IDAHO GOES DOWN The East Idaho Community Action Partnership is a local nonprofit organization that has been helping communities in east Idaho by giving vital services to individuals in need since 1968.
Therefore, our goal is to assist individuals in escaping crises. And can we help them prosper if we can assist them get out of crisis? According to the organization’s CEO, John Radford, when they succeed, they appear to want to return and continue serving.
According to Radford, there are more opportunities to offer assistance rather than a handout. People frequently only need a pause to get back on their feet.
I believe there is a presumption that there is a persistent underclass of people living in poverty and that they are somehow choosing to live that way. However, a recent study revealed that 40% of people fell below the poverty level for one year out of ten over a ten-year period, according to Radford.
For the past two years, Radford has been EICAP’s executive director. His tremendous dedication to public service attracted him to the role.
“I have the option to work in this field where we assist individuals in escaping poverty, and I can do that full-time, making it my daily job,” Radford said.
Radford talked about a few of EICAP’s key initiatives.
Head Start
One early childhood development program is called Head Start.
One volunteer on the board of directors of EICAP, Julie Weston, started out with EICAP as a Head Start classroom volunteer. However, Weston was a mother who wished to be more involved in her children’s education before she became a volunteer.
Weston says she was inspired to volunteer in part by the community she encountered at Head Start, where her girls were enrolled.
It is more than just a preschool run by the government. “EICAP does everything in their power to make it more than just a daycare because it is very family-oriented,” Weston added.
According to Weston, parents and families are urged to actively participate in their children’s education since it can significantly affect the children on its own. However, EICAP is also equipped to deal with more pressing problems, such as delays in development.
However, there is another component of the program that is also beneficial. For example, both of my children had speech problems, and the curriculum has been a huge benefit. “It’s incredible that one of my girls is actually on track to be at the kindergarten level of speech,” Weston said.
According to Weston, Head Start can affect a child’s confidence and socialization abilities, among other factors.
The Head Start program was quite helpful in attempting to acclimate certain children who are not accustomed to being in public places. observing their transformation from incessantly sobbing and yelling for their mother to now being content, laughing, and engaging with the other children. “Seeing the impact Head Start has had on so many kids has been incredible,” Weston added.
Help with energy bills
In addition, EICAP provides weatherization services and the Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program.
Weatherization services help keep energy expenses low in the first place, and LIHEAP is a program that gives a few hundred dollars each winter to help pay energy bills.
It is quite beneficial in the region. “Really helpful,” says Radford.
Radford was able to provide an example of a person who was making a monthly payment of about $500. Following EICAP’s weatherization services, the person’s monthly energy costs decreased to about $170.
That kind of adjustment can be significant for those with low or fixed incomes, according to Radford.
EICAP offers crisis funds to restore power and keep people warm during the chilly winter months when a person has been unable to pay their payment and their power has been shut off.
Other services
EICAP provides housing aid and other services aimed at young families. Additionally, the nonprofit provides programs aimed at helping the community’s elderly residents who are in need.
EICAP is as dedicated to the elderly in our community as it is to young families, whether that commitment takes the form of ombudsmen, who represent the interests of elders in assisted living facilities and nursing homes, or legal aid and caregiver support.
The senior citizens program is fantastic because, in my opinion, our elderly population doesn’t receive enough assistance in the community. They provide a lot of assistance with meals on wheels and just make sure that our elderly population is receiving the assistance they require, Talbot said.
EICAP conducts programs to help with food insecurity issues and owns eight properties with more than 300 housing units available.
Investing in communities
All of these activities appear to have monetary costs to the community, but according to Radford, services like those provided by EICAP frequently yield significant returns for taxpayers.
Radford provided an example of a person who had previously relied on affordable housing aid and Head Start, among other EICAP services. Today, that individual holds a Ph.D. and earns a good living as a lab researcher.
According to Radford, “these services pay back taxpayers big because he would have earned a couple hundred thousand dollars in taxes over his lifetime if he had just stayed as an income earner at the $15, $12 range, but now he probably will spend a million or $2 million into the system.” We are investing in our communities, our people, and everyone else when we do so. It has an impact.
Get involved
People can volunteer in a variety of ways, according to Radford.
One of the most enjoyable volunteer opportunities is with the Head Start program. According to Radford, you get to play with the children and participate in story time and other activities.
The community’s senior citizens could also benefit from assistance.
According to him, our local aging agency is in need of volunteers for their ombudsman program, which involves them visiting elders once a week and getting to know and become friends with the residents of the facility.
More volunteers are constantly needed in the Rexburg, Challis, and Salmon EICAP food banks.
Donations are always appreciated, of course.
Government grants are the main source of funding for EICAP, a nonprofit organization. That dependence may be restrictive.
There are moments when we are not as resilient or as creative. Thus, a program stops when it does. It disappears because Congress altered their funding. We lack the adaptability. According to Radford, we can always utilize locally given money to benefit more people.
You can visit the EICAP website to learn more about volunteering or to see whether you or someone you know needs assistance.
