CT CAPs
Connecticut Community Action Profiles
May/June 2000
Table of Contents
Statewide
Dialogue on Poverty Addresses Needs of Low-Income Residents
It's Time for Moodus Again!
Letter From the President
S. New England CAAs to Craft "Industry Standards"
Busy Legislative Session Comes to a Close
Puzzo Elected President of New England Community Action Association
Dialogue on Poverty Held at 4 Connecticut Agencies This Year
Please direct any comments about the newsletter to Susan LaRosa via email at LaRosa@crtct.org or phone at (860)560-5847.
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Statewide Dialogue on Poverty Addresses Needs of Low-Income Residents
On June 9th CAFCA held 2001: A State’s Odyssey – Out of Poverty, Into Action at the Legislative Office Building in Hartford. The forum was part of the national series Dialogue on Poverty 2000: Leading America to Community Action led by the National Association of Community Action Agencies.
Approximately 200 advocates, nonprofit providers, state agency representatives, legislators, and low-income people from across the state came together to focus on the problem of poverty in Connecticut, including Sen. Mary Ann Handley, Sen. Edith Prague, Sen. Toni Harp, Sen. Thomas Bozek Rep. Marie Lopez Kirkley-Bey and Rep. Brian Mattiello.
The forum focused on poverty in the land of plenty — Connecticut has the highest per capita income of any state in the country, yet poverty still exists in rural and urban Connecticut. Participants concentrated on measures needed to increase opportunities for self-sufficiency to our low-income residents. Panelists addressed the need for improved access to education and training, transportation, daycare, technology, and supportive governmental services. David Pudlin, noting the powerful force of low-income people throughout history, said he hopes the Dialogue on Poverty 2000 will usher in a new era of civic involvement in Connecticut and across the country.
Keynote speaker Dr. R. Eileen Baccus, President of Northwest Connecticut Community-Technical College, talked about rural poverty in Connecticut. Noting the isolation inherent in rural poverty, she recommended increasing access to technology and distance learning opportunities.
DSS Commissioner Pat Wilson-Coker said that within the continuous process of welfare reform, provisions must be made to improve education and skill levels of recipients, encourage workforce development, and encourage fathers’ involvement in the lives of their children.
Community activists from two of Connecticut’s cities spoke about the struggles of low-income people. Lorraine Hodges of Hartford, a former welfare recipient, and Yvette Jackson of Stamford, a Community Organizer, said that low-income people need good-paying jobs with benefits, reliable transportation, 24-hour childcare, and educational opportunities. Jackson said that lack of affordable housing is a major impediment to self-sufficiency in Stamford: rent for a one bedroom apartment in the poorest neighborhood is $1600 per month.
Education is the surest path to a job that pays a living wage, explained Marcia Bok, Professor Emeritus of the UConn School of Social Work. In addition, she said that low-income people tell her that they would be unable to survive without supportive governmental services such as childcare subsidies, Medicaid, and food stamps.
Workforce development is another crucial strategy in creating policies leading to self-sufficiency for everyone. George Brusznicki, Executive Director of the Mid-Connecticut Workforce Development Board, said the number one priority of the Workforce Investment Act has to be improving the lives of low-income people.
Shelley Geballe, President and Co-director of Connecticut Voices for Children, said that Connecticut’s low unemployment rate has led to wages not being worth as much; she noted that 60% of families in the state have lost economic ground as the result of the new service-based economy.
Information gathered at the statewide forum was shared at the National Dialogue Town Hall Meeting in Washington on June 15th.
Panelists said the following were needed to promote self-sufficiency for everyone in Connecticut:
- Jobs that pay living wages and provide benefits
- Reliable and affordable public transportation
- Change in poverty guidelines to reflect real expenses
- Involvement of the business sector in workforce development
- Supportive services for those who are unable to work
- Safe, affordable housing
- Increased access to non-traditional jobs for women and minorities
- 24-hour childcare
- Increased access to education and training opportunities
- Corporate buy-in of policies leading to self-sufficiency for everyone
- Elimination of the state spending cap
It’s that time of year again! CAFCA, MASSCAP, and RI CAAs are sponsoring the conference Community Action in the 21st Century: www.communityaction.future.org on August 21, 22, & 23, 2000 at the Sunrise Resort in Moodus, CT. This year will be bigger than ever, with all New England Community Action Agencies (CAAs) invited to attend.
