Many of you have heard the proverb “Give a man a fish and you feed him for a day; teach a man to fish and you feed him for a lifetime.”
This is the foundation of the work that Community Action Agencies carry out every day – showing the importance of empowering individuals and families by providing them with skills and knowledge for long-term self- sufficiency rather than offering temporary solutions. Whether you’ve heard of or interacted with your local Community Action Agency or not, this is the essential role Community Action Agencies play in every community across the United States. And right now, that critical role is at risk.
Northern Kentucky Community Action Commission (NKCAC) is that beacon of hope for many families in the Northern Kentucky region. Through a myriad of essential programs, such as Head Start, weatherization, housing, utility assistance, senior services, and financial empowerment, NKCAC supports Northern Kentuckians of all ages, backgrounds and needs. For nearly 60 years, NKCAC has been empowering our community through effective, efficient, and creative investments in its most vital asset—its people.
NKCAC has served as a pillar in Northern Kentucky, serving as a hand up, not a handout, for many. Through relationships with local businesses, churches, and other agencies, our expertise in collaboration, has assisted aspirational and hard-working families as they navigate obstacles brought on by poverty that prevent them from achieving their American dream.
In Kentucky, one in every six residents live below the federal poverty level. This is 707,000 of our friends and neighbors – about 16% of the population. This is well above the national average of 11.5%. Many of these are hardworking families struggling to make ends meet as the cost of living rises. For those that do not face these challenges, it is hard to truly know how valuable the services provided by Community Action Agencies are. Not just to these families, but to the community as a whole. A community is only as strong and vibrant as the people who make up the community – stronger individuals and families means stronger communities. We all have a vested interest in helping these families to achieve their goals.
Whether NKCAC is helping a young adult enter the workforce for the first time, providing quality preschool education to a young child to prepare them for kindergarten and enable their parent to go to work every day, or providing socialization, skill training, and purpose for seniors, there are people all across Northern Kentucky of all ages who need the support and guidance of NKCAC to help them on their path to self-sufficiency.
Federal funding is not only necessary for NKCAC to survive but also to be flexible, responsive, and effective in serving the community. Cutting or eliminating these funds would have a devastating impact on many in our community – our neighbors and friends, and families around us who rely on the assistance of a social safety net that has always been an excellent steward of the funding it receives.
The uncertainty of funding streams and the potential of uncontrollable changes have raised serious concerns among Community Action Agencies for the families they work to protect. The possibility of a pause in funding or even permanent loss of federal funding would severely impact people all across Northern Kentucky who need the foundation
of emergency assistance funds, SNAP benefits, and assistance in finding employment. Jobs for parents, services for kids, and assistance for seniors, among other services, would be lost. The elimination of emergency energy assistance would be devastating.
One example of federal funding facing an uncertain future is the Community Service Block Grant (CSBG). CSBG funds are the backbone of Community Action Agencies enabling them to fulfill their mission of reducing poverty and promoting self-sufficiency for low- income individuals and families. These funds provide the ability to leverage many other state and federal grants to assist local communities. Together, these resources allow agencies to help families in achieving self-sufficiency while also driving private sector job creation. All of this is done in a transparent, and efficient manner. Sudden loss of this funding would have a negative impact on the lives of thousands of families in the region.
NKCAC’s mission is to promote, educate, advocate and provide equitable services to elevate the quality of life for the people we serve. We envision Empowered Individuals, Strong Families, and Thriving Communities. We can’t achieve that alone.
Now more than ever, we need our federal partners and our local supporters to continue to advocate for our mission. We need communities to speak out as advocates and for our government partners to hear their call and act. Continued federal investment ensures continued support for our neighbors, coworkers, and friends who need a helping hand — a principle that lies at the very heart of what Community Action stands for.
Rhonda Chisenhall is Vice President of Community Development with Northern Kentucky Community Action Commission.