Assistance from Community Action of Southern Kentucky.
Community Action of Southern Kentucky provides assistance to the low income and less fortunate in the counties of Barren, Allen, Butler, Edmonson, Hart, Warren, Metcalfe, Monroe, Simpson, and Logan. While financial support for paying bills is limited, the non-profit administers several other services. Get information on supportive housing, employment, family assistance, and utility bill programs such as LIHEAP.
Housing and utility bill assistance in Southern Kentucky
The very low income and homeless can receive help, including security deposit assistance, from SHP, or the Supportive Housing Program. It provides assistance to homeless people in their transition to find a new residence to live in. The goal of the program is to help them eventually achieve self-sufficiency and residential stability, obtain greater self-determination, increase their skill levels and/or incomes and find a new, permanent home in the region. Social workers may also have information on rental programs such as short term loans for deposit fews or HUD section 8.
In order to be eligible for the rental and housing assistance program, applicants must be in emergency shelter or living on the street. Applicants also need to show interest in housing stability and a willingness to complete at minimum six months of case management with Community Action of Southern Kentucky.
The national and state of Kentucky EFSP - Emergency Food and Shelter Program has been providing rent and housing assistance to people with economic emergencies since 1980s. It is organized by the United Way in Warren County and is for the working poor that a facing a financial hardship. Eligible clients may receive utility, housing, or food assistance from Community Action of Southern Kentucky. There are also resources focused on offering money for paying rent for income qualified tenants.
Funds for paying utility bills is part of the LIHEAP program. This assists income-eligible households with paying for their home heating costs through two different programs: Subsidy and Crisis.
Crisis Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program assists eligible very low income households experiencing a home heating crisis. Subsidy component helps all eligible households with their home heating costs by providing a one-time benefit, typically during November and December, but it does run year round. The partners that sponsor the LIHEAP are the Community Action Kentucky and the state of Kentucky Cabinet for Health and Family Services.
Weatherization CARES Program is available too from CASOKY. The goal of this program is to help participants from counties such as Edmonson and Warren reduce energy costs and give them a safer and healthier environment. Weatherization and the local utility company ATMOS Energy provide free energy conservation improvements to eligible low-income applicants. The partner of the program is the Kentucky Housing Corporation. Studies have shown that a household saves approximately $400-$600 per year on their energy bills after going through a proper weatherization process.
Additional Community Action of Southern Kentucky programs
Scholarship is a service for both adults and youth and is offered by the Community Action of Southern Kentucky. Funding is limited and the scope of the programs is small. However it may provide free scholarships, loans and educational grants to eligible applicants each spring.
The purpose of the CSBG Scholarship is to provide training or that is required for the local job market to all in counties such as Metcalfe or Allen. Income-eligible individuals wanting to return to school or continue their education. Scholarship benefits can be utilized for various expenses which include fees, paying tuition, or new textbooks. The financial aid is for a college/university, trade/professional program, or a vocational/technical school.
Refugee Employment is administered by CASOKY - Community Action of Southern Kentucky. The non-profit provides assistance to eligible refugees residing in Kentucky less than five years. The program is designed to provide employment and job training services to the refugees or immigrants to adjust and adapt to the American Workplace.
The goal of the CASOKY resource is to help unemployed refugees or immigrants who are employed, but not working to their skill level achieve self-sufficiency. It is heavily involved in matching employers with candidates who are hard-working. The program helps refugees integrate into American life by providing them with employment opportunities and social support services.
Grow food for free from the Garden Program. Eligible applicants, including the elderly, who want to start growing a vegetable garden can apply for the Community Action Garden Program. Eligible program participants receive up to a $20 voucher that can be used to purchase garden products, such as fertilizers, garden seeds for food, and even garden plants.
The Family Self-Sufficiency program is offered in partnership with Kentucky Housing Corporation (KHC). It is available to low-income families in Kentucky counties of Metcalfe, Barren, Monroe, and Simpson who may experience many obstacles in their efforts to attain economic self-sufficiency.
Priority is given to the single-parent families or moms. This developmentally supportive program of case management offers clients a contract of participation that requires applicants to find and maintain employment, remain welfare-free and attend homeownership counseling program for one year prior to expiration of contract.
When receiving governmental housing assistance, the amount of rent owed for the apartments increases with the rise of earned income. However, Kentucky Housing Corporation offers the crediting of monthly deposits and interest payments to the enrolled applicants, which can be placed in an escrow account. Participants are strongly encouraged and shown how to use this savings as a down payment on a house.
