Minnesota Valley Action Council Inc

Programs: Low-income energy assistance - this program was established to combat the continuing hardship brought upon low-income households by rising energy costs. Its purpose is to assist eligible households with their heating bills. Assistance is in the form of a direct payment to a fuel/utility vendor on behalf of the household. Served were 8,579 households.

employment and training - mvac provided direct employment for 273 individuals. 1,498 adults gained employment with our workforce development training and assistance. Provided employment services for 204 people who lost their jobs due to business/plant closing or downsizing. 246 at-risk teenagers had the opportunity to learn and earn through paid work experience, planning for careers and achieving success in their education and training.

head start - 871 low-income children participated in quality preschool. Hearing and vision screenings were provided to 984 children. 784 children received dental exams, some for the very first time. Provided 179 pregnant women, infants and toddlers with quality home visiting services. 303 head start fathers/significant males attended strong fathers-strong families events with their children.

minnesota housing (mh) - mh money is available to make energy-saving and general home improvements for homeowners of all income levels. Mhfa subsidizes loans to encourage homeowners to make home improvements to help maintain the image of clean, well-run rural communities. Loan programs include fix-up loan, community fix-up rehabilitation loan, and rental rehabilitation loan programs. We assisted 28 people to secure low interest loans so they could make needed improvements to their homes. Mh also provides funding for homeless prevention to help households from either becoming homeless because of an eviction, or if they are currently homeless, (by hud's definition) get them into permanent housing. Assisted 337 households with services that prevented them from joining the ranks of homeless statistics as well as screened an additional 1,019 other households applying for assistance. Mfip - these services are designed to decrease long-term welfare dependency. Tanf families in lesueur, nicollet, brown, sibley, and waseca counties are eligible. Served were approximately 1,402 individuals. Weatherization assistance - this program is available to both low-income homeowners and renters in the nine-county area. It is designed to provide energy conservation service such as furnace modifications, caulking, weatherstripping, attic insulation, repair of primary windows, storm windows, minor foundation repairs and insulation, hot water heater and pipe insulation and furnace maintenance. The primary purpose of the program is to prevent heat loss in the home and thus reduce energy consumption for low-income households. Served were 181 households. Low-income housing assistance - under the hud section 8 voucher choice program rent subsidy payments are provided for qualified low-income families and elderly, disabled or handicapped persons renting from private landlords. The participants pay up to 30% of their income towards rent and utilities and the balance is paid directly to the landlord through hud funding. Approximately 457 households were served. Community services block grant (csbg and mnca) - mvac offices in each county provide out-reach services to the low-income and elderly. The offices serve as the key social service provider for client recruitment, needs assessment, and referral for all mvac programs. Their duties include, but are not limited to, program information dissemination, overall inter-agency communication, recruitment of clients, household needs assessments, public relations, and referrals of clients to other agencies who offer services not provided by mvac. Each of the nine counties also provides self-sufficiency activities, encouraging and assisting people with limited income to plan and act on their own behalf in order to bring about personal growth and/or economic change. We fielded at least 68,622 calls from people seeking our assistance over the phone and 31,361 visits into our offices. Community development block grant - this program provides funds for housing rehabilitation with deferred loan repayment over an extended period of time. Currently, mvac operates the cdbg program in the cities of janesville, trimont, north mankato, mankato, vernon center, gaylord, amboy, madelia and kasota. Served were over 44 households or commercial buildings. Supplemental nutrition assistance program (snap) - employment and training - participants take steps to improve skills that can lead to a career and financial independence. Approximately 231 households were served. Outreach - to reach out to eligible low-income people who are not currently participating in snap and share information about nutrition benefits of snap to help them make an informed decision. Approximately 63 individuals were served. Other programs - car donation program provides vehicles to struggling low-wage workers so they can maintain jobs and care for their families. Approximately 184 families were assisted. Mvac fielded 6,230 inquiries for car information and assistance. Our vita tax site completed 512 tax returns resulting in $1,361,955 tax refunds or credits for low income individuals. We have provided 14 people the opportunity to save for the purchase of a home, money for post secondary training or starting up a small business through the faim initiative (family assets for independence in mn). Through faim, the 14 people have saved over $13,440 of their own earned income, which will be matched by $13,440 from private, state & federal sources to be applied to one of the three activities mentioned above. To promote locally-grown food, mvac assisted in linking local farmers with local buyers. 18 growers sold goods to the food hub, and 5 local institutions purchased the produce. 291 people enrolled in the summer community supported agriculture (csa) program and 58 into the winter csa program. 129,827 pounds of locally grown produce were distributed through the hub.