The Community Action Partnership of North Central Missouri provides services to the nine Green Hills counties.
In a recent interview, Executive Director Chris Small explained the agency is trying to better focus on getting information to residents and understanding their needs.
CAPNCM knows what resources are available and where.
Small said new data will be released in December that will look at poverty from different levels. He noted CAPNCM’s service area has about a 16 to 17% poverty rate.
Small believes the community services team does a great job.
He said a customer satisfaction survey is available on the Community Action Partnership of North Central Missouri website. Physical copies are also available at the office at 1506 Oklahoma Avenue in Trenton. The office is open Monday through Thursday from 7:30 to 5 o’clock.
The Low Income Household Water Assistance Program is designed to assist low-income residents with water bills.
In a recent interview, Community Action Partnership of North Central Missouri Executive Director Chris Small said LIHWAP is the sister program to the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program, which helps with heating and cooling. The process to apply for LIHWAP is similar to LIHEAP.
Small explained there were multiple delays for the State of Missouri in rolling out LIHWAP. It was fully operational in February of this year, but the target date was originally October 1st, 2021.
Small said he cannot give the exact number of clients, but he has been impressed with the clients CAPNCM has been able to help in its nine-county service area, which is the Green Hills area.
A household has to have a disconnect notice before applying for assistance with water and sewer bills. A household can apply for benefits up to $750.
The Low Income Household Water Assistance Program is not one-time assistance. Someone can apply for the program yearly like with the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program.
Small noted one change for LIHEAP is that if clients apply for the program, they only have to do it one time in the fall.
LIHWAP is the same, as someone only has to apply one time. Clients have to reapply yearly to certify components of eligibility.
Small reported some providers do not participate in LIHWAP.
He encouraged residents to check with water companies, and he encouraged water companies to participate. He explained there is a process the water companies would go through to participate that involves filling out paperwork.
Small said there had been some arrearages during COVID-19 times, and this addresses some of them.
The Community Action Partnership of North Central Missouri website has the LIHWAP application. An application can also be filled out in person at the office at 1506 Oklahoma Avenue in Trenton.
The office is open Monday through Thursday from 7:30 to 5 o’clock and is open during the noon hour.
Felicia Terhune handles the Low Income Household Water Assistance Program at CAPNCM. She can be reached at [email protected]. Chris Small can also be reached at [email protected].
The Community Action Partnership of North Central Missouri offers a weatherization program that Executive Director Chris Small says pays for itself sevenfold.
The agency does a variety of work to homes. Work can be done if someone is renting or if someone owns a home. Small explains there are a few “hoops to jump through” if someone is renting.
He says typical needs seen in the summer include insulation, window leaks, and general tightening up of a home for its efficiency with air intake and leaks in places other than windows.
If a home cannot be weatherized by CAPNCM due to deficiencies, Small says the agency will provide a report to someone, and the report will allow that person to get certain things done if they can be done. CAPNCM can then come back and finish the job.
Small reports that out of 19 agencies, the Community Action Partnership of North Central Missouri is among the highest completion ratings. CAPNCM also usually comes out of technical monitoring reviews with the highest marks an agency can receive.
CAPNCM is in the process of getting the weatherization program and community services block grant on the federal level reauthorized. Small reports the last reauthorization was in 1998. With the reauthorization, he says there is a possibility of more money coming to CAPNCM to further expand the program.
Small comments that the state wants the agency to be as equal as it can be across its nine-county service area with homes receiving weatherization. He says many times, that depends on who applies.
Small notes there is a waiting list for weatherization.
CAPNCM also provides a service in which ramps are built at homes for mobility purposes, and each ramp is customized.
Small reports the agency also owns about 120 units for rental housing that are spread out in its service area, and there are openings. Households have to qualify by income for the rental units.
Russell Reeter is the director of weatherization for CAPNCM, and Alicia Roy is his assistant.
Roy also handles the rental housing units. She can be reached by email at [email protected].