Community Action is looking to the future, with plans to enhance public visibility and service delivery within Connecticut and across New England.
This Spring, Community Action Agencies (CAAs) across the state took part in the Dialogue on Poverty 2000. People of all income levels and backgrounds came together to discuss how to solve the problem of poverty in their communities. CAFCA followed up with a statewide program 2001: A State’s Odyssey – Out of Poverty, Into Action on Friday, June 9th in Hartford (please see story on pg. 1). These meetings culminated in Washington, DC on June 15th with the National Dialogue Town Hall Meeting
Throughout Southern New England this Spring, CAAs have been working together to improve the services we deliver to our clients. CAA leaders from Connecticut, Massachusetts, and Rhode Island began the process of crafting “industry standards.” They have also met to discuss potential inter-agency collaboration in the areas of information technology, public policy, and training (please see story on pg. 5.)
As we move into the Summer, planning has begun for the popular CAFCA/MASSCAP/RI annual conference. This year will be bigger than ever, with all CAAs in New England invited to attend. It will take place on August 21, 22, & 23, 2000 at the Sunrise Resort in Moodus, CT.
This year’s curriculum will reflect Community Action’s commitment to enhancing quality and improving collaboration. The time in Moodus always gives us a chance to rejuvenate and recharge, and to network with one another. There will be something for everyone; sessions will address Peer Review/Agency Standards, Information Technology & the Digital Divide, Self-Empowerment through Customer Service, Public Policy/Political Process, Client Tracking/Case Management, and many other current topics of interest. (For more information, please see next page and/or visit us on-line at www.cafca.org).
At the end of the conference, information gathered at the sessions will be synthesized into an action plan for dealing with our changing roles and responsibilities in the new economy.
Please join us at our annual conference to set an agenda for Community Action in New England in the 21st Century.
Sincerely,
Paul C. Puzzo
President
S. New England CAAs to Craft "Industry Standards"
Community Action Agency (CAA) directors from Connecticut, Massachusetts, and Rhode Island met to talk about innovative ways of improving service to our client base. “Facing Future Challenges Together” was held in Northampton, MA on April 6 & 7 and in Sturbridge, MA on June 13.
The discussion focused on developing “industry standards” to serve as markers of success and service excellence among CAAs. CAA leaders in the tri-state region will craft these to reflect a common definition of success for individual agencies and Community Action as a whole. Common goals and a positive, mutually supportive peer review process will improve customer service by making it easier for CAAs to share innovative best practices in service delivery and provide assistance to agencies in trouble.
Cross-cutting performance measures will allow CAAs to present a consistent purpose and vision to policymakers and the general public, said CAFCA President Paul Puzzo.
Working groups were formed to begin developing agency standards and look for ways to cooperate in the areas of Information Technology, Training, and Public Policy. Conference participants
reconvened in Sturbridge, MA to share the results of their working groups and build the curriculum for the annual CAFCA/MASSCAP/RI conference. The annual conference will be held at the Sunrise Resort in Moodus, CT on August 21-23, 2000 (for more information, please see pgs. 3 – 4 or visit our website at www.cafca.org).
Busy Legislative Session Comes to a Close
CAFCA had an extremely busy legislative session, working on two issues specific to the association as well as assisting in the passage of several other proposals. Passed legislation:
- CAA Board time limits made consistent with Federal guidelines (PA 00-158).
- Violence-Free Zones established in 17 towns with enterprise zones to address needs of youth (PA 00-158).
- School building hours grants for priority school districts to be extended to programs held in buildings other than public schools (PA 00-220).
- Family resource centers established on or after July 1, 2000 to be required to be located in public elementary schools (PA 00-220).
- Individual Development Account program established to be administered by the Department of Labor in conjunction with community-based organizations (PA 00-192).
- Office of Workforce Competitiveness (OWC) established to coordinate the implementation of WIA. A Workforce Investment Study Team (WIST) will be established to review the OWC (PA 00-192).
