During this recession, I think many people have been surprised to find themselves in the first category. They have never before required assistance from CSC, but now they find themselves in need. If there is a positive effect from this recession, it may be that we have all gained an increased awareness of how easily disaster can befall any of us. Even more, we appreciate living in a community that supports us in times of need. Thank you for helping us help our neighbors!
Over the course of the last year, CSC departments and programs have met increases in requests for help that range from nearly 13% in our food programs (Linn-Benton Food Share) to 48% in our Emergency Services department (which helps with emergency housing and utility assistance). We helped serve an additional 17,000 people through emergency food boxes this year. And we were bombarded with so many requests for housing help that although we provided 10,954 nights of emergency shelter and 15,232 nights of transitional housing for our neighbors; we were unable to serve 4,175 households (9,602 individuals). We grew our youth employment program over 600% this summer, but we had to cap it at 320 new jobs. We could have served hundreds more. We expected to provide work experience and to stimulate the local economy, but many of our participants told us that these paychecks kept their families afloat this summer. Businesses and agencies thanked us for helping them make it through a tough year. In communities throughout the three counties, residents told us that our young workers gave them hope, in addition to a fresh coat of paint, a newly cleared bike path, and assistance on projects they thought would have to wait.
We bought, and are rehabbing, 18 units of supported housing in Lincoln County. Once the rehab work is complete, applications will be available and accepted for potential residents. We will weatherize between 300 and 400 homes for low-income residents, but over 10,000 additional homes are eligible for, and in need of our help in our 3 counties.This newsletter is packed with stories of people who needed assistance and got it through CSC.
Thank you again, for helping to make that possible. For more information on our programs and services, please check out our website at: www.communityservices.us.
If you need help, CSC is the place to get started. If you are looking for an opportunity to offer help, we hope you consider starting that at CSC, as well. We promise to give you a good return on your investment. Over 90 cents of every dollar donated goes to program services. More importantly, every dollar you donate allows us to claim as much as $11 in matching state, federal and grant funds. That’s value!
Thank you – and may you each enjoy a safe and fulfilling holiday season.
Martha Lyon, ED
