What are the needs in our community?

Last month, CANI released our annual Community Needs Assessment. This is a critical study for us because it is truly the basis of what we do here at CANI. Our board and staff utilize the assessment to build plans for the future and design our programs in a way that best meet the needs of our community. It is an important read for anyone who is working to help people in Northeast Indiana.

The assessment attempts to look at a number of different areas that impact poverty. While we do not have the resources to be fully comprehensive, it is an excellent tool that helps us see the issues families and communities face.

Our findings this year are consistent with what we’ve been seeing over the last several years. The majority of low-income families are working, but are not earning enough money in their jobs to be economically self-sufficient. These families generally have lower education levels, which is a primary indicator of how much income families have. In fact, if someone has just a high school diploma or GED, it is simply not enough education to earn a self-sufficient wage.

Housing continues to be a critical issue for low-income families as well. While over two-thirds of the entire population owns their own home, two-thirds of low-income families do not. Five percent of those served by CANI have been homeless in the last twelve months. The majority of low-income families pay over 30% of their income on housing, which robs them of the ability to meet their other needs.

Single-parenthood continues to be a major indicator of poverty. This not only deprives a family of the potential for two incomes, but it also creates issues with transportation, child care, and other barriers to self-sufficiency. In our communities, reliable transportation is simply critical to get to a job. If a family does not have child care, they cannot be employed. That is why transportation and child care are two areas that need to be addressed if we are going to help families become self-sufficient.

What we have seen over the last five years is a dramatic increase in unemployment and poverty rates. The damage that our economy has suffered has been felt by our most vulnerable citizens. The CANI Community Needs Assessment illustrates the poverty issues that we face in Northeast Indiana. It is an excellent resource as we continue our work, but we hope it will also be informative for the entire community. I invite you to use it and share it with others. The full study can be found on our web site and at the link here:

http://www.canihelp.org/WhoWeAre/Documents/CNA,%202013.pdf

Where Will You Be in 2015?

At the beginning of a new year, many people set resolutions or goals for what they want to accomplish in the upcoming year. At CANI, we set resolutions every three years for where we would like to be – these resolutions are called our Strategic Plan.

Last Thursday night CANI’s board approved our Strategic Plan, which will guide our efforts at eliminating poverty through 2015. One of my favorite things about working here is that we have a philosophy that we’ll accomplish a lot more if we are ambitious and come up short, versus being conservative and accomplishing everything. And as usual, we have adopted a very ambitious strategic plan.

We have six long-range goals:

1.      The first, in a nutshell, is to develop an integrated system of services that can meet any needs for any family we see. This goal includes providing a host of programs that we have traditionally provided as well as developing programs that are needed in the community but not provided by anyone else. For instance, a major objective for the next three years is to develop new homelessness prevention programs, as well as expand services to Veterans.

2.      The second goal is to increase the provision of services that build assets for families and individuals. In truth, most of our programs are aimed at building assets, but this goal might be considered to mean more direct, higher impact asset-building activities like increasing access to capital by expanding our lending programs.

3.      Our third goal is all about community development, because we know that we must work on the conditions that low-income people live in as well as their own individual issues. In addition to housing development and system-building, we will expand our advocacy efforts, expand our AmeriCorps program to better support other organizations, provide capacity-building assistance to other organizations, and be available to step up as a convener of community collaborations.

4.      We also recognize that to provide great service, we must be a great organization. We have a detailed plan to do just that - our Blueprint to Greatness. This plan includes a significant number of initiatives modeled after Jim Collins’ “Good to Great”. We will enhance our board and staff, continue to ensure excellent accountability and transparency, and increase our technology, to name a few examples.

5.      The fifth goal relates to increasing our public awareness and increasing our flexible financial resources. Increasing awareness of poverty is a key strategy for us, as this leads to better understanding across the community of issues low-income families face, which in turn leads to better advocacy, greater support for CANI and our partners, and even more people helping their neighbors. We also want to increase our fundraising efforts, expand our Energy Saver Consultants business, and expand our fee-for-service activities.

