KOOTASCA Community Action

Education1) KOOTASCA Head Start is a comprehensive preschool program for low-income children (birth through five years old) in Itasca and Koochiching Counties. It provides children with a developmentally appropriate early childhood education. The program ensures that young children receive health checkups, medical treatment, oral health screenings, and nutritious meals every day. Parents also receive benefits when their children attend our Head Start program. The parents receive guidance from our family support staff and teachers to help support their children at home and to help eliminate barriers to self-sufficiency. Parents learn to create stimulating home environments and engage in educational activities with their children. Head Start services are provided through a variety of program options, including Early Head Start which serves pregnant women and children up to age three. We have classroom-based programming that is 4-5 days per week for children 3- to 5-years old. Parents of Head Start children are encouraged to volunteer within the program in a variety of ways and can build leadership skills by participating in the Parent Policy Council. Policy Council members are parents of currently enrolled Head Start children. The members act as a link between KOOTASCA Head Start staff and the families that the program serves. The Policy Council must work in partnership with key Head Start management and the KOOTASCA Board of Directors to develop, review, and approve policies; create strategic program directions and decisions; develop criteria for the recruitment, selection, and enrollment of children; and approve funding applications along with personnel and other business-orientated activities that require Policy Council's approval. KOOTASCA Head Start serves 8 infant and toddlers and 187 preschool children with Federal Funding and another 19 children with State funding across Itasca and Koochiching Counties. 2) The Teen Age Parent Program (TAPP) began in the Grand Rapids school district in 1971. School districts were mandated by the State of Minnesota to provide educational opportunities to pregnant and parenting teens. In 1993, KOOTASCA Community Action assumed the operation and management of the Teen Age Parent Program as the funding allocations to the local school districts for the program declined. The population that TAPP serves is one of our communitys most vulnerable. Pregnant and parenting teens are the most likely to drop out of school, potentially leading to a life in poverty for the teenage parent and his or her child. KOOTASCAs TAPP program provides educational opportunities that count towards credit hours for high school graduation in a variety of settings that best fit the needs of the participant. The TAPP provides additional education on topics geared to the pregnant and parenting teen, including: labor and delivery, prenatal nutrition, sudden unexpected infant death syndrome (SUIDS), shaken baby syndrome, birth control and sexually transmitted diseases (STDs), cooking, nutrition, personal finances, and budgeting.3) KOOTASCA reviews and updates the community needs assessment annually to determine the greatest areas of local need and adjusts to meet those needs. The 2023 Community Assessment indicated that Koochiching County lacked childcare facilities for infants and toddlers, despite a growing number of infants and toddlers residing in the County. To best meet the needs of families with young children, KOOTASCA Head Start converted 13 Preschool Head Start slots into 8 Infant-Toddler Early Head Start slots. An Infant-Toddler classroom has been in operation since 2021 in International Falls. This has been a positive step in meeting the needs of families. 4)KOOTASCA Community Action has renovated a 38,000-square-foot former Elementary School to serve as the Grand Rapids Early Childhood Hub. Our goal from the start was to transform this former elementary school into a bustling hub for Early Childhood Education partners, brimming with vitality and purpose.Our extensive network of collaborators spans various sectors, from Head Start and Early Head Start to blended classrooms with the local school district, and the Teenage Parent Program. In addition, the space hosts two family Childcare providers who are running their private Childcare business from this location. Together, we are focused on addressing the childcare needs of our community. Through our combined efforts, the Early Childhood Hub has emerged as the largest childcare facility in the region, catering to 156 slots for infants, toddlers, and preschoolers, as well as 36 families participating in Early Childhood Family Education and up to 32 family childcare spots, 22 of which are currently filled. But our vision extends far beyond childcare. We're committed to broadening access to social and workforce services for families and teen parents, fostering an environment that nurtures community growth. The HUB partners with our neighboring Community Action Agency AEOA which provides Adult Basic Education and jobs & training services to families. We are also addressing food insecurity by partnering with the Local Farmers Market for a monthly food distribution program. Additionally, we offer valuable long-term early childhood education internship opportunities for college students, enriching both our future workforce and educational experiences.With donations from many entities including DEED, our facility boasts a fully accessible community playground, with plans for exciting community programming including open gym nights and family movie nights.This project has had many challenges, but it is all worth it when you walk in the door and witness the magic that is happening. With two indoor, large motor spaces and the largest playground in the area children, staff and families love being part of the HUB. One of our Childcare providers stated that she would no longer be in the business if she had not found this space. The other is a new provider that did not have the space needed in her home.

