Community Services Block Grant

COMMUNITY SERVICES forms the backbone of JFCAC's activities and is the historic funding that created
​Community Action Agencies.
Projects to empower families and individuals: 
  • Intake, Assessment, Referral (IAR)
    • Families participate in a basic intake, and referrals are provided based on family's needs, goals and community resources. 
    • Please bring Social Security Cards for everyone in the household and Driver's License or State ID for those 18 or older in the household. Other services may require additional documentation (such as proof of income). 
  • Keeping Current
    • K.C. is a cost reduction program that rewards families for regularly paying their Ameren bill on time. This program is recommended for families with a steady source of income. ​
  • American Water
    • Assist with water/sewer bills for Missouri American Water customers in threat of disconnection. 
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Click here for information on how to apply for Community Services
Poverty Awareness Projects
  • The Community Action Poverty Simulation (CAPS)
    • An interactive immersion experience that sensitizes community participants to the realities of poverty. 
  • Reality Enrichment and Life Lessons (REALL) Simulation
    • An interactive experience designed to challenge youth to think critically about how the choices and decisions made in adolescence may impact their adulthood. REALL is recommended for 7th through 12th grade students. 
Additional Services By Appointment Only:
  • Tax Assistance (Circuit Breaker)
    • Tax credit for elderly/disabled families with fixed incomes that offsets the cost related to property taxes. 
  • Empowerment Coaching/Skill Up
    • Offers assistance with job training, continuing education, and obtaining/maintaining employment by addressing barriers such as transportation, childcare, health, etc. 
  • Emergency Assistance & Disaster Relief 
    • Assist families experiencing a crisis such as a house fire or natural disaster with temporary shelter or relocation services. 
  • Asthma Education
    • Provides one-on-one coaching to educate parents/caregivers and children how to manage asthma conditions through inhaler usage training, medication monitoring, and home improvement/maintenance strategies. 
Classes:
  • Energy Awareness
    • Helps households prepare for/reduce the costs of heating and cooling their homes
    • Addresses personal habits and basic maintenance strategies that help reduce heating and cooling costs
  • Step Up to Leadership
    • Supports adults seeking to become active in their community through volunteerism or board membership.
    • Topics include understanding different personality types, goal setting, building teamwork, cultural diversity, conflict mediation, parliamentary procedures, board of directors rights and responsibilities, becoming a 501(c)3, public speaking, and grant writing. 
  • Step Up to Independence
    • Provides youth participants with information to prepare them for adulthood
    • Topics include how to: budget; setup a checking/savings account; establish/improve credit; rent and apartment; set up utilities; buy/license/maintain transportation; etc. 
  • Strengthening, Empowering, Lifting Families (SELF)
    • Provides participants with information to help improve their financial well being.
    • Topics include budgeting, self-care/emotional spending, education/job training, employment soft skills (e.g. time management, teamwork, cultural sensitivity, personal appearance/demeanor, social networking, etc.)
  • Read From the Start
    • An early education/literacy program that teaches parents the benefits of reading to children from birth to 5 years old
    • Parents learn about the role of language and stories in early child development
    • Parents enjoy the same books that they will take home to their children and learn techniques to continue story exploration such as crafts, songs, and dramatic play 
    • Parents take home 7 free books to their children
  • Cyber Seniors
    • Provides youth the opportunity to teach seniors necessary skills to adapt to the digital age
    • CSBG staff train, mentor and supervise youth who then work one-on-one with seniors 
    • Seniors learn how to operate tablets/smart phones, set up and use social media sites, and identify fraud/scams
Community Empowerment Collaborations:
  • Community Trust (provided through JFCAC)
    • Provides the community with a guided process to engage its residents, businesses, and resources in identifying key issues, developing projects to address identified issues, and identifying/obtaining funding to support their endeavor(s). 
  • Jefferson County Hunger Taskforce
  • Franklin County Hunger Taskforce
  • Please visit our office to apply for the following services:
    • Jefferson County Toy Distribution
    • Jefferson County Health & Education Fair
    • Franklin County Back to School Fair
Funded in whole/or part with federal funds received from the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services (HHS), Community Services Block Grant, as provided by Missouri Department of Social Services, Family Support Division. The funds received from the Family Support Division are all federally funded.

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