6.      Our last goal basically relates to most of the others to one degree or another. We need to increase the focus on our service area outside of Fort Wayne. CANI’s service area includes twelve counties in northeast Indiana. The majority of the low-income families in this area live in Fort Wayne, but there are thousands of low-income people that live outside of Fort Wayne. 

I am always excited after we complete one strategic plan and develop a new one. This is the fourth strategic plan I have worked on at CANI, and as I look back I can see the truly impressive impact of our process. We have never accomplished all that we set out to do, but we have always accomplished many great things in our plans. This plan will be no different, and we've already gotten started!

For much more detail, check out the plan for yourself at http://www.canihelp.org/WhoWeAre/Documents/strategic_plan.pdf

Who Am I Voting For Next Week?

Election Day is next week and I can’t help but think that this is one of the most important elections in my voting life. When I was a younger person, not yet into my career, I remember feeling like it didn't really matter who we elected into government positions. I had this feeling because it didn't seem to me that government affected me that much.

As I have grown up, started a family, and worked at CANI, I have absolutely changed that view. We are affected by government throughout most aspects of our lives. And without question, the non-profit world is profoundly impacted by the decisions, or lack of decisions, that our governments make.

Even though I've decided who I am voting for, I would absolutely say that I wouldn't care who was elected, if it meant that our elected officials would work better together and that we would all tone down the partisanship. The people of this country are so much more similar than different, and I think we've lost sight of that. I have family members with vastly different viewpoints, and I love them all. I have friends with vastly different viewpoints, and I have the same amount of fun with all of them. I have coworkers with vastly different viewpoints, and we get a whole lot done here at CANI every day. I think our government and society can be just like this, and my hope for this election, and any election, is that in the end, we focus on what unites us.

We all know that there are lots of decisions made throughout our lives that both help and hurt us. No matter who is elected as President or what Congress looks like, that will continue to be the case. But as I have mentioned before, what hurts us at CANI even more than a change here or there has been the lack of decisions of any kind. The uncertainty of what is going to happen, the delays in implementation, and the problems caused by starting and stopping services make programs nearly impossible to manage.

In my position at CANI I have had the pleasure to meet many elected officials, from different parties and at different levels of government. I can say that absolutely, all of these folks care about the people they represent and care tremendously about their nation, state, and local community. I have been impressed by the knowledge and dedication of all of those I have met. We have the greatest governmental system in the world. We absolutely have the potential to be the greatest government in the world.

I have high hopes that this election will result in us reaching that potential, and it starts with each one of us. If you have a vote, please, please do so. I am not going to mention here who I am voting for because it doesn't matter. What is most important is that we all show that the people of this country are engaged in our democracy. And if we all join our elected leaders with a focus on compromise and getting decisions made, I feel that we will be in a much better position to reach our potential as a government and a nation.

Opportunity is the Key at Any Age

Yesterday, I turned 40 years old. My family, friends, and coworkers have made it a wonderful week of celebration for me. Aside from the many comments about me now being “over the hill,” I have also had several people ask me: “Are you where you expected to be at 40?”

As a teenager and young adult, I had no desire whatsoever to work at a social-service organization. I certainly knew about poverty, but it was not one of “my causes.”

I came to work at CANI thirteen years ago because I couldn’t find employment in the field I thought I wanted to work in. I needed a job, so I took one here. I continued to look for a position elsewhere over my first several months at CANI. But what I know now that I didn't know then is that I got exactly the job I was meant to have. Life is funny that way, isn't it?

CANI has provided me with more than I could ever have imagined. I found a career at CANI, for sure. I also met my wife at CANI, and I would not trade our relationship, or our children, for anything else in the world.

But what I have really found at CANI is a cause that I believe in. I have never lived in poverty myself, but I was fortunate to have worked as a case manager in my first nine months at CANI. I worked with families very closely and I saw the issues they faced and how hard they worked to improve their lives and their children’s lives. Their stories, as well as the stories of the thousands of families we have served since then, continue to fuel me today.

