Monthly
Column
Rockingham
Community Action:
May, 2009
"It
is the policy of the United States to eliminate the paradox
of poverty in the midst of plenty in this nation, by opening
to everyone the opportunity for education and training,
the opportunity to work, and the opportunity to live in
decency and dignity."
With
these words, the "Economic Opportunity Act"
of 1964 empowered states and local communities to create
"Community Action Agencies" (CAA's). Today,
almost all of the nation’s counties are served by
a CAA. While the specific services each CAA provides vary,
depending on the needs in our areas, we all share the
same fundamental purpose, to mobilize public and private
resources in addressing the causes and effects of poverty
in our communities.
Rockingham
Community Action (RCA) has quietly and consistently
been working in partnership with community groups, faith
organizations, businesses, individuals, United Ways and
many other public and private entities to “turn
hardship into hope” for those who are in financial
need. We do this by offering a comprehensive array of
services in such areas as: emergency food, fuel and housing;
homelessness prevention; job readiness and employment
assistance; early childhood and adult education; family
literacy; health screening and nutrition counseling, child
care provider recruitment and training; information, referral
advocacy and asset building programs. RCA offers these
services through centers, offices, clinics and intake
sites located in over half of the county’s thirty-seven
communities.
Most
recently, and in the spirit of community partnership and
sharing of resources, RCA will be a significant presence
in the about to be built Squamscott Community Commons
(SCC) complex. The programs that will be housed at the
Commons represent a comprehensive cross-section of services
offered to those individuals and families that RCA has
been serving for the past 44 years. More than that, our
presence alongside many of our partnering agencies and
friends will allow for a more streamlined approach to
guiding those in need of services through what can be
a confusing and difficult time.
Patte
Ardizzoni, community relations director for the agency
sees the relationship between SCC and the community as
vital to the services offered to clients.
'It’s
key to make access to services, whatever the target population
may look like, manageable and easily navigated. Being
able to work alongside so many other remarkable agencies,
and be situated in one common place, will allow RCA to
become even more visible in the community and better able
to help our customers in a clearer and more defined way.
This will help us to eliminate confusion so often felt
by those in crisis, and offer guidance that can actually
‘be heard'.'
Once inside the doorway of SCC individuals
and families will find a comprehensive representation
of RCA’s programming. One program which answers
the needs of working individuals with children is the
Child Care Resource and Referral Program.
This program not only maintains an inventory of all available
child care options, but also provides child care referrals
to employees of participating companies and the general
public while expanding the supply of quality child care
by recruiting, training and assisting new child care providers.
For Temporary Aid for Needy Families (TANF) participants
the Child Care and Resource and Referral program also
offers training.
In difficult economic circumstances finding
a way to a family can feel like an impossible task. The
Emergency Food Assistance Program, also
found within the SCC, is a program that distributes USDA
surplus food to participating homeless shelters and emergency
food pantries. Alongside the Emergency Food Assistance
Program the Family Child Care Food Program
provides services that assist family child care providers
and benefit the children in their care, including training,
technical assistance and sponsorship of the USDA
Child and Adult Care Food Program.
Women, Infants and children (WIC)
program provides supplemental nutritious foods, nutrition
education, breast-feeding support, and health care screening
and referrals to pregnant women, nursing mothers, infants
and children up to age 5. The program also provides monthly
allotments to commodity foods and nutrition education
materials to senior citizens, postpartum women and 5-year
old children through the Commodity Supplemental
Food Program (CSFP).
The education component of RCA is also
represented at the Commons through Literacy Services
Programs. RCA works to provide high quality books
and other literacy services to low-income pre-school children
and their families through the library-based Gift of Reading
book distribution and the Tales to Go traveling literacy
and arts van. The RCA Literacy services program also provides
adult education services.
For
information on these programs, or on RCA in general visit
www.rcaction.org
or call 603.431-2911.