Community Engagement: KOOTASCA Community Action engages community partners to advocate for and collaborate on community strategies to fulfill our mission to end poverty. The agency's community engagement strategy includes the following programs.1) KOOTASCAs Circles of Support program provides an opportunity for people in poverty to build social assets and skills, such as financial literacy and self-empowerment through weekly meetings for individuals experiencing poverty, as well as non-poor volunteers. In 2023, a total of 92 people participated in 151 meetings and events.2) Big View programming provides education and creates community awareness of poverty-related issues and systemic barriers that make leaving poverty more difficult. In 2023, 249 individuals attended Big View programming across 18 separate events.

Asset Development and Housing: The goal is to build community and organizational capacity allowing all Low to Moderate Income (LMI) households the opportunity for safe affordable housing and increased development of assets. The accomplishments of this strategy for 2023 are as follows:1) The federal Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP) provides primary heat funding to reduce energy burden for LMI households through direct payments to energy vendors. As an assistance program, the payments are made to help keep the households heat on and are targeted to those vendors essential to maintaining the households primary heat source. A crisis component of the program makes additional Crisis funding available to prevent utility disconnections or disruptions in service for delivered heating fuels. An Energy Related Repair (ERR) component of the program provides emergency repair or replacement of non-functioning primary heat sources in emergency (no heat) situations or where health and safety hazards exist. In Federal Fiscal Year (FFY) 2023, 3588 households experienced reduced energy burden and safe continuous heat through primary heat funding, 1574 households avoided interruptions in service through crisis funding, and 280 households maintained safe heat through ERR emergency furnace services.2) The federal Department of Energy Weatherization Program (DOE WAP) provides funding to reduce energy burden for LMI households through building shell and mechanical system energy conservation upgrades. Insulation, air infiltration reduction, heating source(s), base loads, and indoor air quality are all addressed through a comprehensive energy audit process. The program also provides client education for low- or no-cost energy savings measures and occupant behaviors. LIHEAP Weatherization and utility based funds are often braided with DOE WAP and occasionally used independently of DOE WAP allowing for additional unit completions. At the time of this report within the State Fiscal Year of 2023, a reduced energy burden has been realized for: 11 households utilizing DOE with LIHEAP, and an additional 13 households utilizing LIHEAP only.3) The 2022 Weatherization Assistance Program Bipartisan Infrastructure Law provides us additional funding (DOE BIL) through the Department of Energy to serve additional LMI households in reducing their energy burden through building shell and mechanical system energy conservation upgrades. Insulation, air infiltration reduction, heating source(s), base loads, and indoor air quality are all addressed through a comprehensive energy audit process. The program also provides client education for low- or no-cost energy savings measures and occupant behaviors. LIHEAP Weatherization and utility based funds are often braided with DOE BIL funds. At the time of this report within the State Fiscal Year of 2023, a reduced energy burden has been realized for: 14 households utilizing DOE BIL with LIHEAP. 4) KOOTASCA's Home Ownership program just celebrated providing housing services for 30 years. With assisting LMI individuals and families with obtaining their first home offering services in home ownership education, housing counseling, financial wellness, and financial assistance. The first-time homebuyer program works toward housing stability. Low-income first time buyers sometimes have difficulties securing an affordable home due to credit history, lack of downpayment funds, inability to navigate the mortgage lending process and financial planning. These barriers are more acute due to a stagnant economy for housing services, decrease in government funding and a decrease in affordable housing. All these factors created an increased demand for buyer assistance services.Today we are seeing historical high-priced homes and available homes are down or almost nonexistent. Houses available need major renovation to become decent, safe, and sanitary housing. A downfall for our served populations is placed in the position to make the transaction with no inspection. Over 75% are waiving inspection contingencies is the exception, not the rule. As the homebuying season approaches, mortgage rates have risen to an all-time high in over 10 years, after student loan deferment over COVID times payments are now due, the high cost of limited resources of everyday living (groceries, gas, transportation, daycare) just to mention a few and still the lack of affordable housing market inventory set the stage of barriers for target populations we serve. Additional barriers show up in rental vacancies, rates remain below 1% and new listings in the region are -32% of todays buyers which are made up of first-time buyers, millennials, and want to buy vs rent. Again, high demand, low supply; home prices and rents continue to rise faster than income. 