THE VOICE OF THE TOWNSHIP
Have you ever heard the phrase “they can talk the talk, but do they walk the walk”? The community partnerships that we have established are a shining example of this walk. By leveraging our resources, we can do far more with less, and I would like to dedicate this week’s “Voice” to the incredible staffs of Community Action of Northeast Indiana (CANI) and the Wayne Township Trustee’s Office, who have worked so hard to accomplish so much together.
Quite often there is confusion about the different resources within the community. There are federal funds, state funds and local funds, all used to help our community. Where do you go, and which way do you turn when in need. For those wondering where to start, many of the Federal Social Service Administration dollars are delivered to the community through CANI. This past year, over ten million dollars were allocated to Northeast Indiana in federal monies, with Allen County and more specifically Wayne Township, getting a very large share. The State of Indiana has the Division of Family Resources that disburses its assistance at the county level.
The Townships are responsible to distribute emergency assistance to those in need at the local level.
People often get confused as to what the differences are with these resources. I try to explain it this way: if you think of the assistance for those in need to be like health services for the sick or injured available through a hospital, the federal and state funds are the general health services; while the Township is like the emergency room. If someone finds themselves in an emergency situation, we patch them up, so to speak, and then turn them over to long term care. Two examples of this would be: a person with a disabling condition waiting for acceptance to social security disability or a single parent not receiving due support and waiting for the court system to track down the deadbeat non-support partner. In both instances there will be a permanent solution to the problem, but the individual has no means of supporting themselves completely until then, and the temporary assistance from the township is the best asset they have.
The importance of the community partnerships happen in ways like this: CANI receives federal dollars for the weatherization program and also for the LIHEAP (low income heating energy assistance program); the Wayne Township Trustee’s Office receives your local dollars to help citizens with emergency situations. There can be up to a one-year waiting period to get your home weatherized with these federal dollars. The LIHEAP help is on current time. We recently had a lady senior in her 90’s with a social security income in the four hundred dollar range and heating bills this winter in the 600’s. Until a home like this is weatherized, a larger percentage of resources than necessary is used.
The Wayne Township Office identifies these needy citizens, refers them to CANI to use the federal LIHEAP funds first, pays the balance of the heating with local assistance dollars, and works with CANI to get these vulnerable citizens on the weatherization program as soon as possible thus reducing the heating cost and saving resources from then on. This example, although somewhat simple, is one of the many partnerships that we have with CANI. The more federal dollars that we can use saves our valuable local resources for other citizens or even to reduce your local taxes.
Both CANI and the Wayne Township Office could just do what we do, without involving each other. It would be easier for both staffs just to send people out the door when their work was done. But then, we would not be serving these needy citizens best, which is something both staffs will always do. It takes more work to be a partner, but the results by far justify the means.
CANI Executive Director Joe Conrad and I meet on a weekly basis, talk about what is going on in the community and how we can work together to help. We take ideas back to our respective staffs and are in awe at the passion-produced results by them that benefit this great community. I know that Joe is as proud of his staff as I am of mine, so thanks to both of them for their outstanding work, and to you as a citizen of this great community that has given our organizations so much support. By walking and talking the same language a lot more is getting done these days!
To find information on CANI or Wayne Township programs or services, visit our websites: canihelp.org; or waynetownship.org.
I’m going to enjoy this beautiful spring, I hope you do too!
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