Energy Assistance Funds Still Available

One of our biggest programs in terms of the number of people served is our Energy Assistance Program.  We annually serve over 11,000 households with this program.  Because of many changes and issues with the program this year, we still have the ability to serve many more people before the program closes down on May 15^th.

It has been a truly difficult year for this program, both for our staff, and admittedly, for our clients as well.  First, the start date of the program was delayed a month from previous years.  We also only received a small portion of our funding at the start of the year, ran out of that, and had to shut down the program for a few weeks at the end of 2012.  We also saw a very significant reduction in the benefit amounts per household.  This change was put in place because of a fear of significant budget cuts, which only partially came to fruition.

All of these changes, and many other issues, have made it a particularly difficult year to administer the program.  We also know that it has been particularly difficult on the families we serve, and we are working hard to advocate for changes to the program next year.

In the meantime, however, because of these changes we have the ability to serve many more clients between now and May 15^th.  If you or someone you know could use help with your utility bills, please contact us today.

Happy (belated) New Year!

It’s hard to believe we’re already into the second month of the New Year. The last two years have been very busy for CANI, and 2012 is shaping up to be just the same. We will continue to serve hundreds of children in our Head Start program, help thousands of people who need help with their utilities and child care, and much more. Just maintaining what we do makes for a busy time. But we have several exciting new developments on tap for 2012 as well.

As of February 1^st, CANI is now managing the Jobs for America’s Graduates program in Northeast Indiana. This program is focused on helping youth stay in school through graduation, pursue post-secondary education, and secure quality entry-level jobs leading to career advancement opportunities. We will be in nine high schools throughout the region, serving 35-45 youth in each school. We have conducted youth services for some time now, but this program is an exciting expansion enabling us to reach more young people from vulnerable backgrounds.

Also this year, CANI submitted our application to become a certified Community Development Financial Institution. We began lending to businesses and individuals a little over a year ago, and have continued to develop our infrastructure over that time. We have already provided seven small business loans and twenty credit-builder loans, and continue to provide for new customers.  But the CDFI certification would mark a dramatic increase in our ability to serve many, many more customers.

In 2012 we will also see the completion of our Hopewell Pointe housing development. The 35 single-family homes in Waynedale should be completed by June, marking a significant investment in that community. Already, eight families have moved in – a tremendous housing opportunity for them and the other families who will soon live there.

We will see an expansion of our Poverty Simulation in 2012 as well. This event, which gives participants some degree of appreciation for the issues that low-income families face, has become our signature event. We are seeing increasing demand to put this on in our community, and we are working to increase our capacity to do it many more times per year.

We will continue to work on enhancing all of our programs in 2012, just as we do every year. We will be working on internal improvements to help build an even greater organization. We will be working closely with our partners to enhance our community network of service provision. AND, we will continue to seek resources to do more in every county we serve.

Yes, 2012 is shaping up to be another busy year at CANI. When there are so many people in need, we wouldn’t have it any other way.

The Spirit of Giving

As we approach the heart of the holiday season, the spirit of giving is at its yearly high. A lot of us are busy trying to find that perfect gift for friends and loved ones. This can be stressful. Why do we do it?

You’ve heard it said that giving is better than receiving. As a kid, I thought that was a really crazy idea invented by adults to stop us kids from complaining when we didn’t get what we wanted. But it turns out to be true… giving heartfelt gifts feels really great!

I know it may seem self-serving for me to tell you that making a donation to CANI will make you feel really good. But it’s true. Imagine the power of a gift that helps people who are struggling to make ends meet. Imagine a family who cannot put enough food on the table, or is facing eviction or foreclosure, or having their heat disconnected during this cold winter season… and then imagine that you can help.

Without question - in my twelve years at CANI - I have never seen the demand for help so great. We are literally getting over 1,000 calls per week for heating assistance. While we have been able to help more people in certain areas, we continue to have waiting lists in virtually every program we provide. And I know that we are not alone - our partner agencies are experiencing the exact same thing.

Unfortunately, this increased need has been coupled with more pressure than ever before on the resources we have to help people. CANI, like many organizations in our community, has seen funding cut severely or altogether for some programs. This very simply results in fewer resources to help people at a time when we have more people to help.

My appeal to you now is to consider a gift that will last longer than the holiday season. CANI is just one of many agencies in our community that can help you give a gift that you can feel really good about now and throughout the year. If you give to your United Way, your local food bank, or your favorite other social service agency - it will help people. You may even know someone yourself who is struggling – you can help that person or family directly.

If you have the ability to give, please consider a gift to those who are less fortunate – those whose needs may be greater than yours at this moment. There are so many ways you can help – how you do it is not important. The important thing is that you do it.