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Cass County Board of Supervisors’ news

News

December 20th, 2017 by Ric Hanson

The Cass County Boards of Supervisor today (Wednesday), heard from Joel Dirks with West Central Community Action (WCCA), which serves Cass and nine other counties in the area. Dirks requested $4,000 in County funding for their services, the same amount as last year. The Board took the request under advisement for when they begin working on the Budget. Those funds are used to provide local match support required by some Federal programs they use, they provide financial assistance for clients, but provide no means of paying program delivery costs or administrative costs, which this past year amounted to $278,179.

In addition, the County’s funds assist in supporting West Central’s efforts to maintain safe and affordable space for their dual outreach centers. Dirks said their goal is to maintain a reserve fund for operating capital, which allows them to cash flow their operations until Federal and State funding partners reimburse the agency for work completed on their grants and contracts. Among the services WCCA provides to its clients is: Head Start; Child Care Resource and Referral;Early Childhood Iowa Areas (via Early Childhood Iowa); the Child and Adult Care Food Program; Weatherization of low-income homes; LiHEAP (Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program); Senior Employment Program (Senior Aides); Family Development and Self-Sufficiency, and the WIC (Women, Infants and Children) Program.

Dirks says West Central Community Action programs are important alternatives to the County general Relief program, in meeting citizens’ needs. Without the County’s support, Dirks said the savings generated from WCCA would be in jeopardy. He reported to the Board that 646 households and 1,594 individuals were served during Fiscal Year 2017, in Cass County. The County received more than $1.3-million dollars worth of direct, in-client program services, for a total of $1.66-million dollars in services provided by WCCA.