Receive free tax preparation and financial education through the Barren River Asset Building Coalition. It comes with the goal of promoting economic growth and stability through asset building.
Thanks in large part to government grants and outstanding volunteer support, Barren River Asset Building Coalition has been providing its services to low to moderate income taxpayers. The services include financial literacy, credit counseling, tax preparation assistance, and asset building opportunities. The goal of the program is to help eligible working families achieve economic self-sufficiency.
The objective of the Adult Education and Job Development Program is to help individuals become economically independent by providing a wide array of both instructional and supportive services for developing required skills. Adult participants from Bowling Greene and other towns achieve referrals from the Agency's Head Start, Community Services, and Senior Services Programs.
- Basic Skills Tutoring are offered from teachers. These classes and workshops provide parent education, sessions on the improvement of writing, math and English grammar skills, and budgeting advice.
- Job Development Classes offer services to students that include job interview preparation, personal assessment, sessions on how to write resumes and cover letters, job searches and dressing for success.
- Sign up for Computer Classes. Learning how to properly navigate the Internet and maneuver the mouse and more is offered. Also get help with improving Basic Word, Excel, Power Point skills, and other I.T. knowledge are covered in these classes.
Child and Day Care Centers provides assistance to children and their struggling parents. It does this by providing constructive, quality care. Eligible for the program are children six weeks of age and older from low-income families in the southern part of the state. Child Care Centers are located in Metcalfe, Edmonson and Warren Counties. The services can help low income parents too, as they can find free child care vouchers in Kentucky.
Child Development - Head Start is the main, free program that focuses on providing proper education and social services in a healthy environment to enrolled children. Eligible clients are children under the age of 5 from primarily income-eligible families. Children with disabilities are also qualified to apply for the federally funded program, which is available in each of the 10-counties in southern Kentucky.
The service ensures education to students in a proper learning environment, where each child receives services based on their individual needs. In addition to these various resources, enrolled children are educated on hygiene and nutrition as well.
They have such support as free nutritious meals, development and hearing screenings and comprehensive health services. The nationally recognized Head Start supports parent involvement by offering them training opportunities.
The Food Service program from the non-profit community action is extensive. They work with churches and pantries and focus on ending hunger. The agency is a full participant in the United States Department of Agriculture Child and Adult Care Food Program.
Summer Food Service is one component of it. Funded by the federal government United States Department of Agriculture, the local Summer Food Service represents an extension of the free school breakfast or lunch program. It works by supplying meals and food to teens and children with nutritious lunches during the summer months.
Senior Services and care for elders is available in every county, such as Edmonson and Hart, that the Community Action of Southern Kentucky serves. The program offers workshops and recreational activities. In addition, their highly professional managers who plan activities for the older adults. The purpose of those activities is to promote the social and nutritional well-being of senior clients. Senior Center Activities include:
- Free Meals, including home deliveries.
- Transportation to local activities
- Outreach, Information and Referral to local services and opportunities
- Health Services, including information on Medicare.
Locations of Community Action of Southern Kentucky
- Allen County, Address: 25 J.L. Turner and Son Place, Scottsville, Kentucky 42164, Phone: (270) 237-4149
- Barren County, 411 Happy Valley Rd, PO Box 787, Glasgow, Kentucky 42124, Phone: (270) 651-8171
- Butler County center is at 109 Ashley Plaza Circle, PO Box 518, Morgantown, KY 42261, dial (270) 526-3735
- Edmonson County, 108 North Main St., PO Box 342, Brownsville, KY 42210, (270) 597-3912
- Hart County - 509 AA Whitman Lane, PO Box 0717, Munfordville, KY 42765, (270) 524-0224
- Logan County site - Address: 235 East 4th St., Russellville, Kentucky 42276, main phone (270) 726-2459
- MetCalfe County, 1303 West Stockton St., Edmonton, KY 42129, (270) 432-4006
- Monroe County, location is 200 N. Main St. (Courthouse), PO Box 16, Tompkinsville, KY 42167. Call (270) 487-5436
- Simpson County, 27 North Main St., Suite 2, PO Box 87, Franklin, KY 42135, (270) 586-3238
- Warren County, 921 Beauty Ave., Bowling Green, Kentucky 42101. Main Phone: (270) 783-4484
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