The Washington County Economic Opportunity Council is a community action agency that helps those who are less fortunate, including seniors, the unemployed, and the disabled. The non-profit can provide free food, financial assistance for expenses such as rent or energy bills, and more. This agency also provides Head Start and other employment and educational services for Washington County residents.
Clients will need to go through a case management system which will help them achieve long term stability The Economic Opportunity Council will help people in poverty by working with them and providing resources to help them improve their situation.
Educational services such as Head Start
The Washington County Economic Opportunity Council runs a Head Start program to help get children from low-income families ready for school. The program uses a special curriculum to help improve skills and social development.
This service helps parents get involved in their child’s education by providing activities and support. In addition, Head Start aims to help parents improve their own education, literacy and self-sufficiency.
The teachers and staff from the community action agency are dedicated to promoting the health, safety and nutrition of the students. Some of what is provided includes mental health check ups, dental care and disability services if needed. Head Start provides many services such as healthy meals, hearing screenings, skill assessments, and parent-teacher collaborations. Families who are eligible for income-based assistance can enroll at any time during the year. There are options for center-based and home-based programs.
Furthermore, the Washington County Economic Opportunity Council offers universal pre-kindergarten (UPK) in collaboration with local school districts as part of the Head Start program. This will provide services to encourage children’s physical, social, emotional and intellectual development to help them succeed in primary school.
The organization also provides a summer program for preschool-age children at select sites in Washington County on a fee-for-service basis in partnership with local non-profits. The summer service at the Department of Social Services accepts subsidies, and there are a limited number of scholarships available.
The Washington County Economic Opportunity Council oversees literacy initiatives to help families develop a lifelong love of reading. The organization works with the county and churches in the region to distribute a new book and project materials each month to children enrolled in Head Start.
Food and financial aid from the Economic Opportunity Council
There are emergency food pantries in the region that the non-profit partners with. If you live in a household that is eligible, you may be able to get food, snacks, commodities, and personal care items once a month. You would be able to get enough for three days. You would get this through the Washington County Economic Opportunity Council or its partners. There may be canned fruits, vegetables, breads, meats, and more. What you eat can be determined by your dietary requirements and what you like.
Community Action Angels are organized in the county. The volunteers who take part in this program may help seniors with basic needs such as transportation or housework. The Angeles will help clients find and apply for assistance programs.
The community action agency provides a service that helps to lower energy usage in homes and rental units across Washington County. The weatherization-assistance program helps to improve the energy efficiency of homes.
Some things that may be done in order to make a home more energy efficient are: repairing or replacing a hot water heater; adding extra insulation; sealing any cracks or gaps where air might be escaping; repairing or replacing a heating system; and installing energy-efficient light bulbs, faucets and showerheads. If someone is not able to do these things themselves, they may be able to get help from someone else to do them. Additionally, it is important to make sure that any appliances that use combustible materials are in good working condition and are being used safely.
In addition, the Washington County Emergency Operations Center offers the New York State sponsored Energy Star program. This program helps income-eligible households lower their energy bills by matching up to 50% of improvement costs (up to $5,000). This makes their homes safer and more comfortable. Some of the more common ones are installing insulation, upgrading to more energy-efficient windows and doors, caulking and sealing cracks and gaps that let air leaks in and out, and weather-stripping. This program provides funding for energy-efficiency improvements that will help save money on utility bills and make homes more comfortable. Some of the eligible improvements include installing insulation, upgrading to more energy-efficient windows and doors, caulking and sealing cracks and gaps that let air leaks in and out, and weather-stripping.
Emergency Food and Shelter provides grants to pay rent. The goal is to prevent people from being forcefully removed from their homes and to stop people from becoming homeless in Washington County. Case managers work hard to try to achieve this goal. The community action agency will have government funds in a few years to help with expenses such as security deposits for the homeless, heating bills, or partial rent payments.
The Washington County Economic Opportunity Council can help people apply for housing assistance through the Section 8 Housing Choice Voucher program. This service provides rental subsidies to income-eligible individuals and households. Participants in the study typically paid between 30 and 40 percent of their monthly income towards housing costs, including utilities and rent. The renter pays the rest of the money owed to the landlord.
The agency also provides a self-sufficiency program for families to help them become more independent. This case management service provides support, resources and networking opportunities to help families attain self-sufficiency. The participants will be working with a case manager from the Washington County Economic Opportunity Council. This case manager will help them to gain skills that will make them more job ready. They will also help the participants to identify employment opportunities. Finally, they will help the participants to identify any barriers that might be preventing them from being successful and brainstorm solutions for those barriers.
The agency also works with the One Stop Center of Washington County to help people find employment. This means that people who are unemployed can get help from the government to train for a new job. Some of the help available at the one stop center can include finding out about scholarships, seeing job postings, making a resume, and being told about employers who might have job openings. There are also programs to help youth.
The organization offers a housing program that provides support to people in Washington County. This program is for families and individuals who were previously homeless. It is available as a transitional scattered-site approach throughout the county. Some organizations provide supportive services to their clients in order to help them maintain their tenancy, resolve disputes, improve their life skills, get a GED, attain secondary education, become more financially literate, and find employment.
The main center for the Washington County Economic Opportunity Council is located at 383 Broadway in Fort Edward, New York. To reach the office, please call (518) 746-2390.