4 out of 5 buyers state they are unable to save for a downpayment in todays economy. Further, many LMI households face additional barriers to home ownership, including incomplete or incorrect knowledge about purchasing a home and available financing options, insufficient cash for down payments, unacceptable credit history, and high debt-to-income ratios. comprehensive homeownership assistance inclding: education, pre purchase counseling, financial wellmess, down payment and closing cost assistance.In todays housing arena, the problem for LMI households is housing insecurity. Conversely, housing security is the single greatest factor in improving the health, safety, education, and economic potential for both individuals and communities. We know homeownership is one of the most reliable ways to build long-term wealth and financial security.Homeonwership presents a significant opportunity for low income households to build long term assets and wealth. The average net worth of homeowners in our country is more han 80 times that of renters. We see growing awareness that housing health and equity go hand n' hand. We strengthen households through our services to be more informed by dismissing myths and misinformation. We educate buyers and increase their ability to be competitive in the current housing arena. The time for education and advocacy is now.A combination of Federal, State, and local funding sources is leveraged to provide education, counseling, and direct assistance. The accomplishments and outcomes of KOOTASCAs Home Ownership program for 2023 are as follows: 12 workshops held with 72 volunteer educators. A total of 99 households graduated from KOOTASCAs Home Stretch education workshops. 158 households completed one-on-one housing advice to develop a sustainable budget and initiate steps to improve financial capacity. Further, 34 households completed KOOTASCAs Home Ownership program, which led to the purchase of their first homes. Lastly, a total of $59,391 in direct financial assistance was distributed to first-time home buyers, and this assistance resulted in an accumulation of $1,077,279 in mortgage loans.5) KOOTASCAs Crisis Housing services include the Transitional Housing program and Crisis Rent Assistance program. The Transitional Housing program serves homeless clients with time-limited housing, case management services, and assistance with building skills for self-sufficiency. This program consists of two separate duplex locations dedicated to families and one location dedicated to male housing. Transitional Housing program funds are provided by the Department of Housing and Urban Development, the Office of Economic Opportunity and the Otto Bremer Trust. The Crisis Rent Assistance program provides up to 12 months of assistance for homeless or at-risk families and individuals to obtain or maintain rental housing. Minnesota housing and the Office of Economic Opportunity provide funding for this program to assist Itasca and Koochiching County clients.In fiscal year 2023, the Transitional Housing program served nine (9) single men and six (6) families with children for a total of 19 participants. 73 un-housed households were moved into permanent housing and homelessness was prevented for an additional 152households. The total number of households served was 225. 6) Through the MNsure program, KOOTASCAs trained and certified Health Care Navigators assist clients in navigating health care insurance options. Funding for this program is made available through MNsure, Minnesotas health insurance marketplace. In 2023, KOOTASCAs MNsure program successfully navigated health insurance option for 100 clients and assisted an additional 308 individuals with health care eligibility questions.7) In 2023, KOOTASCA helped seven (7) households attain housing stability through S.O.A.R (SSI/SSDI Outreach Access and Recovery program). 8) During 2023, KOOTASCA housing navigators assisted 297 Itasca County households with housing insecurity. Assisted an additional 120 households to secure safe and affordable housing through funding from MN DHS for security deposits, essential needs, and housing applications.9) Through