo said that CAFCA and CRT are excited about the opportunity to work on the Individual Development Accounts Program with Connecticut Treasurer Denise Nappier, who led the effort to pass Connecticut IDA legislation, as well as the CT DOL, Fleet and First Union Banks, and other banks in the participating CAPs’ regions. Puzzo said the country would be looking to CT for best practices in assisting low-income people in building assets and hope for the future.
Phil McKain, President, CTE, also spoke with enthusiasm about the program. “ We have seen here in Stamford what a difference asset building makes in a person’s life and the feeling of accomplishment and self-esteem that comes with it. We realize that people escape poverty and achieve self-sufficiency through asset acquisition and education, not through income alone.” Click here for more information on IDA program.