The Ottawa County Community Action Agency, or OCCAA, relies on funding from two federal programs to help provide long-term stability for low-income families. The first program, known as the Community Services Block Grant, provides emergency food services and home preservation programs. The Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program provides energy bill payment assistance and offers energy efficiency home upgrades.
“Those two federal grants were currently zeroed out in the president’s skinny budget, so there is a possibility that those programs may not be funded as of October 1.”
Jennifer Brozowski is Program Director of OCCAA. She says last year, OCCAA served 842 Ottawa County households through the Community Services Block Grant and serves nearly 2,000 individuals per year.
“There’s a lot of costs that are going up and the need for services has been quite high, so we want to keep that going as best as we can.”
Brozowski says OCCAA has asked Ottawa County government officials for financial support. It’s also turning to fundraising efforts to fill the potential gap.
“Coming to fundraisers is always helpful and just following us on social media is also incredibly important.”
Brozowski says OCCAA has not been given a timeline for if or when funding for these programs would be terminated. She urges residents to contact lawmakers advocating for continued program funding.
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