When I think about where I am today, I think about the opportunities that have been provided to me that have helped me get here. Two incredible parents who provided for me at great sacrifice to themselves, and who shaped me into the adult I am today. A wife who has supported me every single step of the way and is my most important partner in life. An excellent education, from pre-school all the way through graduate school. Military service that truly changed me from a boy into a man. Friends and coworkers who have supported me throughout my life.

How we take advantage of opportunities is what defines us as individuals. But you have to have opportunities first. That's what we are providing here at CANI: Opportunities for communities, families, and individuals to build brighter futures. And I couldn't be prouder than to work for an organization that does that.

May is National Community Action Month

May is a pretty special month for CANI, as it is officially National Community Action month. During this month we spend a little extra time and effort as a national network raising awareness about poverty, the issues low-income families face, and the work that Community Action Agencies do in their communities to combat these issues.

Awareness is a critical tool for us, now more than ever. While some have started to feel positive outcomes from the improving economy, there are still thousands of people in our community struggling to recover themselves. They face unemployment and struggles keeping their family housed and utilities paid, many for the first time in their lives.

Yet at the same time the demands for our programs are higher than normal, social service organizations face a struggle themselves. Federal budget cuts and tougher-to-come-by charitable donations have meant decreasing budgets and programming locally, at just the time when we need to be expanding. For these reasons, it’s as important as ever to raise awareness about poverty in northeast Indiana, and resources to fight that poverty.

During May, and even a little into June, CANI will pump up our own efforts to raise awareness and provide opportunities for people to get engaged. On May 17^th we will be conducting our signature event – our Poverty Simulation. This is simply an excellent opportunity for people to participate in a fun and engaging activity, that provides a taste of the issues that low-income families face. Past participants have reported that it was a moving, eye-opening experience for them. And so our goal is to conduct these simulations as often as we can, and May 17^th is the next opportunity for you to participate. More information can be found here.

On May 21^st, join us from noon – 2pm as we celebrate the grand opening of Hopewell Pointe – a 35-home affordable housing subdivision in Waynedale. These wonderful new homes are providing a life-changing opportunity to the families who are now living here. The development has also been a valuable economic investment in this southwest Fort Wayne community.

On June 7^th we will host our annual golf outing at Noble Hawk Golf Links in Kendallville. CANI Golf is one of our top fundraising events of the year and is a great way to support our fight against poverty while having a great time as well. We still have openings for teams and sponsorships. Participants routinely state this is one of the best outings of the year!

Besides events, we hope that you will see and hear more of us in other ways as well. Check out our recently launched, new and improved web site – www.canihelp.org. And our 2011 Annual Report should be in your hands by mid-May. The Annual Report highlights stories of individuals and families who have fought poverty in their own lives and have achieved great successes.

The purpose of all this activity is to put poverty front of mind in our community just a little bit more. If we can mobilize people to support our cause, advocate for the issues, and give of their time and financial resources, together we can fight poverty and build hope in our neighborhoods, communities, and northeast Indiana.

What is Poverty?

The Heritage Foundation’s recently released a report on the state of the poor in the United States entitled “Air Conditioning, Cable TV, and an Xbox: What is Poverty in the United States Today?”

This report does not provide the “full picture” of what it means to be poor in America. I fear it leaves out some imperative context needed to fully understand poverty and poverty-related issues. In short, there are more issues to consider than touched upon in the report.

First of all, we as Americans, tend to have a distorted view of what it means to be impoverished in America. It’s easy to look at people suffering in Africa and associate that with “poverty.” Truth be told, poverty is relative. It can mean everything from living on $1.00 a day in Ethiopia (global poverty), to qualifying for free or reduced lunches in the Midwest (poverty in our backyards.)

According to the Foundation’s findings, “the typical poor household, as defined by the government, has a car and air conditioning,” among other things. Additionally, the report states that “some 96 percent of poor parents report their children were never hungry at any time in the prior year.”

