Spreading the word on Energy Efficiency

The Emergency Services department is gearing up for the LIHEAP season. LIHEAP (Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program) is a federally funded program to help low income individuals with their winter heating bills.

Energy Education Coordinator, Stephanie Bugni gave a mini Energy Education Workshop to this year’s Energy Assistance workers.

CSC Energy Assistance clients receive information about available Energy Education Workshops and can sign up for a workshop at their appointment. The workshops focus on steps people can take in their home to reduce their energy cost. Each client who attends the two hour workshop receives a free weatherization kit filled with items to help increase their home energy efficiency.

Energy assistance workers now have a better idea of energy efficiency when referring clients to the Energy Education Workshops.

For more information on CSC’s Energy Education Workshops, contact Stephanie Bugni at sbugni@communityservices.us or 541-758-2639

Pelican Place Celebrates with Open House & Ribbon Cutting Ceremony

Stan Turner gives Sherry Kasper a hug of thanks in front of his new apartment.

Above left to right, Paul Carlson, US Interagency Council on Homelessness, Terry Thompson and Don Lindly, Lincoln County Commissioners, Martha Lyon, Community Services Consortium Executive Director, Tom Hatley, Director of CSC’s Community Housing Services program, Bill Hall, Lincoln County Commissioner, and Jiah Quayle, of Quayle Construction join to officially open Pelican Place.

With a cut of a ribbon, Pelican Place joins Tern House in Newport to shelter individuals and families who were formerly homeless. The twelve-apartment complex will provide twelve units of permanent supportive housing.

Stan Turner gave a tour of his new apartment to Sherry Kasper, a waitress at the Tradewinds in Newport. She not only told him about the Pelican Place newspaper article, she gave Turner 75 cents to buy the paper to read about application details.

“I needed a roof over my head. I was out in the rain and sleeping on the ground and I was worried about the coming winter,” said Turner. He was waiting for Newport CSC office to open the following morning to get an application.

“It was serendipitous,” he said.

Teen Pact Volunteers

Members of Teen Pact spent an evening at the Linn Benton Food Share warehouse repacking a 2,200 pound bag of hot cereal into over 1,500 family size bags! The group enthusiastically donned hair nets, aprons and gloves and made quick work of the ton of cereal! Lots of laughter, great stories and a desire to help others made a great experience for volunteers and staff.

Lydia Shanks, Vice President of Operations of The TeenPact Leadership School wrote to Linn Benton Food Share, “Thanks for letting our group of girls come out to help. We so enjoyed meeting your staff, touring your facility and being able to contribute to the good work you do there.”

Central Linn School District is hosting Christmas Bazaar to benefit students

Central Linn School District is hosting their first Christmas Bazaar on November 20th called Christmas in the Country. We are still seeking vendors as well as spreading the awareness of this event. Christmas in the Country is a benefit for the business training program Cobra Student Enterprises. Through Cobra, students run businesses open to the public. Students have the opportunity to earn school credit through their work hours.

The bazaar will be held at 331 Blakely Ave in Brownsville in the District Office Gym. Central Linn students will be selling freshly baked cookies, hot chocolate and cider. If there are any questions about registering for this event as a vendor please contact Alix Stinnett at (541) 369-2813 ext 3532 or Linda Hoyer at (541) 369-2813 ext 3239.

CSC Celebrated Weatherization Month In October

This is the time of year when temperatures start to fall and many families in our communities turn up the heat. Low-income families don’t always have that option because these household pay 14% of their annual incomes for energy compared with 3.5% of most households. Many low-income families have been trying to catch up with bills because of the last year’s high-fuel prices or are struggling just to have their services reconnected. In fact many of the families are considering how they will make it through the winter without heat.

Community Services Consortium’s (CSC) Weatherization Assistance Program serving Linn, Benton and Lincoln counties addresses these daily energy concerns. The benefits provided through CSC’s Weatherization Assistance Program are many. The program reduces the energy cost by providing free weatherization services to low-income homeowners and renters by installing cost-effective and energy efficiency measures.

While everone’s home is different, it’s possible for a typical household to save $300 or more a year in energy costs through weatherization. During the last 30 years, CSC’s Weatherization program has helped to make over 7,300 homes safer, warmer and less expensive to live in. The dollar savings alone make a big difference for the families.