- $1 million transferred from last years’ budget to the CHEFA Day Care Security account for child care programs operated by CHEFA (PA 00-192).
- 1.5% COLA increase approved for private providers contracted with selected state agencies (PA 00-192).
- Programs established to provide support to households at risk to homelessness due to psychiatric disabilities and/or chemical dependency (PA 00-216).
- Programs established to provide environmentally safe housing to families (PA 00-216).
- Measures imposed to enhance staff quality in school readiness and state-subsidized day care programs (PA 00-187).
- Education commissioner granted permission to award larger school readiness grants to towns with two or more severe-need schools in their districts and to programs to provide additional spaces for children who reside in transitional school districts; towns will be allowed to use school readiness grants to prepare a facility or staff for operating a program (PA 00-187).
- State-funded work-study training slots established in training programs certified pursuant to WIA, as well as training and education programs for needy persons at public colleges. Transportation and day care will be included (PA 00-204).
- “Youth in crisis” and entities able to file a complaint to the court on those youth defined; the court was enabled to impose certain enforcement orders on those youth (PA 00-177).
- Affordable housing land use appeals procedure changed to give local land use commissions more tools to assess affordable housing development proposals and to require that developers show how they plan to comply with the requirements (PA —206).
- Rights for tenants of public housing established, including provision of a written lease, adoption of complaint and grievance procedures, and encouragement of tenant participation in the housing authority.
During the special session, the DSS Implementer passed (HB 6002):
- The addition of adults into HUSKY will be delayed until 1/1/01; eligibility level was reduced to 150% of poverty from 185%.
- Vendors in the child care subsidy program will be subjected to vendor fraud penalties.
- Security deposit program replaced with DSS damage payment guarantees.
- DCF will be required to report on methodology used to develop the budget for child protective services, juvenile justice, children’s mental health and substance abuse services.
- Disclosure of municipal social service records is prohibited.
Puzzo Elected President of New England Community Action Association
Paul C. Puzzo, CAFCA President and President/CEO of the Community Renewal Team was elected President of the New England Community Action Association (NECAA) at their annual meeting at the Ascutney Mountain Resort, Brownsville, Vermont on June 7 - 9, 2000. Mr. Puzzo succeeds William Marcello of Southwestern Community Services in Keene, NH.
Bill Marcello will be a hard act to follow, said Puzzo. Marcello was instrumental in establishing measures to ensure the financial stability of the association and its member agencies during his tenure. He doubled the dues-paying membership of NACAA and established interagency cost saving measures, including a purchasing agreement with Staples.
As President of NECAA, Puzzo hopes to develop a national agenda for Community Action. He discussed the need to strengthen the CAA network by providing opportunities for agencies to meet to share best practices, develop new skills, and learn about new programs.
NECAA’s other officers for the 2000 - 2001 term are as follows: Vice President - Gloria Dawson, Southeastern Vermont Community Action, VT; Treasurer - Thomas Nelson, York County Community Action Corp., ME; Secretary - Vincent Ceglie, Blackstone Valley Community Action Program, RI; NACAA Representative - Gale Hennessy, Southern New Hampshire Services, Inc, NH; and NCAF Representative - Robert Coard, ABCD, Inc, MA.
Dialogue on Poverty Held at 4 Connecticut Agencies This Year
This Spring, four of Connecticut’s Community Action Agencies held Dialogues on Poverty: CRT in Hartford, CTE in Stamford, BCO in Bristol, and ACCESS in Willimantic. Community leaders from the business, political, civic, and religious sectors, as well as low-income people, shared their experiences with poverty and strategized how to create policies that would lead to self-sufficiency for everyone. These forums were part of the national series Dialogue on Poverty 2000: Leading America to Community Action led by the National Association of Community Action Agencies (NACAA).
The Dialogue on Poverty 2000 is a grass-roots effort in communities across the country to identify and alleviate the causes and conditions of poverty. Information gathered at local dialogues held in Connecticut was synthesized into local action plans. A report on statewide issues was delivered at NACAA’s National Dialogue Town Hall Meeting in Washington, DC on June 15th.
For full reports, press coverage, and photos from local and statewide dialogues, please visit CAFCA’s website at www.cafca.org.