Utah Community Action Partnership - Helping People. Changing Lives.

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The American Recovery & Reinvestment Act of 2009 (ARRA), or "the Stimulus Package", provided Community Action Agencies nationwide with $1 billion to create jobs and fight the effects of poverty in local communities. Utah's Community Action Agencies received approximately $5 million to contribute to this effort. These funds will allow Utah's CAAs to build new innovative programs that will create jobs, strengthen communities and stabilize families.

How are ARRA dollars being utilized by Utah's Community Action Agencies?

As recipients of CSBG and ARRA funding, Utah's Community Action Agencies are utilizing stimulus dollars to address the increasing poverty in their local communities. The $5 million dollars have been divided between the agencies to help fund new and innovative programs. These programs focus on the following:

I. Economic growth and job creation

• Assisting in business acquisition in low-income areas to promote economic growth and increase the number of jobs in community
• Hiring additional staff at the CAAs to administer new programs

II. Job training, skills development and educational opportunities

• Additional GED and ESL classes
• Scholarships for students in rural areas
• Vocational skill training
• Apprenticeships at the CAAs through weatherization and other programs
• Parenting classes for high school-aged parents
• Summer and after-school programs for at-risk youth
• Day care for high school-aged parents during the school year

III. Improving financial literacy

• Budgeting classes
• Programs to increase enrollment in Individual Development Accounts (IDAs)
• Mortgage delinquency counseling

IV. Increased services for families in crisis

• Additional funding for domestic violence shelters
• More beds at local homeless shelters
• Increased food assistance at local food pantries
• Foreclosure prevention counseling
• Access to immunizations, dental and other medical care for children in rural areas
• Programs to assist with emergency car repairs, utility, mortgage or rental assistance

V. Additional Services for the disabled and elderly

• Caregiver support program
• Increased funding for mobile food programs
• Senior companion programs

VI. Moving low-income families towards self-sufficiency

• Increased case management to help develop a plan for families to become self-sufficient

VII. Increasing community involvement by low-income families

• Increase number of low-income people who participate in formal community organizations, boards or councils

ARRA and Weatherization
In addition to increased CSBG funds, many of Utah's Community Action Agencies received additional stimulus dollars for their weatherization programs. Utah received approximately $38 million dollars for weatherization under ARRA. Salt Lake Community Action was one of the largest recipients of this funding, receiving $10.9 million dollars. Not only has this funding helped to minimize utility costs by increasing the energy efficiency of the homes of many low-income families but it has also created over 50 new staff positions.