Remember: Saving energy means saving money!

You can save energy in your home by taking these steps :

· Turn off lights, computers and other electronic appliance when not in use.

· Lower the thermostat and dress warmer. Turn your thermostat down at night and whenever the house is not occupied. Try 68 degrees F during the day and 55 degrees at night.

· Lower the temperature on your electric water heater to 120 degrees F. Turn it off when leaving for extended periods of time.

· Take short showers instead of baths.

· Wash full loads of clothes; use warm or cold water to wash, cold water to rinse.

· Clean dryer lint filter after every use.

Lincoln Community Land Trust Open House

(Left to right) Clay Martin, Director of CSC Workforce & Education, Tom Hatley, Director of CSC Community Housing Services, Martha Lyon, Executive Director of Community Services Consortium (CSC), Bill Hall, Commissioner of Lincoln County and Benjamin Baggett, Director of The Lincoln Community Land Trust.

The Lincoln Community Land Trust (LCLT) held Open House and tours of its first land trust home. The Open House was well attended with more than 60 people including neighbors and interested homeowners. Benjamin Baggett, Director of the LCLT gave a presentation of the history of land trusts in the US and details about how Lincoln County helped make affordable housing available to residents.

In attendance were the community leaders, citizens and agencies from across the county who began the process of addressing the problem of affordable housing and making the Lincoln Community Land Trust a reality.

Any resident or family of Lincoln County, working in Lincoln County, who is interested in seeking affordable homeownership opportunities with a land trust home may apply. Applications will be reviewed for income eligibility. For those who want additional information on the purchase process or the LCLT home at 2219 NE 28th St. in Lincoln City can contact Beth Larsen

(541) 758-2759 blarsen@communityservices.us or Benjamin Baggett,

(541)758-2761, bbaggett@communityservices.us for details about qualification.

The Thiebert Brothers Donate to Food Share

Trevor and Brayden with their mother, Jen Thibert.

Eight year old Trevor Thibert played a fiddle at the Corvallis Farmer’s Market this summer and his five-year-old brother, Brayden joined in with a song or two. Together, the boys have raised $202.66 to donate to Linn Benton Food Share, a program of Community Services Consortium (CSC). Their grandfather matched their donation for a total of $405.32.

Trevor already has a history of giving, last year he celebrated his birthday by inviting his friends to bring canned and packaged food to his birthday party instead of presents. He then donated his birthday present of 245 and 1/2 pounds of food to Linn Benton Food Share.

Linn Benton Food Share was honored to receive the donation from the boys. It will help supply nutritious food to people in Linn and Benton counties who need food.

CSC Receives $5,000 Grant for Foreclosure Counseling and Education

Community Housing Services (CHS) a program of Community Services Consortium (CSC) received a $5,000 grant from Wells Fargo Foundation on behalf of Wells Fargo Home Mortgage to provide foreclosure counseling and education to residents of Linn, Benton and Lincoln counties.

The grant will allow CHS staff to offer free one-on-one foreclosure intervention counseling and education for residents at risk of foreclosure or in the process of being foreclosed.

“It is expensive to offer a foreclosure intervention program which is both local and serves a three county area,” said Jon Polansky, CHS Housing Resources Coordinator. “This grant helps Community Housing Services to provide housing counseling that is approved by the United States Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) at no cost to homeowners experiencing financial problems.”

In addition to foreclosure counseling, Community Housing Services offers weatherization, home rehabilitation loans and home buying and financial fitness classes to low and moderate income persons and families.

Community Services Consortium (CSC) is the state-designated Community Action Agency serving Linn, Benton and Lincoln counties. CSC provides a wide range of services to low and moderate income individuals and families. CSC helps with housing, employment, job training skills, food, weatherization, housing rehabilitation, education and volunteer opportunities. For more information, or to support CSC and its many programs, please contact the CSC administrative office at (541) 752-1010 or visit www.communityservices.us.

CSC Pre-apprentiship Program with Corvallis School District

CSC’s Weatherization Training Center hosts Corvallis School District high school students in a pre-apprenticeship program designed to connect classroom education with hands-on occupational exploration. Seven students from two of the area high schools are learning about weatherization and building science while participating in a service learning project that included replacing windows for a retired couple. The students attend class at the Weatherization Training Center once a week for five weeks. Upon completion, students will understand what it takes to be a weatherization professional including worksite safety. This program is designed to help teens think about their future career options and provide a tangible connection between classroom education and real world application of science and math.

