February is Black History Month. As we’ve done the last several years, we’re honoring the month by highlighting a key partner on the forefront of addressing systemic inequality in our community. This year, we’re proud to partner with I Am Academy by donating a full day of Resale Store sales during a ‘Resale Takeover Day’. If you don’t yet know about their efforts to empower African American youth in our community, we encourage you to check them out. Join us to support their work on Feb 25 and throughout the year!
Over the past several years, like many of you, we’ve continued to witness events that challenge us greatly. To reflect. To grow. To take bolder steps to create a more inclusive, just community. This is ongoing work, and it begins with small steps like highlighting and supporting partners like I Am Academy and the many others already driving change. As we share about and celebrate their impact, we also reflect on our own service and core values, recommitting to our efforts to create a radically welcoming experience for all who walk through our doors, and a community where all have the opportunity to reach their full potential.
We believe that our community’s biggest asset is our people. Everyone deserves a safe home. Everyone deserves good food. Everyone deserves the opportunity to build a brighter future. And everyone needs a community that believes in them - their worth, their dignity, their possibility. We’re grateful for the multitude of individuals & partners working alongside us to create a community where this is true for all of our neighbors.
With gratitude,
Scott Rumpsa | CEO
Program Updates
Financial Wellness
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It’s VITA season! The VITA (Volunteer Income Tax Assistance) Program provides no-cost tax preparation services for qualifying individuals, helping neighbors secure their full tax credits and save on preparation fees. This is our third year as a VITA provider, and our team is busy training volunteers and scheduling appointments to help guests access their full returns!
Last year, VITA volunteers helped complete 210 tax returns, bringing $383,616 back to our community. These funds made a big difference for guests - in the past, one neighbor shared, “You all have changed my life. Right now I’m living in my car, and I can use this money to fix it up, get an apartment, and give a graduation gift to my daughter. Every penny will be put to good use.” We’re excited to see the impact VITA makes this year, and glad to connect our guests with another option for building greater stability.
Food Club
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At Community Action House, our service starts with food, but a Food Club membership offers so much more! This past December, our Resource Navigation Team worked with another local group on a special initiative to provide utilities assistance for several Action House guests.
Our team was contacted to help identify neighbors who could benefit from utilities assistance, using funds provided by a generous community member! Over the following 10 days, we contacted families who had shared that covering utilities was a challenge. The team shared that we were able to connect 18 families with utilities funds last month!
Outreach
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In 2021, our Outreach Team began offering case management services at Herrick District Library. Our team there recently shared that one guest and her son were living in a Jeep. They hadn’t had a stable living situation for a number of years, and a disability made it difficult for the mother to get around.
Because of this, it was easiest for them to meet with someone during our library hours. After working together on housing applications, food stamp applications, and getting their documents in order, they were able to find a home and move in last December!
The library’s convenient location and hours have also helped more neighbors access our resource navigation services. From 2021 to 2022, we’ve seen a 72% increase in appointments with first time guests. We are so appreciative of Herrick District Library’s willingness to provide space and time for our team to meet with guests!
Community Kitchen
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This past October, we began offering Outreach services at the Community Kitchen as a way to increase accessibility and connection between guests and critical community resources.
Sean (one of our Outreach Specialists) says that since adding case management services during lunch time, many guests have mentioned that they appreciate the ease of access in a comfortable, safe environment. The Community Kitchen provides a more laid-back setting for guests and team members to be vulnerable, build connection, and share personal experiences on a deeper level. Thank you to all our volunteers, staff, and guests who work tirelessly to maintain this safe, judgment-free space for our neighbors!
In Case You Missed It! CAH News and Updates
Community Action House: Reimagining Our Approach & Expanding Our Impact - Community Action House
Our partners at the Michigan West Coast Chamber of Commerce are helping spread the word about our efforts to build a stronger, healthier community! In this month's edition of The West Coast Way Magazine, Action House CEO Scott Rumpsa shares about what makes us different, our innovative approach to alleviating hunger and poverty in our communities, and what the 2022 Impact Award means for our programming.
Homeless Persons' Remembrance Day Reflection: Seeing the Humanity in Our Neighbors - Community Action House
Homeless Persons' Remembrance Day occurs each year in December on the longest night of the year as a way to honor friends and neighbors who have died without homes. This year, our Marketing Intern, Sydney, had the opportunity to participate in this experience with the Outreach Team for the first time.
Refresh: Hygiene and Hope Turns Four this Month! - Community Action House
This month, Community Action House and First United Methodist Church of Holland (FUMC) will celebrate the fourth anniversary of Refresh: Hygiene and Hope, a joint effort to provide access to services that increase dignity, and eliminate housing barriers for neighbors experiencing homelessness.
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