The Foundation posits that these items (car and air conditioner) are luxuries, not necessities. I would like to contest that the current era and standard of living needs to be taken into account. I realize there are alternatives to car ownership. Still, public transportation does not meet most people’s needs.  Reaching employers, schools, child care providers, grocery stores and all things we need in our lives simply make private transportation a key need for every family in America today.

As for air conditioners, the mere presence of one is not an indicator of income. It’s not unusual for a rental unit to have one included in the cost of rent; therefore there is no “extra” cost associated with it. What’s more in warm climates, where the temperature can be unsafe (100+ degrees in the summer), air conditioning becomes a health issue. Children and the elderly are especially vulnerable to heat exhaustion, dehydration and other related issues.

I question the methodology for obtaining the data on child hunger.  Maybe most families are not going hungry because they seek help in the form of food banks or food stamps. (Proof that there is a need for anti-poverty organization like food banks.) Furthermore, there is a psychological component to this question. What parent would want to openly admit that their children are going hungry? The survey is only as accurate as the responses provided, no matter how off base they may be. The sheer embarrassment and guilt of not being able to provide for would certainly affect parents’ responses.

Reports like this offer a chance for public discourse surrounding issues like poverty. And for that reason, I am happy that the report seems to have started a conversation even if we all don’t always come to the same conclusions. Indeed there are always two sides to an issue. But poverty is so complex that we must not put too much stock in a single report that only speaks to outward appearances. There is generally a lot more going on below the surface.

CANI's Service Delivery Model

In my last blog post, I spoke about CANI’s mission and the various aspects of what it all means. I wanted this time to delve further into our philosophy to reach every family and individual who lives in poverty and provide services in a timely, coordinated manner, so that they can leave poverty behind forever.

CANI serves over half of all the people in poverty in Northeast Indiana every year. Because of this, we are one of the few organizations that can have a true impact on our area’s poverty rates. The trick, of course, is having the system and resources in place to help move all of these families out of poverty for good. That is our challenge, but that is exactly what we’re trying to do.

What does this system look like? Typically a family comes to us for help with a single issue. For example: they need help with their utility bills, or a housing situation, or child care. But what we know is invariably these families have more than one issue they’re facing. If they can’t pay their utility bills, they likely have issues with other bills as well, or they are struggling in their employment situation, or are lacking a certain level of education. They may even be dealing with domestic violence or addictions issues. The point is:

Every family is unique, but almost always, their situation is more complicated than a single program or service will solve.

Our goal then is to build a system that no matter who comes to us or for what reason, we take the time to fully assess the family’s situation, not just their “presenting need” (the reason they came to us.) This process is undertaken together with the family, so that both parties see a more complete picture of the situation.

The key piece then is the next step. When multiple issues are identified we want to be able to provide services to families that meet all those needs, and in a timely manner. Timeliness is crucial. I often think about the finger in the dam analogy here. Families can fix one “hole” at a time, but if they can’t fill all the holes at once, the dam continues to leak and eventually gives way.

And when we speak about services to meet all needs, we’re working on that in two ways. First, and the most desirable, is to create truly integrated relationships with our partners within the community who can provide needed services. By “integrated” we mean, not simply giving a name and number to call, but actually providing access to the service, perhaps even delivering our partners’ service ourselves.

The second way is to add services that CANI itself delivers where it is determined that there are gaps in our community. (In future blog entries, I’ll explain more fully our concept of what the spectrum of family needs is, and more specifically illustrate our collaborative efforts with partners.)

We believe our concept is a good one, but our challenge - why this isn’t fully in place today - is that all this takes resources. Our grants and funding often are constructed in a manner that provides barely enough funding to simply deliver one service, certainly not to provide for the extra time we need to spend with a family to make this concept work.

But we are working every single day to develop those resources and make this system a reality. When we do, we’ll have even more impact on families and our community than we do today.