Community Services Consortium Receives Award for Excellence in Financial Reporting

Community Services Consortium (CSC) received The Certificate of Achievement for Excellence in Financial Reporting from the Government Finance Officers Association of the United States and Canada (GFOA) for its comprehensive annual financial report (CAFR). The Certificate of Achievement is the highest form of recognition in the area of governmental accounting and financial reporting and its attainment represents a significant accomplishment. This is the 18th consecutive year CSC has received the CAFR.

Deborah C. Jackson, Finance Director of CSC and William C. Tucker, CSC Governing Board Chair received the individual Award of Financial Reporting Achievement for having had the primary responsibility for preparing the award-winning CAFR.

The CAFR has been judged by an impartial panel to meet the high standards of the program including demonstrating a constructive “spirit of full disclosure” to clearly communicate its financial story and motivate potential users and user groups to read the CAFR.
The GFOA is a nonprofit professional association serving approximately 17,500 government finance professionals with offices in Chicago, IL, and Washington, D.C.

Community Services Consortium (CSC) is the state-designated Community Action Agency serving Linn, Benton and Lincoln counties. CSC provides a wide range of services to low and moderate income individuals and families. CSC helps with employment, job training skills, food, housing, weatherization, housing rehabilitation, education and volunteer opportunities. For more information, or to support CSC and its many programs, please contact CSC’s administrative office at (541) 752-1010 or visit www.communityservices.us.

The Woodshare Program

Multiple gleaning groups from CSC’s Linn Benton Food Share program share a wood glean donated by Benton Habitat for Humanity. Seen from left to right: front row: Sean Briggs & Betty Briggs from Harrisburg Harvesters; Jerry Rice from Central Valley ; Pat Danton from Alsea Valley Gleaners; Jeff Kerchaw from Central Valley Gleaners ; Middle: Don Harris from Alsea Valley Gleaners Back: Joe Danton from Alsea Valley Gleaners.Wood Share, a program of the Linn Benton Food Share Gleaners.

Linn Benton Food Share Gleaning Groups spent many weeks gathering wood donated by Benton County Habitat for Humanity, the City of Corvallis, Corvallis Parks and Recreation, Benton County, private citizens from Linn and Benton counties as well as several local tree removal services. Gleaners share wood in the same way they share food with their low income members, 50 percent will go to adoptees, elderly and disabled gleaning members. Woodshare was helped through CSBG ARRA money used to coordinate the Program.

“We are fortunate to have partners like Benton County Habitat for Humanity and all the other agencies donating wood,” said Susan James, Gleaning and Volunteer Coordinator for Linn Benton Food share, a program of Community Services Consortium. “Our Wood Share gleaners have been very busy this year.”

Director of Development and Community Relations Named at CSC

Heidi Henry, an economic development and marketing consultant has been named Director of Development & Community Relations at Community Services Consortium (CSC), a community action agency covering Linn, Benton, and Lincoln counties.

She has helped over 70 Oregon communities with projects such as community center development, leadership training, and project implementation for economic development. Her background in business marketing and economic development includes work as a chamber director and a downtown revitalization director. She has worked as a trainer and facilitator with state-wide agencies coordinating and facilitating strategic plans, organizational assessments, economic development action plans, and fundraising strategies.

Before coming to CSC, Henry consulted on a number of projects, including: Business Assistance Team Training, Main Street Program, Philomath, Oregon; Benton Habitat Funding Development and Business Sponsorship Committee Training and Planning; ABC House Strategic Planning, Albany, OR; Lebanon Emergency Services Homeless shelter planning; Conference Presenter, Financial Stewardship Conference, Corvallis Oregon; Event Planning and Management Training, Board Planning, Samaritan House, Newport, Oregon.

Henry is Past President of the Board of Directors for Financial Stewardship Resources, Inc, a non-profit devoted to financial management skill-building and governance excellence for non-profits nation-wide. She has a Master’s degree in Ethics and Organizational Communication, and is both a certified facilitator and certified by National Main Street, Washington D.C. She is co-owner with her daughter of a small retail store in downtown Corvallis.